Google Workspace plans explained
A plain-English breakdown of Google Workspace plans — what each one includes, how much storage you get, and which plan suits your business.
Google Workspace comes in several plans, each priced per user per month. Choosing the right one depends mainly on how much storage your team needs and whether you want advanced security or compliance features.
Quick summary
Most small businesses do well on the Business Starter or Business Standard plan. Business Starter gives each user 30 GB of pooled storage and standard features. Business Standard adds more storage, longer Meet recordings, and better admin controls. Enterprise plans are for large organizations with complex needs.
The main plans at a glance
Google Workspace currently offers four plans for businesses. Prices are charged per user per month and may change — always confirm current pricing at workspace.google.com/pricing.
| Plan | Best for | Storage per user | Meet recording |
|---|---|---|---|
| Business Starter | Small teams just getting started | 30 GB pooled | No |
| Business Standard | Growing teams that collaborate heavily | 2 TB pooled | Yes (saved to Drive) |
| Business Plus | Teams needing eDiscovery or audit logs | 5 TB pooled | Yes + attendance tracking |
| Enterprise | Large organizations with compliance needs | Custom | Yes + advanced features |
Storage is pooled
On Business plans, storage is pooled across your organization — not assigned per person. A 10-person Business Starter organization shares 300 GB total (10 × 30 GB). One heavy user can affect everyone else.
Business Starter — the basics
Business Starter is the entry-level plan. It includes:
- Professional email at your domain
- 30 GB of pooled storage per user (Gmail + Drive combined)
- Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, Calendar, Meet, and Chat
- Google Meet video calls for up to 100 participants
- Standard security and admin controls
- Google Workspace support
This plan suits small teams that mainly need professional email and light document collaboration.
Business Standard — the most popular choice
Business Standard adds everything in Starter, plus:
- 2 TB of pooled storage per user
- Google Meet recordings saved automatically to Drive
- Up to 150 participants per Meet call
- Noise cancellation in Meet
- Shared drives (team-owned storage — see Shared drives explained)
- App maker and workflow automation tools
This is the plan we most often recommend for growing businesses. The extra storage and meeting recordings alone make it worthwhile.
Business Plus — for compliance needs
Business Plus adds:
- 5 TB of pooled storage per user
- Meet attendance tracking
- Vault (eDiscovery and archiving — useful for legal or compliance purposes)
- Advanced endpoint management for devices
If your industry requires you to archive communications or you've had requests from legal, Business Plus is worth considering.
Enterprise — for large organizations
Enterprise plans offer:
- Custom and larger storage options
- Enhanced security controls
- Data loss prevention (DLP)
- Advanced Vault features
- Dedicated support options
Enterprise pricing is custom — you work directly with Google or a reseller.
How to upgrade or downgrade
If you're the admin for your organization:
Go to the Admin console. Visit admin.google.com and sign in with your admin account.
Open Billing. In the left sidebar, click Billing, then Subscriptions.
Find your current plan. Click on the Google Workspace subscription listed there.
Change your plan. Look for an option to upgrade or switch plan. Follow the on-screen steps.
Upgrades take effect immediately. Downgrades usually take effect at the start of your next billing cycle.
Common questions
Related guides
- What is Google Workspace?
- Google Workspace billing explained
- Storage & quotas in Google Workspace
- Shared drives explained
- Google Workspace vs Microsoft 365
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