saasrankedSoftware, ranked on the facts

email hosting service · Google

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.

82/100

#1 of 9 email hosting services
Facts checked 9 Oct 2026

In short

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 verification1,2,12. It supports IMAP, POP, CalDAV and CardDAV4,5,6,7. The catch is price: $35 a month for five people, with no free plan on your own domain1. 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 accounts22.

Best for: Small teams that want a written 99.9% uptime commitment and detailed sign-in options.

Where the points come from

Price7 of 22
Mailbox26 of 29
Security28 of 28
Reliability and support21 of 21

Price 7 of 22 points

RuleWhat is publishedPoints
Cost for a team of 5$35/moBusiness Starter, $7 per user a month on a one-year commitment, times 5 mailboxes1.3 / 12
Free plan on your own domainNoPlans listed are paid, with a 14-day trial; custom business email is not part of Google's free consumer apps1.0 / 6
Monthly billingYesWith the annual option switched off, Starter shows $8.40 per user a month with no commitment1.4 / 4

Mailbox 26 of 29 points

RuleWhat is publishedPoints
Storage per mailbox30Starter includes 30 GB pooled storage per user, shared across the organisation's Google services1.7 / 10
Open mail and calendar protocolsIMAP, POP3, CalDAV, CardDAVHelp pages describe IMAP and POP access, a CalDAV interface and a CardDAV API, without edition limits4,5,6,7.8 / 8
Shared calendar and contactsYesGoogle Calendar supports shared calendars8; Google Contacts is listed as a Workspace service17.5 / 5
More than one domainYesUp to 599 secondary domains and 20 alias domains; secondary-domain users are billed10.3 / 3
Aliases and catch-allYesUp to 30 aliases per user at no extra cost, and a catch-all address for undelivered domain mail9,11.3 / 3

Security 28 of 28 points

RuleWhat is publishedPoints
Two-factor sign-inYes2-Step Verification supports TOTP authenticator apps and security keys; no edition limit is stated12.7 / 7
Passkeys or security keysYesHardware security keys, including Titan keys, are listed as a 2-Step Verification method12.3 / 3
Admins can require 2FAYesGoogle says admins can make 2-Step Verification optional or required for users12.3 / 3
Single sign-on (SAML)YesWorkspace supports SAML and OIDC single sign-on; the plan page lists SSO as a Workspace benefit13,1.5 / 5
SOC 2 Type II or ISO 27001YesGoogle lists Gmail among services covered by ISO/IEC 27001 and says core Workspace SOC 2 Type II reports are issued quarterly17,18.6 / 6
SPF, DKIM and DMARC guidesYesSeparate Workspace help pages cover SPF, DKIM and DMARC setup14,15,16.4 / 4

Reliability and support 21 of 21 points

RuleWhat is publishedPoints
Written uptime commitmentYesSLA commits to 99.9% monthly uptime for Gmail, with credits of 3, 7 or 15 days of service2.9 / 9
Public status pageYesThe Workspace Status Dashboard lists Gmail and links to incident history3.2 / 2
Live supportYesThe plan page says Workspace includes 24/7 phone and email support; it does not break this down by plan1.4 / 4
Mail migration toolYesData migration service imports mail from IMAP, Exchange Online or another Google account; no edition limit is stated19.3 / 3
Official phone appsYesGoogle LLC publishes the Gmail app on the App Store and Google Play20,21.3 / 3

The rule behind each line: how we score email hosting services.

Plans and prices

As the vendor lists them, before tax. Prices are in US dollars unless the plan shows euros; the points use US dollars, with euros converted at the ECB rate.

PlanPrice as listedPer monthNotes
Business Starter (one-year commitment)Up to 300 users$7/user/month1$730 GB pooled storage per user; billed monthly under a one-year commitment
Business Starter (no commitment)Up to 300 users$8.40/user/month1$8.40Same plan without the commitment
Business Standard (one-year commitment)Up to 300 users$14/user/month1$142 TB storage per user
Business Plus (one-year commitment)Up to 300 users$22/user/month1$225 TB storage per user

Google bills monthly under the one-year commitment. The page lists prices in US dollars and notes some plans carry short promotions1.

Strengths

  • A written 99.9% monthly uptime commitment for Gmail, with service credits2.
  • Admins can require two-step verification; security keys and authenticator apps are supported12.
  • Up to 30 aliases per user, a catch-all address and many extra domains9,10,11.
  • Names ISO/IEC 27001 and SOC 2 Type II coverage for Gmail and other Workspace services17,18.
  • Data migration service imports mail by IMAP, from Exchange Online, or from another Google account19.

Limits

  • No free plan for your own domain; only a 14-day trial1.
  • Month-to-month Starter costs $8.40 per user, 20% more than the commitment price1.
  • Each user on a secondary domain is billed as a full user10.
  • Mail apps must sign in with OAuth; username and password logins stopped working on May 1, 20254.
  • CardDAV access needs OAuth 2.0 and a registered app7.

Concerns on record

  • 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 it22.

What Google says

Vendor claims. We show them, but they earn no points.

  • Google says Workspace business plans include 99.9% guaranteed uptime on business email1.

Other email hosting services

  1. 2
    Zoho MailSmall teams that want a low price and are happy to pay a year at a time
    79/100
    $5/mocost for a team of 5
  2. 3
    Infomaniak Mail ServiceSmall teams that want Swiss-hosted mail with calendars and a free way to start
    62/100
    Not publishedcost for a team of 5
  3. 4
    FastmailSmall teams that want mail, calendar and contacts that work in any standard app
    51/100
    Not publishedcost for a team of 5
  4. 5
    Rackspace EmailSmall teams that want month-to-month billing and phone support
    45/100
    $50/mocost for a team of 5

Google Workspace Gmail vs Zoho Mail · Google Workspace Gmail vs Infomaniak Mail Service · All 9 email hosting services

Sources

  1. Google Workspace plans and pricing, Google. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
  2. Google Workspace Service Level Agreement, Google. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
  3. Google Workspace Status Dashboard, Google. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
  4. Set up Gmail with a third-party email client, Google Workspace Help. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
  5. Turn POP and IMAP on or off for users, Google Workspace Help. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
  6. CalDAV API developer's guide, Google for Developers. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
  7. CardDAV API, Google for Developers. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
  8. Google Calendar for business, Google. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
  9. Add or delete an alternate email address (email alias), Google Workspace Help. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
  10. Add a user alias domain or secondary domain, Google Workspace Help. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
  11. Email routing and delivery options for Google Workspace, Google Workspace Help. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
  12. Protect your business with 2-Step Verification, Google Workspace Help. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
  13. About single sign-on (SSO), Google Workspace Help. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
  14. Set up SPF, Google Workspace Help. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
  15. Set up DKIM, Google Workspace Help. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
  16. Set up DMARC, Google Workspace Help. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
  17. ISO/IEC 27001 compliance, Google Cloud. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
  18. SOC 2 compliance, Google Cloud. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
  19. About the new data migration service, Google Workspace Help. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
  20. Gmail - Email by Google, Apple App Store. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
  21. Gmail, Google Play. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
  22. Widespread data theft targets Salesforce instances via Salesloft Drift, Google Cloud Threat Intelligence. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.

Website: workspace.google.com · Markdown version · We are not affiliated with Google.