What Was G Suite?
Before we talk about Google Workspace, let’s take a look back at G Suite. The service started in 2006 as a way for organizations to use Google’s services on their own domains for a monthly subscription.
Rather than maintaining their own network storage, email server, and other various tools, G Suite allowed organizations to use Google’s suite of cloud-based productivity and collaboration tools as the backend of their business.
The original set of tools included Gmail, Google Talk, Google Calendar, and Google Page Creator. Over time, it expanded to include Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, Forms, Google Drive, Google Chat, and Meet.
All of these tools are available for free to consumers, but they lack certain features. G Suite customers get custom domain email addresses (@gmail.com vs @howtogeek.com), cloud storage, admin tools, 24/7 customer support, and more.
What Is Google Workspace?
Google Workspace continues the evolution of G Suite. In fact, it’s not even the first name change. The service was originally called “Google Apps for Your Domain.” Later, it was rebranded to simply “Google Apps,” before it was eventually renamed to “G Suite” in 2016.
Google talked about how the name “G Suite” had the connotation of a very traditional work environment. As the concept of a workspace changed, it felt the name needed to invoke that shift.
At the core, Google Workspace is the same service as G Suite. It’s the culmination of several changes Google made throughout 2020. The separate tools have deeper integration with each other. Rather than jump between Gmail, Docs, Meet, etc., everything is available in one central spot.
How Much Does Google Workspace Cost?
Google Workspace is not a free service, though all the tools available in Workspace do have free consumer versions. There are a few different pricing tiers to match the needs of your organization. At the time of writing, the pricing breaks down as follows:
At the bare minimum, everyone in the Workspace gets a custom and secure business email address, video meetings, cloud storage, and support. From there, it depends on how large your organization is and what advanced features you want.
The main takeaway here is Google Workspace is the natural evolution of G Suite. It offers the same set of tools and premium features for a price, with some additions thrown on top. If you used G Suite in the past, Workspace offers the same experience.
