Google Workspace alternatives
Team Chat & Messaging · workspace.google.com
Google Workspace is a subscription suite of business productivity and collaboration apps including Gmail with custom business email, Meet video conferencing, Chat, Calendar, Drive storage, Docs/Sheets/Slides/Vids, and Gemini AI features, with admin security and management controls.
Switching to Discord, which covers 67% of the compared capabilities.
Find my alternative
Way less money.
Top Google Workspace alternatives
We compared 12 products and found 9 cheaper options (8 of them cover at least half the compared features) · vs Google Workspace Business Starter at $70/mo for 10 seats ($7/seat) · scenario: 10 seats, monthly billing, USD.
Google Workspace costs $70/mo on the Business Starter plan at 10 seats, monthly billing. We found 9 assessed alternatives that are cheaper in this scenario; 3 of them cover at least 75% of the 3 compared capabilities. The cheapest option that covers everything we compared is Microsoft Teams at $40/mo (Teams Essentials plan), 43% less.
| Product | Match | Price | Annual savings | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
TOP PICK Discord Nitro plan · missing: Workflow automation | 67% | $9.99/mo how? ⓘ | $720.12 / year 86% cheaper | |
Zoho Cliq Standard plan team chat — adjacent | 100% | $18/mo how? ⓘ | $624 / year 74% cheaper | |
Pumble PRO plan · missing: Workflow automation team chat — adjacent | 67% | $29.90/mo how? ⓘ | $481.20 / year 57% cheaper | |
Zulip Self-hosted Basic plan · missing: Workflow automation team chat — adjacent | 67% | $35/mo how? ⓘ | $420 / year 50% cheaper | |
Microsoft Teams Teams Essentials plan | 100% | $40/mo how? ⓘ | $360 / year 43% cheaper | |
Chanty Business plan · missing: Workflow automation team chat — adjacent | 67% | $40/mo how? ⓘ | $360 / year 43% cheaper | |
Flock PRO plan team chat — adjacent | 100% | $45/mo how? ⓘ | $300 / year 36% cheaper | |
Twist Unlimited plan · missing: Audio/video calls & screen sharing, Workflow automation team chat — adjacent | 33% | $60/mo how? ⓘ | $120 / year 14% cheaper |
Which Google Workspace alternative for which situation
Picked by the numbers in this scenario — same subtype unless stated, assessed products only.
- Best full coverage
- Microsoft Teams — $40/mo (Teams Essentials plan) · covers 100%
- Best open source or self-hosted
- Zulip — $35/mo (Self-hosted Basic plan) · covers 67%
- Best paid drop-in
- Microsoft Teams — $40/mo (Teams Essentials plan) · covers 100%
- Need channels & group messaging, audio/video calls & screen sharing or workflow automation?
- Zoho Cliq — from $0/mo (Free plan)
What you give up
Capabilities Google Workspace has that the top alternatives lack.
- Audio/video calls & screen sharing — Make audio or video calls with screen sharing.Missing from Twist.
- Workflow automation — Automate routine steps directly within chat.Missing from Pumble, Slack, Twist.
Price at your volume
The same comparison recomputed at three sizes. Plan caps change who is cheapest.
Feature comparison
Google Workspace vs the top alternatives, on the 3 compared capabilities.
| Capability | Google Workspace | Zoho Cliq | Pumble | Slack | Twist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Channels & group messaging from Business Starter | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Audio/video calls & screen sharing from Business Starter | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ |
| Workflow automation from Business Starter | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Scenario price cheapest qualifying plan | $70/mo Business Starter | $0/mo Free | $0/mo FREE | $0/mo Free | $0/mo Free |
✓ means the product offers the capability — possibly only on a higher tier than the plan priced below it. The price row shows the cheapest plan that qualifies for our comparison scenario, with its plan name; a $0 free plan may not include every checked capability.
What Google Workspace covers
The capability set used for comparison. Grey entries are not available on self-serve plans.
- ✓ Channels & group messaging — from Business Starter
- ✓ Audio/video calls & screen sharing — from Business Starter
- ✓ Workflow automation — from Business Starter
- ↑ AI search & summaries — only from Business Standard, not compared
- ↑ Compliance exports & audit logs — only from Business Plus, not compared
Price ladder
Observed prices from the official pricing page.
Who switched
Anonymous: no account, no email, no IP stored. Reports are shown once a switch has 3 or more and never change ranking or order — alternatives are computed from prices and capabilities only.
Sources
Every claim traces to an official source and a check date.
- https://workspace.google.com/pricing.html (official_pricing, checked 2026-10-26)
- https://workspace.google.com/pricing (official_pricing, checked 2026-10-26)
Frequently asked
How much does Google Workspace cost?
Google Workspace's Business Starter plan costs $70/mo in our scenario (10 seats, monthly billing).
Is there a free Google Workspace alternative?
We have not verified a free plan that fits this scenario among the assessed alternatives.
What is the cheapest Google Workspace alternative?
In our scenario (10 seats, monthly billing), Zoho Cliq is the cheapest assessed alternative at $0/mo (Free plan).
What is the cheapest Google Workspace alternative with Workflow automation?
Zoho Cliq covers Workflow automation and costs $0/mo (Free plan) in our scenario.
Does Google Workspace have a free plan?
No. Google Workspace has no free plan on its official pricing page.
When were these prices checked?
Between 2026-10-26 and 2026-10-29, on the vendors' official pricing pages.