5 Cheaper Google Workspace Alternatives in 2026 (Business Email for Less)

Google Workspace gives a business Gmail on its own domain, Drive, Docs, Sheets, Slides, Meet and Calendar — and, since 2025, Gemini AI in every Business plan. Google raised prices to include AI. Business Starter costs $7 per user per month on an annual commitment ($8.40 on flexible monthly billing), Business Standard $14 ($16.80) and Business Plus $22 ($26.40). Business plans are capped at 300 users. A 15-person company on Business Standard pays $2,520 a year.

Many small businesses mainly need professional email on their domain, a shared calendar and some file storage — not AI or a full office suite for every person. The alternatives below cover those needs for less.

What Google Workspace actually costs in 2026

Gemini is included in all Business plans. New customers sometimes get introductory discounts on the first users. The current tiers are listed on Google Workspace's official pricing page.

The 5 cheaper alternatives at a glance

How we picked these alternatives

We compared email on your own domain, deliverability, calendar and contacts, file storage and office apps, privacy, migration tools and the annual cost for a 15-person company. Prices checked 28 October 2026.

1. Zoho Workplace

Price: Mail Lite from $1 per user per month billed yearly; Workplace Standard about $3 per user; Professional about $6. See Zoho Workplace's official pricing page for current plans.

Zoho Workplace is the closest like-for-like Google Workspace alternative at a fraction of the price. It includes Zoho Mail on your domain, calendar, contacts, WorkDrive file storage, the Writer, Sheet and Show office apps, Cliq chat and Meeting video calls. At around $3 a user for the full suite, it costs less than half of Google Business Starter, and Zoho's ad-free, privacy-focused mail has a good reputation.

Zoho Workplace pricing in detail

What you get

• Ad-free email on your domain.
• Calendar, contacts and tasks.
• WorkDrive shared storage.
• Writer, Sheet and Show office apps.
• Cliq chat and Meeting video calls.

Where it falls short

• Smaller app ecosystem than Google's.
• Office apps are less polished than Docs and Sheets.
• Mobile apps are good but less refined.

Who it's best for

Small businesses that want email plus office apps for a fraction of the price. Skip it if your team lives in Google Docs with external partners.

2. Fastmail

Price: Basic about $3 per user per month billed yearly; Standard about $5 per user per month billed yearly; larger plans higher. See Fastmail's official pricing page for current plans.

Fastmail is an independent email provider known for speed, reliability and privacy. It offers email on your domain with excellent spam filtering, calendars, contacts, Masked Email (unique addresses for every site), powerful rules and standards-based IMAP, CalDAV and JMAP. There are no ads and no AI scanning of your mail.

Fastmail pricing in detail

What you get

• Fast, private email on your domain.
• Calendar and contacts.
• Masked email.
• Powerful rules and filters.
• Works with any email app.

Where it falls short

• No office suite or file storage.
• No video meetings.
• Pricing is not as low as Zoho's.

Good to know

Fastmail imports email, calendars and contacts from Google with a built-in migration tool. Its masked email feature integrates with 1Password and Bitwarden to create unique addresses when you sign up for services. Fastmail works with any standard email app, including Apple Mail and Outlook.

Who it's best for

Teams that mainly need excellent email and calendars. Skip it if you need shared documents and storage.

3. Proton Business

Price: Mail Essentials about $6.99 per user per month billed yearly; Business suite (Mail, Calendar, Drive, VPN, Pass) higher. See Proton Business' official pricing page for current plans.

Proton Business offers end-to-end encrypted email on your domain, with calendar, encrypted Drive storage, Proton Pass and Proton VPN in higher plans. It is based in Switzerland and designed so Proton cannot read your messages. It is only slightly cheaper than Google Business Starter, but for businesses that handle sensitive information, privacy is the reason to switch.

Proton Business pricing in detail

What you get

• End-to-end encrypted email.
• Encrypted calendar and Drive.
• Custom domains.
• Swiss privacy jurisdiction.
• VPN and password manager in the suite.

Where it falls short

• Not much cheaper than Google Starter.
• No full office suite comparable to Docs and Sheets.
• Encryption limits some integrations.

Good to know

Proton offers migration tools (Easy Switch) to import mail, calendars and contacts from Google. Proton Mail Bridge lets you use Outlook or Apple Mail with encrypted mail. For sensitive work, encrypted email to non-Proton recipients can be password-protected.

Who it's best for

Law firms, healthcare, journalists and privacy-sensitive businesses. Skip it if price is your main reason for switching.

4. Nextcloud

Price: Free and open source to self-host; hosted Nextcloud providers charge from a few euros per user per month. See Nextcloud's official site for current plans.

Nextcloud is an open-source collaboration platform you can host on your own server or rent from a provider: file sync and sharing, calendars, contacts, Talk video calls and online office editing through Collabora or OnlyOffice. It is widely used by European public bodies and businesses that want data sovereignty. Pair it with a cheap email provider for a complete Google Workspace replacement.

Nextcloud pricing in detail

What you get

• File sync and sharing.
• Calendar and contacts.
• Online office editing.
• Talk video calls and chat.
• Full data control.

Where it falls short

• Email is separate.
• Self-hosting requires IT skills.
• Office editing is less smooth than Google Docs.

Good to know

Nextcloud can be hosted by many European providers, which helps meet data residency requirements. Its Office integration (Collabora or OnlyOffice) handles Word, Excel and PowerPoint files directly. Pair it with a business email provider such as Zoho Mail, Fastmail or Proton.

Who it's best for

Organisations that want to own their data. Skip it if you have no IT support.

5. Purelymail

Price: About $10 per year for the whole account, covering unlimited users and domains under fair use. See Purelymail's official pricing page for current plans.

Purelymail is a tiny, no-frills email host with an almost unbelievable price: around $10 a year per account, with unlimited users and domains. It provides standard IMAP, SMTP and webmail, spam filtering and DKIM/SPF support. It is ideal for side projects, very small businesses and anyone who just needs reliable email on a domain.

Purelymail pricing in detail

What you get

• Email on unlimited domains.
• IMAP, SMTP and webmail.
• Spam filtering.
• DKIM, SPF and DMARC support.
• Unbeatable price.

Where it falls short

• Run by a very small team.
• No office apps or file storage.
• Basic webmail and admin.

Good to know

Purelymail supports custom domains, aliases and catch-all addresses, and works with any email client via IMAP and SMTP. Because the service is very small, keep backups of important mail and consider it for low-risk use. Its pricing is based on usage, so heavy storage costs a little more.

Who it's best for

Side projects, freelancers and tiny teams that only need email. Skip it if you need guaranteed support and business features.

What a 15-person company pays per year

How to switch without losing your work

1. Export data with Google Takeout or use the new provider's migration tool for mail, calendar and contacts.
2. Move Drive files to the new storage, converting Docs and Sheets to Office formats where needed.
3. Lower DNS TTL, then update MX, SPF, DKIM and DMARC records for your domain.
4. Keep Google active for a short overlap so nothing is lost during DNS propagation.
5. Update sign-in methods — many apps use "Sign in with Google" tied to your Workspace accounts.

Which one should you choose?

• You want email plus office apps cheaply: Zoho Workplace.
• You mainly need excellent email and calendars: Fastmail.
• You handle sensitive information: Proton Business.
• You want to own your files and data: Nextcloud.
• You just need email on a domain for almost nothing: Purelymail.

Hidden costs and gotchas

• Shared drives and Docs. Converting Google Docs to other formats may lose comments and formatting.
• Sign in with Google. Apps tied to Workspace accounts need new logins.
• Annual commitments. Google's annual plan locks seats for the year.
• Deliverability. Set up SPF, DKIM and DMARC properly on the new provider.
• Storage. Cheaper plans often have less storage per user.

Our verdict

Zoho Workplace is the best Google Workspace alternative for most small businesses — email and office apps at less than half the price. Fastmail is the best email-only option, Proton Business is the privacy choice, Nextcloud gives full data ownership, and Purelymail is unbeatable for tiny teams that just need email.

More cheaper alternatives: see our breakdowns of the cheaper options to Microsoft 365, Slack and Dropbox.

Related reading: Why Your Emails Go to Spam, What Is the Difference Between a Domain and Hosting? and What GDPR Actually Requires of a Website.

Planning a switch, or not sure which tool fits the way your team works? Book a free call and we will look at your stack with you.

Prices are US list prices in USD unless marked, checked on 27 October 2026. "Annual" means the per-month price when billed yearly. Vendors change pricing often, so confirm on the vendor's site before buying. Product names and logos are trademarks of their respective owners and are used here for identification only.

Common questions