If you’re looking for a software package that provides professional communication tools for your team and high-quality storage for your business data, you’ve probably heard of Google Workspace. But what does Google Workspace offer? What does Google Workspace cost? How can you make sure you choose the right plan for your business?
We’ll answer all of your most important questions about Google Workspace in this guide. 📚
What is Google Workspace?
Google Workspace is a collection of business tools for communication and data storage. Its primary offerings include business email, video conferencing, chat team messaging, and Google Drive storage.
This serves as the replacement for G Suite, Google’s original suite of productivity and management tools for businesses.
Google Workspace plans
Google Workspace offers three plans suitable for the majority of businesses: Business Starter, Business Standard, and Business Plus. Note that the Google Workspace cost listed for each plan is in USD; prices may vary based on your region.
Business Starter
Features ⚙️
- Gmail business email
- Google Meet video and voice conference with up to 100 participants
- 30GB pooled storage per user, stored and organized in Google Drive
- Chat team messaging
- Google Calendar shared with your team, with the ability to book and reserve conference rooms
- Collaborative content creation through Docs, Sheets, and Slides
- Sites website builder
- Forms survey builder
- Smart Fill, Smart Cleanup, and Answers for easier analysis
- Basic security and management features
Cost 💳
$6 per user per month, with a minimum commitment of one year.
Business Standard
Features ⚙️
This plan includes all features from Business Starter, plus:
- Video meetings for up to 150 participants
- 2TB pooled storage
- Noise cancellation, polling, moderation control, hand raising, and breakout rooms for meetings
- Meeting recordings automatically saved to Google Drive
- Advanced chatrooms with threaded rooms and guest access
- Appointment booking pages
- Custom-branded templates for documents and forms
- Google Workspace Migrate tool
Cost 💳
$12 per user per month, with a minimum commitment of one year.
Business Plus
Features ⚙️
This plan includes all features from Business Plus, and:
- eDiscovery and retention tools for email
- 500 participants in video meetings
- Attendance tracking for meetings
- 5TB pooled storage
- Enhanced security features, including Vault for enhanced archiving
Cost 💳
$18 per user per month, with a commitment of one year.
How much will Google Workspace cost your business?
There are two important things to consider when calculating how much Google Workspace will cost your business:
- Billing per user – You have to pay separately for each user, so the cost will vary based on how large your team is.
- One year commitment – You’ll have to pay for an entire year up front. There are monthly plans available, but they’re more expensive.
With these factors in mind, we’ve calculated the cost of Google Workspace for teams of four sizes: five people, ten people, 25 people, and 50 people. This will help you understand exactly how much you’ll have to pay to bring your entire team onto Google Workspace.
Google Workspace cost for five people
- Business Starter – $360, billed annually
- Business Standard – $720, billed annually
- Business Plus – $1,080, billed annually
Google Workspace cost for ten people
- Business Starter – $720, billed annually
- Business Standard – $1,440, billed annually
- Business Plus – $2,160, billed annually
Google Workspace cost for 25 people
- Business Starter – $1,800, billed annually
- Business Standard – $3,600, billed annually
- Business Plus – $5,400, billed annually
Google Workspace cost for 50 people
- Business Starter – $3,600, billed annually
- Business Standard – $7,200, billed annually
- Business Plus – $10,800, billed annually
How Google Workspace compares to the competition
Another important thing to consider when deciding whether or not you want to go with Google Workspace is what other options are out there. Today we’ll look at two of the most popular Google Workspace alternatives: Microsoft Office and Zoho Workplace.
Microsoft Office
Microsoft Office offers access to a variety of Microsoft apps, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Teams. There are four business plans:
- Basic – This plan features web and mobile access to all Microsoft Office apps, 1TB of storage per user, chat/call/meeting options with up to 300 attendees, and business-class email. This plan costs $6 per user per month, billed annually.
- Standard – This plan features everything from the Business Basic plan, plus desktop versions of all Microsoft Office apps, webinar hosting tools, attendee and registration tracking for webinars, and customer appointment management. The plan costs $12.50 per user per month, billed annually.
- Premium – This plan features everything in the Business Standard plan, plus advanced security features including cyberthreat protection. You’ll pay $22 per user per month, billed annually.
- Apps for Business – This plan includes desktop versions of all of Microsoft’s business apps and 1TB of storage per user. You’ll pay $8.25 per user per month, billed annually.
As you can see, the plans start at roughly the same price as Google Workspace, and the offerings include access to Microsoft’s full suite of office software. You’ll also get the ability to have up to 300 attendees in meetings, which can make Microsoft Office more affordable if you want to include large numbers of people in your business communications. And, the 1TB of storage per user is much more generous than Google’s pooled storage amounts.
The one place where Microsoft Office falls down is the Business Premium plan, which costs $4 more per user per month than Google Workspace’s plan and only offers additional security features. However, most businesses can get by on the Business Basic or Business Standard plans, so this isn’t a major concern for most companies.
When to choose this tool 🤔
If you prefer Microsoft Office software to Google equivalents or want access to specific tools like PowerPoint, this is the option for you. You’ll also want to choose Microsoft Office if you need extensive storage capabilities for all users and/or if you want to have meetings for more than 100 people without spending a fortune.
Zoho Workplace
Zoho Workplace is a high-quality suite of office management and productivity tools with four plans:
- Mail Lite – This plan includes email hosting for multiple domains, email sharing, team chat, and a choice of either 5GB or 10GB of storage per user. The 5GB version is $1 per user per month and the 10GB version is $1.25 per user per month, billed annually.
- Mail Premium – This plan includes everything from the Mail Lite plan plus eDiscovery and backup tools, resource booking, and extra large attachments. You’ll also get 50GB of storage per user, and the plan will cost you $4 per user per month, billed annually.
- Workplace Standard – This plan features the full Zoho office suite, including Writer, Sheet, and Show. You’ll also get 30GB per user (10GB user file storage), chat channels, as well as audio and video calling. You’ll pay $3 per user per month for this plan, billed annually.
- Workplace Premium – This plan features everything from Workplace Standard, plus an online meeting tool and organization intranet. You’ll also get 100GB per user (1000GB user file storage). In terms of cost, this plan will run you $6 per user per month, billed annually.
At first glance, Zoho Workplace is very affordable compared to the Google Workspace cost or the price of Microsoft Office. However, the email options come with more limited storage, and if you need both Mail Premium and Workplace Premium, you’ll be paying more ($10 per user per month) than you would for a similar set of tools from Google or Microsoft.
When to choose this tool 🤔
If you only need the Mail Lite and Workplace Standard options, you can save a considerable amount of money by using Zoho.
Final advice: how to choose a Google Workspace plan 🏁
If you’ve looked at the alternatives and still want to choose Google Workspace, there’s only one question left: which plan should you choose?
💼 Well, it depends on what your business needs:
- Opt for the Business Starter plan if basic communication tools are sufficient and you don’t require extensive storage.
- Go with the Business Standard plan for advanced meeting tools and appointment booking features.
- Select the Business Standard plan if you require large meeting rooms with space for up to 500 people.
Of course, you’ll also need to consider your budget. You might find that it’s most effective to buy a Google Workspace plan for your core team and use alternative tools like Zoho Workplace to provide email for your extended team.
In any case, remember that the right collaboration tool can not only meet your current needs but also scale with your business as it grows. Take the time to analyze your requirements carefully and consult with your team before making a final decision. This way, you’ll be better positioned to make the most out of your investment in a collaborative workspace.
What Google Workspace plan are you most interested in? Let us know in the comments section below!