What is the difference between Outlook and Office 365 groups?

Outlook Groups and Office 365 Groups are both collaboration tools offered by Microsoft, but they have some key differences:

1. Outlook Groups:

   • Outlook Groups was a specific app provided by Microsoft that allowed you to engage with your team with shared conversations, files, and calendars in Outlook.
   • It was more email-centric and was primarily used for internal team collaboration.
   • It was a part of Office 365 subscription but was a separate app that you needed to download.
   • As of October 2020, Microsoft has retired the Outlook Groups app.

2. Office 365 Groups:

   • Office 365 Groups is a service that works with the Office 365 tools you use already so you can collaborate with your teammates when writing documents, creating spreadsheets, working on project plans, scheduling meetings, or sending email.
   • It provides a more comprehensive solution for collaboration, including tools like SharePoint for document storage, Microsoft Teams for chat-based collaboration, Planner for task management, and more.
   • It is integrated into your Office 365 subscription, so there's no need for a separate app.
   • Office 365 Groups allows for both internal and external collaboration, depending on the settings chosen by the administrator.

In summary, while both are designed to facilitate collaboration, Office 365 Groups provides a more comprehensive suite of tools and is more integrated into the Office 365 environment.