Difference between Gmail and Google Workspace (Gmail for business)
What is Google Workspace (G Suite)? Google Workspace (G Suite) is a cloud-based productivity suite provided by Google. It includes Gmail, the business mailbox interface. Therefore, Google Workspace (G Suite) is also known as the business version of Gmail, company Gmail, Gmail for business or Google business email to many people. Google Workspace (G Suite) has a lot more advantages than the personal Gmail in sharing and managing features. Next we will talk about the top 3 differences between personal Gmail and Google Workspace (G Suite) to show you how convenient it is to manage and collaborate with Google Workspace (G Suite).
1. Unlike Gmail, Google Workspace is meant for business and can be centrally managed
The key difference between Gmail and Google Workspace (G Suite) lies in the resource ownership. Google Workspace (G Suite) resources are owned by the enterprise who has the highest control over all accounts. Gmail resources are owned by individual users, and the company is unable to manage the mailbox or resources of individual employees. Therefore, when a staff member leaves the company, all the files and information under the employee account will follow the employee, which is a risk to the company. This goes the same for Google services such as Google Analytics, Google AdWords, etc., applied under the personal Gmail account of the departing employee. Upon changing of password, the company will no longer be able to access these services and requires re-setup / re-application.
In comparison, all data under each account is stored in the cloud and is managed centrally via the admin console by the administrator, who can easily re-assign the access rights to the new employee.
| Gmail for personal use | Google Workspace (G Suite) | |
|---|---|---|
| Design Concept | Gmail for personal use | Google Workspace (Gmail for business) |
| Ownership | Gmail for personal use | Google Workspace (Gmail for business) |
| Access Right is owned by | User who has the password | Business administrators |
| When requesting for individual account’s recources | Requires user’s permission | Default rights |
| When losing access to an individual account due to personnel changes | Loss of access to data & services, requires rebuild | The data can be saved and transferred, and the service in use can continue to be accessed. |
2. Gmail is free, Google Workspace is a chargeable service
Gmail is free for all whereas Google Workspace (G Suite) is a chargeable service. (See Google Workspace pricing here.) Google Workspace (G Suite) has many features designed specifically for enterprises that can’t be found in Gmail. Here are some of them:
@yourcompanyname.com as your email address, and not @gmail.com.
Google Workspace (G Suite) allows its users to use multiple domain names as their sender’s address. This is particularly useful for group companies who might have multiple subsidiaries and thus multiple domains. Google Workspace (G Suite) users will be able to use different email addresses tied to different domain names as sender’s address. A Google Workspace (G Suite) account allows up to 600 domains (please refer to domain settings FAQ for related restrictions)
Access to Admin Console, allowing granular settings and control, which is unavailable to Gmail users
Google Workspace (G Suite) provides Admin Console which allows administrators to control account permissions for different users. For example, the manager can set up only the business department to share and transfer files with the outsiders (customers, vendors, etc.), so that the personnel in the internal or administrative department do not have the right to share files.
Provide customer support service via phone and email
Google Workspace (G Suite) Administrators are support by 24/7 English speaking customer service via phone or online support. If you purchase through an authorised reseller, you will receive additional support services provided by the reseller, such as Khmer speaking customer service.
Enjoy higher storage capacity and with an upgrade to enjoy unlimited capacity
The Google Workspace (G Suite) Business Starter comes with a maximum capacity of 30GB (including mailbox and cloud storage), which is twice the capacity of personal Gmail’s 15GB. Users of the Google Workspace (G Suite) Business Starter can also be upgraded to Business Standard to enjoy 2TB storage (personal Gmail users can also increase storage capacity by purchasing the upgrade)
It’s not just about mailbox, but also a variety of cloud office collaboration services
In fact, Gmail is just one of the many services in Google Workspace (G Suite). In addition to the well-known calendars, Cloud Drive, Google Sheets, Google Docs, Google Slides, etc., there are more than 50 cloud apps available without any additional charges.
3. Gmail is designed for individual VS Google Workspace is designed for Business
Gmail and Google Workspace (G Suite) are fundamentally different from design perspective. Although many functions are similar, Gmail is originally designed for individual users while Google Workspace (G Suite) is for business and team collaboration.
Thus, since Gmail is designed for individual use by default, there is no team management function, and the sharing of the files is limited to sharing between individuals. If a Gmail user wants to share a file to multiple other gmail users, they must set the file access rights of each object one by one. If the company is a team of 5, you must enter 4 other members’ email addresses. In other words, the more people there are in the company, the more troublesome collaborative work becomes.
Therefore, for a company with more than 10 employees, using Gmail as a corporate mailbox will experience inconveniences in teamwork & collaborations.
However, if you use Google Workspace (G Suite) Enterprise, the access rights of all cloud files can be preset to the company.