While Google’s free legacy G Suite accounts might be getting the short end of the stick, it turns out that isn’t actually the end of Google’s free Workspace plans. The company has just debuted a new Essentials Starter plan for Google Workspace — no credit card required, no “trial” period. There’s just one (admittedly, pretty major) catch: You have to supply your own email address, and it doesn’t offer access to Gmail.
For those paying attention at home, that means it isn’t a full-fat Google Workspace package like all of the other options. But if you’re part of a team that uses an Exchange Server or other internal- or server-hosted email options, this could be very attractive, providing 15 GB of storage and access to Drive and its various productivity tools (Docs, Sheets, Slides) as well as Duo and Chat, and Microsoft Outlook plugins for all the expected bits. The full set of “apps” included with the plan is below:
- Google Drive
- Google Docs
- Google Sheets
- Google Slides
- Google Meet
- Google Chat
- Google Calendar
- Google Forms
- Google Sites
- Google Keep
Up to 25 users can sign up to the same “team account,” but you can spin up multiple team accounts from the same domain. And if you decide you need more storage or bundled email, big-boy Workspace accounts start at $6 a month.
If you’re among those affected by the free legacy G Suite shutdown, this new free service sadly won’t plug that gap. While Google is apparently reconsidering offering additional options for those affected by that (in the face of a potential class-action lawsuit), these new Essentials Starter accounts won’t deliver the same functionality.
Interested parties can sign up for the new Essentials Starter plan at the Google Workspace site,