Google Workspace (formerly G Suite) is a powerful set of applications that combines email, cloud storage, productivity software, calendars, and more. Google Workspace is available for free to all Google account holders, and a more feature-rich Google Workspace experience is available via paid subscriptions for businesses, schools, organizations, and individuals.
Google Workspace, formerly G Suite, was also previously called Google Apps for Work and Google Apps for Your Domain.
What Is Google Workspace (Formerly G Suite)?
Google Workspace is Google's office suite of intelligent office and productivity apps. Google Workspace includes all of Google's familiar apps, such as Gmail, Calendar, Drive, Docs, Sheets, Slides, Meet, and more. These apps still exist as stand-alone tools, but there's more integration when you use them in the Google Workspace framework.
Google Workspace takes Google's productivity apps, along with the Chat messaging feature, and includes deeper integration between all facets to help foster communication and collaboration for groups, whether you're running a business or planning a family reunion.
Gmail is the hub of Google Workspace, with easily accessible tabs and windows for accessing other apps, such as Calendar, Sheets, and Docs, and Google Chat is the main communication source. For example, multiple users in a Google Chat Room (also referred to as a Space) can be discussing the same spreadsheet that's visible to all.
In other words, in the Workspace framework, you can open Docs, Sheets, and other items right from Gmail when collaborators share them in a Chat Room conversation.
Google Chat is the newer iteration of Google Hangouts; when you enable Chat, you'll immediately gain access to Google Workspace.
Google Workspace Free and Paid Versions
Workspace is available for free to anyone with a Google account, but if you're looking for more business-level Workspace features, such as additional cloud storage, custom email, and advanced security features, there are paid subscription plans available.
There's a Workspace Individual plan for $9.99 per month that's ideal for entrepreneurs and business owners. It adds to the Workspace feature set with smart booking services, professional video meetings, personalized email marketing, and more.
For other businesses, schools, and organizations, there are a variety of paid Workplace subscriptions that range from $6 to $18 per month and offer a variety of features.
Get Started With Google Workspace for Everyone
To get started using the free Google Workspace that's available to everyone with a Google account, you'll need to update your settings to enable Chat. Here's how it works:
Open Gmail and select Settings (gear icon).
Select See All Settings.
Select the Chat and Meet tab.
In the Chat section, select Google Chat. You'll see a pop-up explaining that you're moving to the Chat collaboration framework.
Select Save Changes.
You're now operating in the free Google Workspace framework.
Apps Available in Google Workspace
All Google Workspace plans have the following apps available:
Gmail: Gmail is the hub of Google Workspace, whether you're using the free or paid version of Workspace.
Google Drive: Save documents, images, spreadsheets, and more to a secure cloud account with Drive. Depending on your Workspace plan, you'll have access to different storage levels.
Google Docs/Sheets/Slides: You'll have easy, integrated access to Docs, Sheets, and Slides to create and share files and documents.
Google Calendar: Calendar integrates seamlessly with Gmail to let you respond to events, Drive to attach files easily, and Chat to set up conversations and meetings.
Chat: Chat is the Workspace messaging system where you can start and join group conversations in Rooms or Spaces with anyone who has Chat enabled.
While Workspace's basic functionality is the same in the free version as the paid versions, paid subscriptions offer additional business-level features and storage.
How Workspace Is Different From Free Google Apps
Google Workspace is designed for consumers, businesses, organizations, and enterprises to use as an integrated suite of applications. Think of it as similar to Microsoft 365.
While users of any tier can access and use Gmail's apps individually, using them from within Workspace adds a new level of collaboration that you can integrate into your daily Gmail usage.
For example, a consumer using the free Workspace framework may use its integrated apps and features to plan a family gathering, while a business user may access Workspace to easily plan meetings and events.
Paid Workspace versions offer additional business-level features, including more storage, admin and marketing tools, custom email domains, and more.
G Suite Basic edition is a suite of collaborative productivity apps that offers your business professional email, shared calendars, online document editing and storage, video meetings, and much more.
As we've evolved G Suite into a more integrated experience across our communication and collaboration tools, we've rebranded to Google Workspace to more accurately represent the product vision.
Google Workspace (formerly G Suite) is a collection of cloud computing, productivity and collaboration tools, software and products developed and marketed by Google.
Through G Suite, you will also have access to a number of powerful Google applications: Calendar, Docs, Sheets, Slides, Forms, Sites, Hangouts, and Plus. G Suite for Work gives you professional email, online storage, shared calendars, video meetings, and more. Googles Apps makes collaboration simple and effective.
When you sign up for Google Workspace, you get a 14-day free trial. After your paid subscription starts, we automatically charge your primary payment method at the beginning of the next month.
G Suite – G Suite is a paid service, and ownership of the account lies with the person who created it – or is given admin rights. Because of this, G Suite is essentially the paid version of Gmail and Google accounts, but with access to a few more business tools.
The shift from G Suite to Google Workspace is more than just a rebrand and new logos. To begin with, Google changed the names of the previous G Suite editions. The table below shows the new Google Workspace Editions for enterprise family, education and nonprofits.
Google Workspace, formerly known as Google G Suite, is shutting down its free edition and now all users will have to pay a monthly subscription to use its services. If you are looking for a cheaper or free alternative, these top 5 picks might help you.
In addition to Gmail for personal use (at no cost), Google Workspace offers Gmail Workspace Individual and Workspace Business accounts at a low cost, and include upgrades such as increased storage, custom email addresses or professional email layouts to help individuals, teams and business stay on top of everything.
It is just a rebranding from Gmail to Google Workspace, nothing has changed with your account; your account is still personal @gmail.com. It's my understanding that a Google Workspace account is an account that's set up through your work or school, a club, or maybe family or friends.
Scroll to the bottom of the page and click Activate Gmail. Important: Some registrars may require additional time to publish your MX records. If the Google Workspace setup tool can't find your new records, wait an hour before you try again.
G Suite includes Gmail, Calendar, Drive, Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Sites, while Google Workspace includes those same features plus Meet, Chat, and Jamboard. Additionally, Google Workspace has more storage space and advanced security features, making it the better choice for businesses.
Sign in to Google Admin and go to Billing.In the Subscriptions list, in your G Suite account choose Cancel subscription from the Actions menu.and then choose Continue. Note that your subscription will be cancelled immediately and you cannot undo this action.
How Much Does G Suite Cost? G Suite offers 3 main packages where price depends on the number of users. G Suite Basic prices at $6 per user per month; G Suite Business prices at $12 per user per month; and G Suite Enterprise prices at $25 per user per month.
Both Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace include applications for word processing, spreadsheet calculations and presentations. Microsoft 365 offers Word, Excel and PowerPoint, while Google has Google Docs, Google Sheets and Google Slides respectively.
Google Workspace Enterprise, formerly known as G Suite Enterprise, offers the same suite of apps that you'll get with Google Workspace Business. The platform differs when it comes to overall capacity, storage, and security.
G Suite provides more extensive integration, administration controls, and additional productivity tools, but also comes with a different pricing and subscription structure compared to Google Drive.
Introduction: My name is Aracelis Kilback, I am a nice, gentle, agreeable, joyous, attractive, combative, gifted person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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