Google vs.
Zoho vs. Microsoft vs. others on the Cloud
This list began years
ago as a comparison between Google and Zoho, grew as Microsoft began offering
its Office Web Apps, and also now includes some of the many web applications
now available. Note that Microsoft’s Office Web Apps are designed to be used
alongside their installed Office counterparts, offering some limited
functionality online.
Word Processing
ü
Google Writer
ü
Zoho Writer
ü
ThinkFree Office online http://member.thinkfree.com/member/goSignin.action
ü
Yozo Office online http://www.yozooffice.com/products/yozo-web-office/
Spreadsheet
ü
Google Spreadsheet
ü
Zoho Sheet
ü
Microsoft Excel (Office Web Apps)
ü
ThinkFree Office online
ü
Yozo Office online
Presentations /
Slideshows
ü
Google Presentation
ü
Zoho Show
ü
Microsoft Powerpoint (Office Web Apps)
ü
ThinkFree Office online
ü
Yozo Office online
ü
SlideShare http://www.slideshare.net/
(includes online sharing community)
ü
SlideRocket http://www.sliderocket.com/
Notebook / Web
Clipping / Research
ü
Google Notebook
ü
Zoho Notebook
ü
Microsoft OneNote (Office Web Apps)
ü
Springnote http://www.springnote.com/en
ü
UberNote: http://www.ubernote.com/
Email
ü
Google Gmail
ü
Zoho Mail
ü
Microsoft Hotmail & Business Productivity
Online Suite
ü
Yahoo! Mail
(plus
many, many others)
Contacts
ü
Google Gmail
ü
Zoho Mail (see also Contacts portion of Zoho
CRM)
ü
Windows Live Hotmail
ü
Plaxo http://www.plaxo.com/
Calendars (private and
shared)
ü
Google Calendar
ü
Zoho Calendar
ü
Tungle http://www.tungle.com/
(calendar coordinator & meeting scheduler)
Chat / Internet
Messaging
ü
Google Talk
ü
Zoho Chat
ü
Windows Live MSN Chat
ü
Kool IM http://koolim.com/
Wiki
ü
Included in Google Sites
ü
Zoho Wiki
ü
Springnote http://www.springnote.com/en
Database Applications
ü
Zoho Creator
ü
Microsoft SQL Server Express /
Database Analysis
ü
Zoho Reports
Project Management /
Collaboration
ü
Zoho Projects (can be integrated with Google Docs)
ü
Cozi (Family Organizer) http://www.cozi.com/home.htm
ü
WizeHive
http://www.wizehive.com/
ü
@task http://www.attask.com/
Web Conferencing
ü
Google – Limited conferencing via Chat and Gmail
Video Chat
ü
Zoho Meetings
ü
Microsoft Office Live Meeting
ü
ShowDocument
http://www.showdocument.com/ds/main.jsf
ü
Vyew http://vyew.com/site/index2
CRM / Customer
Relationship Management
ü
Zoho CRM (may be used with Google Docs)
ü
Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online (Office Live Small
Business)
ü
SalesForce.com http://www.salesforce.com/
ü
BatchBook http://batchblue.com/
Personal Organizer /
To Do Lists
ü
Zoho Planner
ü
Ta-da http://tadalist.com/
ü
TeuxDeux http://teuxdeux.com/
ü
Toodledo www.toodledo.com/
ü
Hiveminder http://hiveminder.com/
Vitalist and Nozbe are
based on the Getting Things Done (GTD) system.
Many other phone + web applications
exist, too
Web Site Hosting
ü
Google Page Creator
ü
Microsoft Office Live Small Business
ü
SnapPages http://www.snappages.com/
Many
other web site hosting solutions exist, too.
News Feed Reader (RSS
& Atom)
ü
Google Reader
ü
Microsoft (available in Outlook and Internet
Explorer)
Also
available in other browsers and many downloadable programs.
Personalized Homepage
ü
iGoogle
ü
My Yahoo! (and many others)
HRIS (Human Resources
Info Services) & Hiring Systems
ü
Zoho People (for existing staff)
ü
Zoho Recruit (for hiring services)
Business Suite
ü
Google Apps Premier Edition
ü
Zoho Business
ü
Microsoft Office Live Small Business &
SkyDrive Services
Invoicing
ü
Zoho Invoice
ü
FreshBooks www.freshbooks.com/
ü
Ronin http://www.roninapp.com/
ü
The Invoice Machine http://invoicemachine.com/home
Phone & Answering
& Forwarding Services
ü
Google Voice
Social Networking
Communications & Customer Services
ü
Zoho Discussions
Small Business
Accounting
ü
Zoho Books
ü
OutRight http://outright.com/
(geared towards freelancers who report on Schedule C)
ü
LessAccounting https://lessaccounting.com/index2.html
Software Development
Tracking
ü
Zoho BugTracker
Conclusion: This
is not an exhaustive list of online applications, but it is a good comparison
of the types of services offered by Google and Zoho with links to other
online office suites and similar independent services.
The value is in finding the applications that work best for
you. Mix and match according to your needs and work style. The Google and Zoho
applications are all free for individuals, as are many of the others.
Microsoft
applications work best when combined with their Office applications, which are
fairly pricy compared with the other options discussed in this series.
To find earlier published Frugal Guidance blog posts about these software
options, see:
Zoho http://frugalguidance.blogspot.com/2011/12/part-10-free-and-cheap-software-for_26.html
and http://frugalguidance.blogspot.com/2011/12/part-11-free-and-cheap-software-for.html
ThinkFree http://frugalguidance.blogspot.com/2011/12/free-and-cheap-software-for-soho-office_15.html
To read the entire series on alternatives to Microsoft Office
for the SOHO office, start with http://frugalguidance.blogspot.com/2011/12/free-and-cheap-software-for-soho-office.html
Key words: Zoho, Google, Microsoft, applications, cloud,
SOHO, office, online
