What Is Google Workspace (Formerly G Suite) (2024)

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.

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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:

  1. Open Gmail and select Settings (gear icon).

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  2. Select See All Settings.

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  3. Select the Chat and Meet tab.

  4. In the Chat section, select Google Chat. You'll see a pop-up explaining that you're moving to the Chat collaboration framework.

  5. Select Save Changes.

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  6. You're now operating in the free Google Workspace framework.

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Apps Available in Google Workspace

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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.

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What Is Google Workspace (Formerly G Suite) (2024)

FAQs

What Is Google Workspace (Formerly G Suite)? ›

Google Workspace is a cloud-based productivity suite that includes a variety of collaboration and productivity tools developed by Google. It encompasses tools such as Gmail, Google Drive, Google Calendar, Google Meet, Google Docs, Google Sheets, Google Slides, and more.

What is Google Workspace formerly G Suite? ›

Workspace is Google's suite of office tools and apps. Think of it as Google's version of Microsoft Office. It lets you access all of Google's productivity tools — including its office apps Docs, Sheets and Slides — all in one place.

What does Google Workspace do for me? ›

You can keep your current emails and calendaring solution, such as Microsoft 365, and add Google Workspace Essentials. This lets people in your organization collaborate with Docs, Sheets, Forms, Slides, Meet, Sites and Keep, which they may use alongside legacy solutions.

What is the difference between Google Workspace and normal Google Account? ›

Gmail users have full administrative control over their email and Google Account login credentials. Google Workspace grants you administrative control — including the ability to create, edit and delete accounts — over all Gmail addresses created using Google Workspace.

Do I need Google Workspace for my domain email? ›

Even without Google Workspace, Google Domains offers email forwarding from email aliases to the inbox of another email address that you already own. For example, you can create an email address “sales@example.com” that forwards to your personal Google Account. You can have up to 100 email aliases per domain.

What is Google Workspace and do I need it? ›

When you sign up for Google Workspace, you'll gain access to a set of integrated apps that work together seamlessly. For instance, you can receive a message in Gmail and instantly convert it into a Calendar event. When you make a comment in Docs, Sheets, or Slides, collaborators automatically receive email alerts.

Is G Suite the same as Gmail? ›

Gmail Vs.

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.

What is Google Workspace in simple terms? ›

Google Workspace is a collection of cloud computing, productivity and collaboration tools, software and products developed and marketed by Google.

What are the disadvantages of using Google Workspace? ›

  • Limited Functionality Compared to Desktop-Based Apps Like Microsoft Office.
  • Issues with Customer Support as Reported by Some Users.
  • Certain Limitations in File-Sharing Outside the Organization.
  • Challenges with Complex Data Migration Systems.
Mar 12, 2024

How do I know if I have Google Workspace? ›

Sign in to your Google Admin console. Sign in using your administrator account (does not end in @gmail.com). Subscriptions. Click the subscription to find your payment plan.

Is my Gmail account a Google Workspace account? ›

The 99% correct quick answer: If your email address is @gmail / @googlemail then it's a Gmail account. You can pay Google for extra storage. If your email address has a custom domain, then it's Google Workspace.

What is the difference between free Gmail and Google Workspace? ›

While free Gmail is designed for personal users, Google Workspace is specifically designed for business use, with business Gmail and team collaboration capabilities.

Is it safe to use Google Workspace? ›

Google offers the security features required by most customers directly in Google Workspace. Google Workspace's Business and Enterprise editions offer some additional security features, such as advanced Google Drive auditing and security keys management at scale.

Will I lose my emails if I cancel Google Workspace? ›

This means you can no longer send, receive, or access your emails through the Google Workspace platform. It's important to save any emails or data you want to keep before canceling Google Workspace. After canceling, your users' Google Workspace data, including Gmail messages, will be deleted and cannot be restored.

Do I have to pay for Google Workspace? ›

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.

How do I know if my domain is connected to Google Workspace? ›

To check if a secondary domain is verified, follow these steps:
  1. Sign in to your Google Admin console. Sign in using your administrator account (does not end in @gmail.com).
  2. In the Admin console, go to Menu Account Domains. Manage domains.
  3. The Status column shows the current state of your domain.

Is Google Workspace replacing G Suite? ›

What is the difference between G Suite and Google Workspace? 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.

Is Google Workspace the same as Microsoft Office? ›

More importantly, every Google Workspace edition includes apps such as Gmail, Calendar, Meet, Chat, Docs, Sheets, Slides, Forms, Keep, Currents, and Sites. Microsoft Office 365 has a more fixed user interface with fewer customization options.

Do you have to pay for Google Workspace? ›

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.

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