Best cloud office suite of 2019

The world has become mobile. No longer are we expected to work only from clumsy desktops – now we can work from wherever we are, using cell phones, tablets, and other mobile devices.

Software has developed with the hardware. Mobile apps have given rise to a profusion of services run from the cloud. These are simple and easy to download, install, and update. 

The user has become empowered with the ability to work wherever they are, wherever they like, and this is made all the more clear by the range of office software available that now runs from the cloud.

Whether it’s for home or business use, you can now create, edit, even collaborate, on documents, spreadsheets, and presentations, on the go if needed. Even better, not only are the documents you work on saved in the cloud, as a safe backup option, but older versions of the same documents are also commonly saved, making it easier to recover previous notes as required.

Here we list some of the biggest and best, and most powerful, cloud office suites that are currently available. There are familiar names listed, such as Microsoft and Apple, as you would expect, but also other feature-rich products that are also worth considering as you move to working in the cloud.

• Want your company or services to be added to this buyer’s guide? Please email your request to desire.athow@futurenet.com with the URL of the buying guide in the subject line. 

(Image credit: Microsoft)

1. Microsoft Office 365

Multiple productivity tools

OneDrive integration

Relatively expensive

Microsoft Office 365 is a line of subscription services offered by Microsoft. It was launched in 2011.

It is comprised of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote and OneDrive amongst others.

Subscribers receive 1TB of storage through OneDrive. Users can share files with others. You can control who edits each file and how long they have access to it.  

OneDrive includes multi-party video sharing, content sharing, shared calendars and team chat.

Subscribers also have access to Word, Excel and Powerpoint. Users do not need to download these applications. They are readily accessible online through a subscription.

Microsoft Office for Home is priced at $9.99 per month and includes up to five computers.

‘Office 365 Business’ is $10 per month per user. The ‘Premium’ tier is $15 per month and includes Exchange, SharePoint, Skype for Business and Microsoft Teams.

(Image credit: Google)

2. Google G Suite

All-in-one productivity suite

Team collaboration

Some functionality issues

G Suite is a brand of cloud computing, productivity and collaboration tools developed by Google. It was first launched in 2006.

The software is made up of Docs, Sheets and Slides as part of Google’s cloud office suite. It also includes Gmail, calendar and hangouts.

Users can upload their own documents, spreadsheets and presentations for customizing their own office templates.  

Users can create documents in your browser with Google Docs. It allows multiple users to work at the same time. Users can view other users edits as they type. You can also communicate through built-in chat and insert comments. Users can export in most formats such as .docx, .pdf, .odt, .rtf, .html and .txt. All changes are saved. Previous versions of your documents are kept indefinitely at no extra cost.

Google Sheets enables users to view their spreadsheets through charts and pivot tables. Users can work on Sheets even when they are offline. Sheets is compatible with other formats such as Microsoft Excel.

Users can work and collaborate on presentations with multiple users using Slides. Admins get to control who can edit, view or add comments. There are multiple presentations to choose form or users can create their own presentations from scratch.

The ‘Basic’ package is $5 per user per month and includes 30GB of storage.  

The ‘Business’ package is $10 per month per user and comes with unlimited storage and archiving.

The ‘Enterprise’ plan is $25 per month per user and offers advanced controls and capabilities.  

Online users have complained that the functionality of Sheets and Docs is not as broad as online versions of Word and Excel.

(Image credit: Zoho)

3. Zoho Workplace