Comparison · Updated October 2026 · We are partners of both Google and Microsoft
SharePoint & OneDrive vs Google Drive:which is right for your business?
How Microsoft's file stack and Google Drive compare on storage, limits, permissions, data location and price, for companies in Oman, the UAE, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.
Compare for your team
Three quick questions, then your details.
The short answer
SharePoint and OneDrive vs Google Drive comes down to suite and control.
Google Drive gives more pooled storage per user (2 TB on Business Standard) and simpler team folders. 
SharePoint gives finer permissions, document libraries with metadata, and data storage in the UAE. Gulf Infotech (in the Middle East since 2007), a partner for both, sets up either across the Middle East.
What we compared
- SharePoint and OneDrive
SharePoint and OneDrive
Plan compared: Microsoft 365 Business
- Google Drive
Google Drive
Plan compared: Google Workspace Business
Disclosure
Gulf Infotech is a Google Cloud Premier Partner and a Microsoft Solutions Partner for Modern Work. We deploy and support both.
Verdict
The short verdict
Choose Google Drive (shared drives)
If your company runs on Google Workspace, wants simple team folders, needs a lot of storage per user, and mostly co-edits in the browser.
Choose SharePoint and OneDrive
If you run Microsoft 365, work in desktop Office files, need fine-grained permissions inside folders, want document libraries with metadata and approval flows, or must keep data in the UAE.
Learn more: SharePoint intranet and document managementYou rarely choose a file platform on its own
It follows your email and office suite. If you are still deciding that, start with Google Workspace vs Microsoft 365.
Ask which fits your team: Ask which fits your team
In detail
What are SharePoint, OneDrive and Google Drive?
They split the same job differently. In Microsoft 365, OneDrive is each person's own work storage and SharePoint holds team and company files, intranet pages and document libraries. Microsoft says OneDrive is for an individual's work files, and departmental data belongs in SharePoint. Teams stores its channel files in SharePoint too.
In Google Workspace, My Drive is each person's storage and shared drives hold team files owned by the organisation. Both sit in the one Google Drive app, with Docs, Sheets and Slides built in.
Side by side
How do SharePoint, OneDrive and Google Drive compare?
Limits from Microsoft and Google documentation, October 2026.
| Feature | SharePoint and OneDriveMicrosoft 365 Business | Google DriveGoogle Workspace Business |
|---|---|---|
| Personal storage | SharePoint and OneDriveOneDrive 1 TB per user | Google DrivePooled: 30 GB (Starter), 2 TB (Standard), 5 TB (Plus) per user |
| Team storage | SharePoint and OneDriveSharePoint pool: 1 TB per organisation + 10 GB per licence | Google DriveComes from the same organisation-wide pool |
| Largest single file | SharePoint and OneDrive250 GB | Google Drive5 TB |
| Items per library or shared drive | SharePoint and OneDrive30 million per library | Google Drive500,000 per shared drive |
| Permissions | SharePoint and OneDriveDown to folder and file level (5,000 unique permissions per library recommended) | Google DriveSet per shared drive; subfolders cannot be more restrictive, except limited-access folders |
| Desktop sync | SharePoint and OneDriveOneDrive sync app; Microsoft recommends no more than 300,000 files synced | Google DriveDrive for desktop; shared drives are streamed on demand |
| Built-in editors | SharePoint and OneDriveWord, Excel, PowerPoint (desktop from Business Standard, plus web) | Google DriveDocs, Sheets, Slides in the browser; opens Office files |
| Data location options | SharePoint and OneDriveLocal data storage in the UAE (Abu Dhabi, Dubai) | Google DriveUnited States or Europe (Business Standard and higher) |
| Maximum users on Business plans | SharePoint and OneDrive300 | Google Drive300 |
The storage row is the one that surprises people. A 50-person company on Microsoft 365 Business gets 50 TB of OneDrive but only about 1.5 TB of shared SharePoint storage (1 TB plus 50 × 10 GB). The same company on Google Workspace Business Standard shares one 100 TB pool across everything.
In detail
How much do they cost?
You do not buy them separately; they come with the suite.
| Plan | USDOMRAEDQARSAR | What you get for files |
|---|---|---|
| Google Workspace Business Starter | USDOMRAEDQARSAR$7.00 | What you get for files30 GB pooled per user, shared drives |
| Google Workspace Business Standard | USDOMRAEDQARSAR$14.00 | What you get for files2 TB pooled per user |
| Google Workspace Business Plus | USDOMRAEDQARSAR$22.00 | What you get for files5 TB pooled per user, Vault retention |
| Microsoft 365 Business Basic | USDOMRAEDQARSAR$7.00 | What you get for filesOneDrive 1 TB per user, SharePoint, web Office apps |
| Microsoft 365 Business Standard with Copilot | USDOMRAEDQARSAR$23.50 | What you get for filesAdds desktop Office apps and Copilot |
Converted from the USD list prices at 1 USD = 0.388 OMR · 3.68 AED · 3.64 QAR · 3.75 SAR, for reference. VAT is extra where it applies.
Converted from the USD list prices at 1 USD = 0.388 OMR · 3.68 AED · 3.64 QAR · 3.75 SAR, for reference. VAT is extra where it applies.
Converted from the USD list prices at 1 USD = 0.388 OMR · 3.68 AED · 3.64 QAR · 3.75 SAR, for reference. VAT is extra where it applies.
Converted from the USD list prices at 1 USD = 0.388 OMR · 3.68 AED · 3.64 QAR · 3.75 SAR, for reference. VAT is extra where it applies.
Prices as of October 2026 · per user per month, billed annually (annual upfront commitment) · exclude VAT where it applies (Oman and UAE 5%, Saudi Arabia 15%, Bahrain 10%, Qatar and Kuwait none). Local prices: Google Workspace pricing and Microsoft 365 pricing.
In detail
Which is better for permissions and sensitive files?
SharePoint is more granular. You can break permissions on a single folder or file inside a library, which suits a legal or HR team that needs tight control in one place. The cost is complexity: Microsoft recommends keeping unique permissions under 5,000 per library, and folder-by-folder exceptions get hard to audit over time.
Google's model is deliberately simpler. Access is set per shared drive, and you cannot lock a subfolder tighter than the drive, apart from limited-access folders. In practice we give HR, Finance and Management their own shared drives. For most offices under 300 people, that is easier to run and audit.
In detail
Which keeps data in the GCC?
Microsoft 365 does, in the UAE. Microsoft lists local data storage in the United Arab Emirates (Abu Dhabi, Dubai); where an existing tenant's data sits varies from customer to customer, and we check yours in the admin centre. Google Workspace data regions offer only the United States or Europe. If a regulator or contract in your sector requires in-country storage, check this first. See cloud data residency in the GCC.
In detail
Which is easier for staff to use?
Google Drive, for most people. One app holds personal and team files, and Docs and Sheets open straight in the browser. SharePoint can do more, but staff must learn where OneDrive ends, where a Teams channel's files live and where the SharePoint library is. If your team lives in desktop Excel with linked workbooks and macros, though, SharePoint and OneDrive keep those files working as they are.
Frequently asked questions
Is SharePoint better than Google Drive?
SharePoint is better for fine-grained permissions, document libraries with metadata and approvals, intranet sites, and storing data in the UAE. Google Drive is better for simple team folders, larger pooled storage per user and fast browser co-editing. For most companies the deciding factor is the suite: Microsoft 365 companies use SharePoint, Google Workspace companies use shared drives.
What is the difference between OneDrive and SharePoint?
OneDrive is each user's personal work storage, 1 TB per user on Microsoft 365 Business plans. SharePoint holds shared team and company content, including the files behind Microsoft Teams channels. Microsoft says departmental and organisational data belongs in SharePoint, not in a person's OneDrive. When someone leaves, files in SharePoint stay with the team, while their OneDrive must be handed over.
Is OneDrive or Google Drive cheaper for business?
At the entry level they cost the same: Microsoft 365 Business Basic and Google Workspace Business Starter are both $7 per user per month, billed annually. Business Basic includes 1 TB of OneDrive per user against 30 GB pooled on Starter. At the next tier, Google Business Standard ($14) gives 2 TB pooled per user, while Microsoft Business Standard with Copilot costs $23.50. Prices as of October 2026, excluding VAT.
Can Google shared drives replace SharePoint?
For file storage, usually yes. Shared drives give teams company-owned folders with access control and desktop access through Drive for desktop. They do not replace SharePoint's document libraries with custom metadata, approval workflows or intranet pages. For an intranet on Google Workspace, Google Sites covers the simple cases.
Can we move files from SharePoint to Google Drive, or the other way?
Yes. We choose the tool per case and per complexity: the platforms' native tools, such as Google's data import for OneDrive and SharePoint Online into Google Drive and Microsoft's migration tools for the other direction, BitTitan MigrationWiz, or SysTools. We map libraries to shared drives (or the reverse), carry folder structure across and check permissions before cutover. Office files stay as Office files unless you choose to convert them.
Which is better for a company in Saudi Arabia or Oman?
The choice rests on your suite, permissions needs and budget: Microsoft 365 companies use SharePoint and OneDrive, Google Workspace companies use shared drives. If your compliance team sets data requirements, talk to us first; see our Security and data controls review service.
Not sure which file platform fits?
Tell us your user count, data volume and how your teams share files, and we will recommend a setup on Google Workspace or Microsoft 365.
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