---
title: Google Workspace Gmail
canonical: https://saasranked.com/software/google-workspace-gmail/
category: Email Hosting
points: 82
rank: 1 of 9
facts_checked: 2026-10-09
---

# Google Workspace Gmail

Gmail on your own domain, sold as part of Google Workspace from $7 per user a month on a one-year commitment.

82 points out of 100. #1 of 9 email hosting services. Vendor: Google. Website: https://workspace.google.com/

- Business Starter costs $7 per user a month on a one-year commitment, so 5 mailboxes cost $35 a month [1].
- Without the commitment, Starter is $8.40 per user a month [1].
- Starter includes 30 GB of pooled storage per user, shared across Gmail and the rest of the account [1].
- Google's SLA promises 99.9% monthly uptime for Gmail, with service credits when it is missed [2].
- There is no free plan for your own domain; the page offers a 14-day trial [1].

Verdict: Google Workspace suits teams that want a written uptime commitment, 24/7 phone and email support and admin sign-in controls, including security keys and enforced two-step verification [1][2][12]. It supports IMAP, POP, CalDAV and CardDAV [4][5][6][7]. The catch is price: $35 a month for five people, with no free plan on your own domain [1]. Google also reported that in 2025 a threat actor used compromised tokens of a third-party integration to access email in a very small number of accounts [22]. Best for: Small teams that want a written 99.9% uptime commitment and detailed sign-in options.

## Points

| Criterion | Line | Value | Points | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Cost for a team of 5 | $35/mo | 3/12 | Business Starter, $7 per user a month on a one-year commitment, times 5 mailboxes [1]. |
| Price | Free plan on your own domain | No | 0/6 | Plans listed are paid, with a 14-day trial; custom business email is not part of Google's free consumer apps [1]. |
| Price | Monthly billing | Yes | 4/4 | With the annual option switched off, Starter shows $8.40 per user a month with no commitment [1]. |
| Mailbox | Storage per mailbox | 30 | 7/10 | Starter includes 30 GB pooled storage per user, shared across the organisation's Google services [1]. |
| Mailbox | Open mail and calendar protocols | IMAP, POP3, CalDAV, CardDAV | 8/8 | Help pages describe IMAP and POP access, a CalDAV interface and a CardDAV API, without edition limits [4][5][6][7]. |
| Mailbox | Shared calendar and contacts | Yes | 5/5 | Google Calendar supports shared calendars [8]; Google Contacts is listed as a Workspace service [17]. |
| Mailbox | More than one domain | Yes | 3/3 | Up to 599 secondary domains and 20 alias domains; secondary-domain users are billed [10]. |
| Mailbox | Aliases and catch-all | Yes | 3/3 | Up to 30 aliases per user at no extra cost, and a catch-all address for undelivered domain mail [9][11]. |
| Security | Two-factor sign-in | Yes | 7/7 | 2-Step Verification supports TOTP authenticator apps and security keys; no edition limit is stated [12]. |
| Security | Passkeys or security keys | Yes | 3/3 | Hardware security keys, including Titan keys, are listed as a 2-Step Verification method [12]. |
| Security | Admins can require 2FA | Yes | 3/3 | Google says admins can make 2-Step Verification optional or required for users [12]. |
| Security | Single sign-on (SAML) | Yes | 5/5 | Workspace supports SAML and OIDC single sign-on; the plan page lists SSO as a Workspace benefit [13][1]. |
| Security | SOC 2 Type II or ISO 27001 | Yes | 6/6 | Google lists Gmail among services covered by ISO/IEC 27001 and says core Workspace SOC 2 Type II reports are issued quarterly [17][18]. |
| Security | SPF, DKIM and DMARC guides | Yes | 4/4 | Separate Workspace help pages cover SPF, DKIM and DMARC setup [14][15][16]. |
| Reliability and support | Written uptime commitment | Yes | 9/9 | SLA commits to 99.9% monthly uptime for Gmail, with credits of 3, 7 or 15 days of service [2]. |
| Reliability and support | Public status page | Yes | 2/2 | The Workspace Status Dashboard lists Gmail and links to incident history [3]. |
| Reliability and support | Live support | Yes | 4/4 | The plan page says Workspace includes 24/7 phone and email support; it does not break this down by plan [1]. |
| Reliability and support | Mail migration tool | Yes | 3/3 | Data migration service imports mail from IMAP, Exchange Online or another Google account; no edition limit is stated [19]. |
| Reliability and support | Official phone apps | Yes | 3/3 | Google LLC publishes the Gmail app on the App Store and Google Play [20][21]. |

## Plans

| Plan | Price | Per month (USD) |
|---|---|---|
| Business Starter (one-year commitment) | $7/user/month [1] | $7 |
| Business Starter (no commitment) | $8.40/user/month [1] | $8.40 |
| Business Standard (one-year commitment) | $14/user/month [1] | $14 |
| Business Plus (one-year commitment) | $22/user/month [1] | $22 |

Google bills monthly under the one-year commitment. The page lists prices in US dollars and notes some plans carry short promotions [1].

## Strengths

- A written 99.9% monthly uptime commitment for Gmail, with service credits [2].
- Admins can require two-step verification; security keys and authenticator apps are supported [12].
- Up to 30 aliases per user, a catch-all address and many extra domains [9][10][11].
- Names ISO/IEC 27001 and SOC 2 Type II coverage for Gmail and other Workspace services [17][18].
- Data migration service imports mail by IMAP, from Exchange Online, or from another Google account [19].

## Limits

- No free plan for your own domain; only a 14-day trial [1].
- Month-to-month Starter costs $8.40 per user, 20% more than the commitment price [1].
- Each user on a secondary domain is billed as a full user [10].
- Mail apps must sign in with OAuth; username and password logins stopped working on May 1, 2025 [4].
- CardDAV access needs OAuth 2.0 and a registered app [7].

## Vendor claims (not scored)

- Google says Workspace business plans include 99.9% guaranteed uptime on business email [1].

## Concerns

- Google reported on August 28, 2025 that on August 9, 2025 a threat actor used compromised OAuth tokens of the Salesloft Drift Email integration to access email in a very small number of Workspace accounts configured with it [22].

## Sources

1. [Google Workspace plans and pricing](https://workspace.google.com/intl/en_us/business/), Google, accessed 2026-10-09
2. [Google Workspace Service Level Agreement](https://workspace.google.com/terms/sla/), Google, accessed 2026-10-09
3. [Google Workspace Status Dashboard](https://www.google.com/appsstatus/dashboard/), Google, accessed 2026-10-09
4. [Set up Gmail with a third-party email client](https://knowledge.workspace.google.com/admin/sync/set-up-gmail-with-a-third-party-email-client), Google Workspace Help, accessed 2026-10-09
5. [Turn POP and IMAP on or off for users](https://knowledge.workspace.google.com/admin/sync/turn-pop-and-imap-on-or-off-for-users), Google Workspace Help, accessed 2026-10-09
6. [CalDAV API developer's guide](https://developers.google.com/calendar/caldav/v2/guide), Google for Developers, accessed 2026-10-09
7. [CardDAV API](https://developers.google.com/people/carddav), Google for Developers, accessed 2026-10-09
8. [Google Calendar for business](https://workspace.google.com/intl/en_us/products/calendar/), Google, accessed 2026-10-09
9. [Add or delete an alternate email address (email alias)](https://knowledge.workspace.google.com/admin/users/add-or-delete-an-alternate-email-address-email-alias), Google Workspace Help, accessed 2026-10-09
10. [Add a user alias domain or secondary domain](https://knowledge.workspace.google.com/admin/domains/add-a-user-alias-domain-or-secondary-domain), Google Workspace Help, accessed 2026-10-09
11. [Email routing and delivery options for Google Workspace](https://knowledge.workspace.google.com/admin/gmail/advanced/email-routing-and-delivery-options-for-google-workspace), Google Workspace Help, accessed 2026-10-09
12. [Protect your business with 2-Step Verification](https://knowledge.workspace.google.com/admin/security/protect-your-business-with-2-step-verification), Google Workspace Help, accessed 2026-10-09
13. [About single sign-on (SSO)](https://knowledge.workspace.google.com/admin/apps/about-sso), Google Workspace Help, accessed 2026-10-09
14. [Set up SPF](https://knowledge.workspace.google.com/admin/security/set-up-spf), Google Workspace Help, accessed 2026-10-09
15. [Set up DKIM](https://knowledge.workspace.google.com/admin/security/set-up-dkim), Google Workspace Help, accessed 2026-10-09
16. [Set up DMARC](https://knowledge.workspace.google.com/admin/security/set-up-dmarc), Google Workspace Help, accessed 2026-10-09
17. [ISO/IEC 27001 compliance](https://cloud.google.com/security/compliance/iso-27001), Google Cloud, accessed 2026-10-09
18. [SOC 2 compliance](https://cloud.google.com/security/compliance/soc-2), Google Cloud, accessed 2026-10-09
19. [About the new data migration service](https://knowledge.workspace.google.com/admin/migrate/about-the-new-data-migration-service), Google Workspace Help, accessed 2026-10-09
20. [Gmail - Email by Google](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/gmail-email-by-google/id422689480), Apple App Store, accessed 2026-10-09
21. [Gmail](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.gm&hl=en_US), Google Play, accessed 2026-10-09
22. [Widespread data theft targets Salesforce instances via Salesloft Drift](https://cloud.google.com/blog/topics/threat-intelligence/data-theft-salesforce-instances-via-salesloft-drift), Google Cloud Threat Intelligence, accessed 2026-10-09