Google Workspace Increases it's pricing

Earlier this year, Google disclosed a price increase for its most common "business" editions of Google Workspace. This price increase will be happening incrementally over the year, based on anniversaries and types of accounts. 

The rebranding of Google's productivity suite as "Workspace" has led to some confusion. In the past, Google reserved brand names for its paid business editions, such as "G Suite" and "Google Apps for your domain." However, the new "Workspace" branding now encompasses both paid business accounts and free consumer accounts. To clarify, consumer accounts for Gmail and Docs remain free, but the three most common business editions—Business "Starter," "Standard," and "Plus"—have seen price increases. These business accounts are billed per user per month.

Google's decision to raise prices aligns with its ongoing efforts to bolster profitability within Google Cloud, the parent division of Workspace. Recent belt-tightening measures, such as shared desks for Google Cloud employees, underscore the financial pressures. Furthermore, the introduction of generative AI features in Workspace represents a significant server cost increase, necessitating these price adjustments to cover these expenses.

Significant recent additions to Google Workspace:

• Paid appointment bookings now available in Google Calendar.  https://workspaceupdates.googleblog.com/2023/07/paid-appointment-bookings-in-google-calendar.html

• Ability to type with your voice into Google Docs, Google Slide speaker notes - https://support.google.com/docs/answer/4492226

• New Keyboard shortcuts for Google Sheets - ??https://support.google.com/docs/answer/181110

• Google Meet has a truckload of new features, that enables you to have 1:1, Group Callings including adding virtual backgrounds, engaging with groups up to 100 people in a meeting, whiteboard, document collaboration and more https://workspace.google.com/products/meet/

• Increased security measures

• New Smart Canvas features in Google Sheets and Google Docs.  https://workspace.google.com/blog/product-announcements/next-evolution-of-collaboration-for-google-workspace

  • Google Sheets - With a variety of smart chips such as quickly view google maps directly into Google sheet, quickly update dates, stopwatches, contacts - https://support.google.com/docs/answer/12319513?hl=en

  • Building blocks in Google Docs are mini templates that you can insert into your document for tracking projects, drafting emails and more. One feature enables you to add smart chips that contain emojis to use as voting indiciators in Google Docs.  

Behind the scenes, smart features and essential building blocks are designed to work smoothly with other Google Workspace apps and services. For instance, if a colleague/client changes their contact information in the company directory or your Google Contacts, any references to that colleague/client in documents or spreadsheets will be updated automatically thanks to these smart components.

To view all recent releases go here

Learn how to maximise the Google Workspace tools through Googles learning centre.

If you need any help setting up your Google Workspace account, talk to your Bloomtools consultant.