As with many Google products, there can be some confusion about which email service you need and which will be the best fit for your business.
In this article, we’ll introduce gmail, g suite, and google accounts to give you a better idea of what they offer.
then we’ll dive into the top 5 differences between gmail and g suite.
important note: g suite changed its name in october 2020 to google workspace. That said, all the features mentioned here remain the same. you can learn more about the update on our dedicated gmail and g suite update page.
gmail, g suite and google accounts
gmail
A gmail account is simply a free google email account that ends with @gmail.com. Gmail accounts have been around for almost 20 years and have 1.5 billion active users.
If you have a free Gmail account, you’ll also get free access to Google Sheets, Google Docs, Google Calendar, and Google Slides.
google accounts
This is where it can get a bit confusing. you can sign up for a google account with any email address; you don’t need an @gmail.com address. You can sign up with any email address you have and then get access to google spreadsheets, calendar, docs and slides.
g suite
Don’t forget that in October 2020, Google changed the name of G Suite to Google Workspace. for now, we’ll still refer to it as g suite.
g suite is more directly aimed at businesses and had three main levels:
- business
- basic
- company
with the rebranding to google workspace, there are now 4 levels:
- startup company
- standard company
- plus company
- enterprise
g suite essentially brings all of your google products together into one central admin center, making managing businesses much easier than gmail and google accounts.
let’s now get to the heart of the matter and see the differences between gmail and g suite.
1. gmail vs. g suite – cost differences
gmail: one of the most significant advantages of gmail is that it is free. that is also true when you have a google account. services are limited, but free.
g suite: g suite is a paid service and the account is owned by the person who created it, or given administrator 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.
Google recently made changes to their pricing system and at the time of writing, these are US prices. uu.:
- starter business – $6/month per user
- standard business – $12/month per user
- plus business – $18/month per user
- enterprise: for enterprise pricing, please contact your sales team
2. gmail vs. g suite – control and administration differences
gmail: since gmail is designed for more personal than business use, you have full admin control.
g suite: As mentioned above, g suite is designed for business, so accounts are centrally managed by the control admin. Email addresses are created for each member of your team, and the administrator(s) retain full control over how they are used. this covers all aspects of the account down to the password level. As a business owner, staying in control of your business data is essential.
3. gmail vs. g suite – storage differences
gmail: each gmail account comes with 15gb of free storage. It’s worth noting that this is through Gmail, Google Drive and Google Photos. if you take a lot of photos, you will reach that limit faster. That said, you can upgrade to Google One if you need more space. when you upgrade, you automatically get 100gb of space.
g suite: As you can imagine, the storage capacity of google workspace is more generous:
- enterprise starter – 30gb
- enterprise standard – 2tb
- enterprise plus – 5tb
As with Gmail, this storage limit is spread across Gmail, Google Drive, and Google Photos.
4. gmail vs. g suite – compatibility differences
gmail: with anything that’s essentially free, you’ll find that support is limited, and that’s the case with gmail. you have to wait for a problem to be fixed, or you have to try to solve it yourself. That said, there is plenty of advice on the forums, and there are thousands upon thousands of help documents and articles on the internet.
g suite: Since this is a paid service, the amount of support you receive is better. You instantly have access to 24/7 phone and email support, so no matter what issues you’re having, you’ll get immediate access to help. overall the support is great and they should fix your issue in no time.
further reading: g-suite email signature tips
5. gmail vs. g suite – customizable domain name differences
gmail: When you sign up for a gmail account, you will need to choose the @gmail.com extension. as a free product, there is no option to enter your own domain. this is one of the reasons why gmail tends to be used more for personal accounts than business accounts.
g suite: g suite, on the other hand, allows you to use your domain name. if you use google for your company emails, this is the preferred option.
these are the main differences between a gmail account and a g suite account (workspace). Which one you choose will depend on price, what you need the email account for, and what additional features and support you need. Fortunately, gmail extensions work on a gmail or g suite account. Join over 250,000 professionals who have added the right inbox to gmail for next-level email productivity. save time with recurring emails, email reminders, and email templates all within your email.