The first thing that comes to mind when people think of email is Gmail, Google’s free email service.
However, in addition to the search engine and email services, the company also offers a comprehensive collection of cloud-based collaboration and productivity tools called google workspace (formerly gsuite ). And since Gmail is also a part of Google Workplace, people tend to get confused on which of the two is a better solution for their needs. that’s why we decided to compare g suite with gmail and see how they compare to each other.
Let’s talk about Google Workspace and Gmail in more detail, identify their differences and similarities, and help you know which one to choose for your business.
what is gmail?
gmail is a free cloud-based email service offered by google. the search engine company introduced email in 2004 and was initially available as an invite-only model. In 2007, Gmail opened to the general public, and by 2021, the most popular email service had 1.8 billion users and counting.
When you create a Gmail account, you get 15 GB of free cloud storage shared between three different products: Google Drive, Gmail, and Google Photos. Every gmail account also serves as a google account, which means you’re eligible for google docs, spreadsheets, slides, and more.
what is google workspace?
Google Workspace is a suite of productivity and collaboration tools in the cloud that began as Google Apps for Your Domain launched in 2006. Ten years later, in 2016, Google reinvented this productivity suite and renamed it suite g. The next step in the evolution of G Suite happened in 2020 when Google revamped it and rebranded it once again as Google Workspace. this new iteration didn’t just offer cosmetic improvements: the company took things a step further by introducing an even more seamless and integrated user experience across its communication and collaboration apps.
google workspace users have access to various productivity tools, such as:
- google meet: google’s video calling and messaging service that recently replaced hangouts and chat;
- calendar: a time management and scheduling tool;
- drive: google’s file storage and collaboration platform;
- docs: an online collaborative word processor;
- sheets: a collaborative spreadsheet program
- slides – collaborative presentation maker
- forms – a platform where users can create and manage polls and quizzes
We should note that gmail is also part of the google workspace as this article is a detailed comparison of the two. but what is even more important to say is that this version of gmail is not the same as the free one.
to paraphrase google: google workspace gives you a wide variety of additional enterprise-grade services not available to free app users. Some of these services are:
- personalized business email @yourcompany,
- at least twice as much cloud storage shared between gmail, drive and other services,
- phone and email support 24/7 email,
- 99.9% uptime guaranteed,
- integration with microsoft outlook,
- advanced security, such as two-step authentication and sso, and
- administrative controls for user accounts.
one of the most notable differences is also that those who sign up for google workspace get 30 email aliases per user. On top of that, the gmail version of google workspace integrates with chat, meetings, and rooms in an attempt to provide a unified communication interface and target microsoft and slack.
google workspace has four pricing plans, with business starter, basic and cheapest, starting at $6 per user per month. The chart below shows all the pricing plans and what each one includes.
google suite (workspace) vs. gmail: main differences
there are some important differences between google workspace and gmail:
- gmail is a free service, while google workspace is not. its four different pricing tiers are designed for individuals, small businesses, larger organizations, and enterprises, respectively. pricing reflects these use cases and ranges from $5 to $16 per user per month.
- unlike gmail users, who can only control their email and google account credentials, google workspace users can create, edit and delete all the accounts and addresses they created using it.
- users of the free version of gmail can only have addresses in the @gmail.com domain. on the other hand, google workspace users get the privilege to create their own domain names.
- gmail users can have up to 15gb of cloud storage available. at the same time, google workspace users are entitled to anywhere from 30gb to unlimited storage, depending on the plan they choose.
- while both gmail and google workspace give their users access to additional productivity apps, which apps one gets depends on the service one chooses. A free Gmail account grants access to some basic apps and features, such as Google Drive, Docs, Calendar, and Slides. However, in addition to that, Google Workspace also offers access to Google Meet, Chat, Keep Sites, Forms, and Update. finally, google workspace also has a richer feature set that includes more advanced and granular security capabilities, smart search algorithms, and more.
- although there is a sharing option available for both gmail and google workspace, the latter significantly facilitated collaboration efforts. this means that google workspace users enjoy administrator privileges: they have full ownership and control over any files created by individual user accounts.
- free gmail users have somewhat limited support options. you can use the gmail knowledge base or the help forum. however, google workspace users can receive phone and email support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
should i use gmail or google workspace?
This decision depends solely on your needs. gmail was built with personal use in mind. despite being one of the most popular and feature-rich free email services,it doesn’t have what it takes to be a powerful tool and effective for advanced business users as it lacks different capabilities and functionality.
google workspace was primarily intended for business users and enterprises. that’s why it comes with a custom domain option for the email address, group email addresses, full suite of productivity and collaboration, 24/7 support, as well as enterprise-level control over the resources and ownership of the account.
These last two elements play a fundamental role for any business user. In a situation where an employee leaves a company, he retains ownership of the document that he created with a gmail account. on the other hand, access to company documents and files they create using google workspace may be revoked so that the company can protect their sensitive information from potentially being shared. Google Workplace makes this possible as administrative users have the ability to change individual account credentials, preventing former employees from logging into their company-related Google Accounts.
google suite (workspace) vs. gmail: a summary
Here’s a side-by-side comparison of Google Workspace and Gmail’s top features, capabilities, and pricing plans.
commercial standard: $9.36
more business: $15.60
company: contact the sales department for prices
business gmail
drive
know
conversations
calendar
chat
jamboarding
documents
leaves
slides
keep
sites
forms
currents
cloud search
application script
know
conversations
calendar
drive
documents
leaves
slides
keep
single sign-on (sso)
brand accounts
crm compatibility
google voice
smart wording
advanced search
offline email mode
confidential mode
unsubmit feature
enterprise standard: 2tb
enterprise plus: 5tb
company: unlimited
google endpoint management: device management
google vault: enterprise archiving
job prospects: a reporting tool
spam filters
virus protection
confidential mode
business starter: standard
business standard: standard
company plus: standard
company: improved
help forum
how to strengthen your company email archive
While it is true that both Gmail and Google Workplace offer some level of archiving capabilities, they are not as effective as a dedicated archiving solution.
And here’s why business users should care.
all email messages you send or receive must be protected from being altered in any way and stored securely so that they can be quickly and easily searched, retrieved and turned over to authorities in the event of potential litigation .
google vault, as google’s integrated management and archiving platform, cannot keep up with specialized email archiving solutions in terms of features or capabilities.
jatheon is a robust archiving solution that simplifies the process and stores your emails securely, reliably, and compliantly. captures all your incoming and outgoing emails, stores, indexes, organizes, and prepares them for foia and electronic discovery requests.
unlike google, jatheon can handle larger file exports, has more advanced e-discovery capabilities, and allows you to restore emails to an account email with a single click. Also, if you ever want to migrate from Google, your file will migrate seamlessly as Jatheon supports all email platforms.
compare google vault email archive with jatheon or contact us for more information about our platform.
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