Google simplified “Google Apps for Your Domain” to “Google Apps” and rebranded it to “G Suite” in 2016. Due to the growing demand for online workspace and collaboration in 2019 and 2020, Google streamlined its offering, and the productivity suite underwent another name change to “Google Workspace” on October 6, 2020.
At first glance, Google Workspace is identical to G Suite, but with recent changes and add-ons, it’s better than ever. Since Google Workspace offers web-based apps, they are available on Windows, Mac, and the top Chromebooks.
What is Google Workspace?
Google Workspace brings the digital office to users. It delivers effective communication, brings teams together, and enhances the Google products you frequently use in your workflow.
Google Workspace offers a set of communication and productivity apps for startups, businesses, enterprises, individuals, nonprofits, and education. Google Spaces is gaining traction among small teams and startups for smooth communication and project management. Check our dedicated post to learn more about Google Spaces.
With a repackaged Google Workspace, Google promises better integration, user experience, new identity, and more.
Which apps are part of Google Workspace?
Most editions of Google Workspace offer the following apps.
- Gmail: The world’s most popular email service
- Google Calendar: A robust calendar offering with a scheduling option
- Google Meet: Unlimited group video calls
- Google Chat/Spaces: Team collaboration software to manage projects like a pro
- Google Drive: A cloud storage solution to share files
- Google Docs: A word document software
- Google Sheets: Create spreadsheets
- Google Slides: Create presentations
- Forms: Create forms, surveys, and quizzes
- Sites: Create websites
- Keep: Store and share your thoughts
- Jamboard: A virtual whiteboard
Some apps and services like AppSheet, Apps Script, Voice hardware, Cloud Search, Groups for Business, Domains, Classroom, and Vault may require additional purchases.
Google Workspace features at a glance
Google didn’t rename G Suite to Google Workspace and call it a day. The rebranding brings new icons for a unified identity, a streamlined user interface, and new add-ons to overcome the limitations of free personal Google accounts.
For instance, the recent Gmail redesign brings Chat, Meet, and Spaces under the same umbrella. You don’t need to switch between dozens of tabs to check file previews, read your email, compose video calls, or chat with teammates. The Chat tab allows you to have private conversations with team members, while Spaces manages group discussions and tasks.
Improved @mentions and the ability to preview files in Sheets, Slides, and Docs is another time-saving feature. Compared to a free Google account, you get an ad-free Gmail experience, higher participant limit, meeting length, meeting recording, and noise cancellation in Google Meet.
The security features include group-based policy controls; data loss prevention (DLP); Vault to retain, archive, and search data; endpoint management; and more. In short, Google Workspace is essential to running your business and startup with smooth communication and collaboration.
Google Workspace pricing
Google divided Workspace plans into three categories: Individual, Business, and Enterprise. Let’s check each plan in detail to find a suitable option for you.
Google Workspace Individual
Not everyone needs a Google Workspace Business plan. If you are a solo entrepreneur, a small business owner, or have a side hustle with a few projects and clients, the Individual Google Workplace plan might be suitable for you.
You get premium customer support, all the Google Meet features for engaging video calls, easy appointment scheduling, and customizable layouts in Gmail. Google recently included a generous 1TB Google Drive storage with the Workspace Individual tier. It now goes toe-to-toe with Microsoft 365 for Home plans in terms of storage. The Individual plan misses out on a custom email address (for example, @gmail.com vs. @androidpolice.com). Upgrade to one of the Google Workspace Business plans if you want a custom email address.
Google Workspace Individual comes with a 14-day free trial, and the pricing starts at $10 per month. You can pay for the yearly plan and bring down the monthly cost to $8.33.
Google Workspace Business
There are three Google Workspace Business plans to choose from. You can pick one based on your number of participants, storage requirements, and security features.
- Google Workspace Business Starter: Ideal for startups and small businesses. For $6 per user per month, you get a custom email address, up to 100 participants in a video meeting, 30GB of Google Drive storage per user, and basic security and management controls.
- Google Workspace Business Standard: The pricing doubles to $12 per user per month, and Google justifies it by increasing the participants limit to 150 and Google Drive storage to 2TB per user. You also get a recording function in Google Meet to share discussions with others.
- Google Workspace Business Plus: Unlocks more goodies like 500 participants in Google Meet, attendance tracking, 5TB Drive storage per user, enhanced security protocols including Vault, and advanced endpoint management. The pricing is set at $18 per user per month.
All Google Workspace Business plans come with a 14-day free trial to try it out before committing for the long term.
Google Workspace Enterprise
If 500 participants aren’t enough, contact the sales team for the Enterprise plan. It carries all the bells and whistles Google offers to businesses. You get noise cancellation, in-domain livestreaming, unlimited Google Drive storage, enterprise endpoint management, and enhanced support.
Google also offers separate Workspace plans for qualified educational institutions and nonprofit organizations.
How do I access Google Workspace apps?
Once you subscribe to one of the Google Workspace plans, you can access the company’s apps via desktop browsers or mobile apps.
A desktop browser
Windows, macOS, or ChromeOS users can access Workspace on their preferred browser. However, we suggest going with the Google Chrome browser, which lets you work offline. With Microsoft Edge, Safari, or Firefox, you must stay connected to an active network to complete the work. You should master shortcuts like doc.new, sheet.new, form.new, site.new, and jam.new to quickly get started.
Google Drive for desktop
Google Drive is available on the web, and you can install the Drive apps on Mac and Windows. Desktop apps are tightly integrated with the default File Explorer and the Finder app. Google Drive supports files on-demand, allowing you to mirror your entire Drive account on the computer without consuming space. You can read our dedicated post to set up and use Google Drive on Mac.
Mobile and tablet apps
Most Google Workspace apps like Docs, Sheets, Slides, Drive, Gmail, Meet, Chat, Keep, and Calendar have mobile apps on Android and iOS. Google doesn’t offer mobile apps for Forms and Sites.
Google Workspace alternatives
Microsoft 365 is the market leader and Google Workspace’s biggest rival. Microsoft 365 comes in Home, Family, Business, and Enterprise plans. The company has different products that rival every Workspace plan. For instance, Microsoft 365 for Home is a solid alternative to Google Workspace Individual.
The software giant recently announced a complete makeover to drop the Office branding from its apps and products. In the coming months, Office.com, the Office mobile app, and the Office app for Windows will carry the Microsoft 365 branding with a new icon, look, and even more features. Unlike Google’s web-based solutions, you get Office and communication (Teams) apps for Windows and Mac.
Other less popular Google Workspace alternatives are Zoho Workspace and Kolab Now.
Is Google Workspace worth the asking price?
If you work with a remote team, you can’t go wrong with a Google Workspace Business plan. You can always use Slack for team communication, Dropbox for cloud storage, or Zoom for group video calls, but you are considering paying individually for each service. You also lose out on a seamless Google ecosystem.
Google includes 1TB Drive storage in the Workspace Individual plan, but a lack of a custom email address might be a deal-breaker for some. The company’s Business plans hit the bull’s eye with ample storage, security, and video calling functions. You can always upgrade to the Enterprise plan with your team expansion. The two-week free trial should be enough to make up your mind. Don’t forget to check the Microsoft 365 plans if you prefer the Office apps, Teams, and OneDrive to Google’s offerings.
Improve your team’s productivity
Whether you run a small startup, medium business, or large organization, Google Workspace can be an ideal solution for seamless video meetings, smooth communication, task collaboration, and file sharing. If you’re interested in the Google Workspace Individual plan, check our dedicated comparison with Microsoft 365 for Home to get the better productivity pack for your preference and needs.
