Office EU vs Google Workspace: a comparison for EU teams
Choosing a workspace should feel like choosing a reliable home for your day-to-day work. Not like signing up for a maze of settings you never fully understand. This Office EU vs Google Workspace guide is for EU-based buyers who want a modern place to email, share files, collaborate on documents, and run calls, but also want more control over where things live and how the platform behaves.
Microsoft 365 is the default choice for many organisations. It is broad, polished, and deeply connected to the Microsoft ecosystem. For a lot of teams, it "just works" because everyone already knows the tools and many businesses already depend on them.
Office EU takes a different path. It is a Europe-hosted workspace built on Nextcloud. The aim is straightforward: keep everyday work in one place, stay transparent about what powers the platform, and make it easier to move or change later if your needs shift. It is designed to feel calmer, not heavier.
What each product is in plain English
Office EU
Office EU is a sovereignty-first productivity suite hosted in Europe and built on Nextcloud. In practical terms, think: a place to store and share files, run team conversations and video calls, manage calendars and contacts, and collaborate on office documents through integrations.
Google Workspace
Google Workspace is Google's cloud productivity suite. It bundles Gmail, Drive, Docs, Sheets, Slides, Calendar, Meet, Chat, plus admin and security controls.
Quick verdict: Office EU vs Google Workspace
If you love the Google-native experience, Google Workspace wins on "everything just works together". Gmail, Calendar, Meet, Chat, Docs, and Drive share the same design and default behaviours, and you get the benefits immediately.
Office EU's value shows up when you care less about a single vendor's defaults and more about being able to shape the workspace. With a Nextcloud-based suite, the core building blocks are clear: files, communication, groupware, plus document editing through integrations.
That is not a weakness. That is the point. It is what makes Office EU a credible best Google Workspace alternative for EU teams that want a Europe-hosted baseline and a calmer, more transparent operating model.
When people say "Google Docs alternative", what do they actually need?
A lot of searches are really the same question in disguise: "I need an open-source Google Docs alternative." "I need a self-hosted Google Docs alternative." "I need an alternative to Google Docs without losing basic collaboration."
Most teams do not need a perfect clone of Docs. They need three things: The ability to open and work with common office files. A way to collaborate without sending attachments back and forth. Confidence that the document space is under their control.
This is where the "Office EU versus Google" conversation becomes practical. Google Docs is native. Office EU is modular. If your team's highest priority is the smoothest possible Google-native document co-editing, Google Workspace stays strong. If your priority is control, hosting, and a platform you can shape, Office EU becomes a serious open-source alternative to Google Docs path, as long as you set expectations correctly.
Email alternative to Gmail for business
Many buyers arrive from the email angle first: "I need an alternative to Gmail for business email." "I need an alternative to Google mail for business." "I want an alternative to Google Workspace email."
Here is the simple truth: Gmail is not just "email". It is a complete Google-native experience, especially when paired with Calendar, Meet, Drive, and Chat.
EU Email can absolutely be part of an email solution, but it is usually not "Gmail with a different logo". In Nextcloud-style suites, email often works by connecting to your mail provider using standard protocols (IMAP/SMTP), and calendars work via standard sync options. The experience can be clean and user-friendly, but what you get depends on your setup, your mail hosting choices, and your policy requirements.
If your organisation's real need is "we want business email on our own terms, with a calmer workspace around it", Office EU can be a strong alternative to G-Suite email. If your need is "we want the Gmail interface and Gmail's exact behaviours", Google Workspace is the safer bet.
Files and sharing: the quiet centre of most work
For many teams, "workspace" really means "where our files live".
Google Workspace puts Drive at the centre, with sharing controls and Shared Drives for teams. That model is familiar, especially if you already rely on Google-native permissions and link sharing.
EU Drive is anchored by a file space that behaves like a controlled "company drive", with sharing rules that can be designed to match your organisation. This is where Office EU can feel simpler for EU buyers who want a straightforward mental model: a European-hosted file environment, with clear control over who can access what.
If your team has ever asked for a "G-Suite sharepoint equivalent", what they usually mean is: "I want a structured, permissioned place for team documents that does not turn into chaos." In Google Workspace, that tends to mean Shared Drives plus governance. In Office EU, it tends to mean a Nextcloud-style file space plus governance. The difference is who owns the defaults: Google, or you.
How to migrate from Google Workspace without panic
If you are looking to migrate from Google Workspace, you are probably worried about the same few things: You do not want downtime. You do not want missing mail. You do not want broken links. You do not want your team to revolt.
A calm approach works best. Office EU's migration approach is backed by Audriga in a "source on the left, Office EU destination on the right" flow. A realistic rollout usually looks like this:
Start with a pilot team that is open to change. Move a small set of mailboxes and shared folders first. Keep Google running during the pilot so nobody is blocked. Let the pilot team test calendars, file sharing, and doc workflows in real life, not in a demo.
Then expand in waves. Move shared drives and common departments next. Leave the most sensitive workflows for later, once you have patterns that work. This is the calm way to replace Google Workspace without making the change feel like a crisis.
Pricing and plan fit (without making up numbers)
Some buyers search for a cheap G-Suite alternative. Others search for free Google Workspace alternatives. Those searches often hide the real question: "What will this cost us over time, including the time we spend managing it?"
Google Workspace pricing and features vary by edition, and the product set is clearly defined across Gmail, Drive, Meet, Docs, Calendar, Chat, plus security and admin features.
Office EU cost thinking is different. You are paying not only for software access, but for a hosted environment, a support model, and a configuration that matches your needs. If your organisation values simplicity and Europe-hosted control, Office EU can reduce hidden costs in practical ways: fewer separate services, clearer ownership of data, and fewer workarounds.
The fair framing is this: Google Workspace tends to win on instant convenience. While Office EU is also very convenient in day-to-day use, it shines especially when you value long-term control, clear defaults, and a simpler operating model.
Who should choose what (mini-guides)
SMEs: If you are a small or mid-sized business that wants a polished experience with minimal decisions, Google Workspace is a strong default. Your team already knows Gmail. Hiring is easier when tools are familiar. Docs collaboration is excellent. If your SME is EU-based and wants a Europe-hosted workspace with clearer control and a calmer setup, Office EU is a strong candidate. It is a practical alternative to Google Workspace when you want to define your own defaults.
NGOs: NGOs often care about trust, clarity, and governance. Google Workspace can be a great fit if your partners are already Google-based and you rely on Docs collaboration daily. Office EU often fits NGOs that prioritise where data lives and how access is governed, especially when they want a G-Suite replacement that feels less opaque.
Families and individuals: Google Workspace is usually more than most families need, but individuals often rely on Google accounts anyway. Office EU appeals to privacy-conscious users who want a Europe-hosted personal workspace with files, calendars, and simple collaboration, and who are comfortable with a setup that is not "Google-native everything".
Choosing the best Google Workspace alternative for EU control
If your team is deeply invested in Gmail and Google Docs and wants the smoothest possible experience with minimal decisions, Google Workspace remains an excellent suite.
If your priority is a Europe-hosted workspace that feels simpler to govern, easier to understand, and more configurable over time, Office EU is built for that job. It is a credible answer to searches like "best alternative to Google Workspace", "open-source G-Suite alternative", and "G-Suite open-source alternative", as long as you evaluate it honestly: document editing depth depends on integrations, and mail experience depends on setup.
If you want to replace Google Workspace, do it calmly. Pilot first. Learn what your users truly need. Then roll out in waves.
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