1v1 Pricing Showdown
Fastmail vs Google Workspace
Side-by-side pricing breakdown for Workspace & Email Suites decision-makers
Prices in USD, verified from the United States. Regional pricing may vary.
When choosing between Fastmail and Google Workspace for your workspace & email suites stack, the right answer depends on three things: your budget, the specific features you actually use day-to-day, and your tolerance for renewal-price increases. Below we lay out the prices each vendor advertises today (verified against their live pricing pages), the plan limits that decide whether they'll fit your team, and the features that differ between them.
Fastmail starts at $2.38/mo; Google Workspace starts at $6/mo. The cheaper headline price isn't always the cheaper total cost — renewal pricing, per-user fees, and overage charges can shift the math. Use the plan-by-plan tables below to model your actual spend.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | | |
|---|---|---|
| email focused | No productivity apps like Word/Excel — email + calendar + contacts only | — |
| jmap protocol | Open JMAP standard protocol — provider portability | — |
| imap caldav carddav | Open standards for third-party client access | — |
| custom domains | All business plans | — |
| encryption at rest | All plans | — |
| 24 7 support | All plans | — |
| scheduled send | Standard+ | — |
| snooze | Standard+ | — |
| email retention archive | Professional only — for legal compliance | — |
| masked email | Built-in alias generation for privacy | — |
| no advertising | Unlike Gmail free tier | — |
| australia headquartered | FastMail Pty Ltd based in Melbourne | — |
| 2 year discount | ~21% savings vs monthly — aggressive long-term commitment | — |
| gmail custom domain | — | All plans — professional business email @yourcompany.com |
| google drive | — | 30 GB to 5 TB storage per tier |
| google docs sheets slides | — | All plans — real-time collaboration |
| google meet | — | 100-1000 participants by tier |
| calendar | — | All plans |
| gemini ai assistant | — | Basic Free/Starter / Full Standard+ |
| ai meeting notes | — | Standard+ via Gemini |
| esignature | — | Standard+ |
| appointment booking | — | Standard+ |
| recording | — | Standard+ |
| noise cancellation | — | Standard+ |
| attendance tracking | — | Plus+ |
| vault ediscovery | — | Plus+ (HIPAA BAA) |
| in domain live streaming | — | Enterprise only |
| dlp | — | Enterprise only |
| max users | — | 300 Starter-Plus / Unlimited Enterprise |
Affiliate links — you pay the same price
Dive Deeper
Google Workspace
About the workspace & email suites category
Business productivity suites in 2026 are duopoly-dominated (Google Workspace + Microsoft 365 combined 90%+ market share) with alternative positioning for privacy (Proton Business), cost-efficient alternatives (Zoho Workplace), and email-focused workflows (Fastmail). Google Workspace $6-21.60/user/month annual: Gmail + Drive + Docs/Sheets/Slides + Meet + Calendar + Gemini AI. Microsoft 365 $6-57/user/month annual: Teams + Outlook + Word/Excel/PowerPoint + OneDrive + SharePoint + security at higher tiers. Zoho Workplace $3-6/user/month annual: Mail + Office Suite + WorkDrive + Cliq + Meeting at 50-70% discount vs Google/Microsoft. Proton Business $7.99-22.99/user/month annual: end-to-end encrypted email + VPN + Drive + Pass + Calendar positioning as Swiss-based privacy alternative. Fastmail $3-9/user/month annual: email-first (no productivity apps) with privacy + standards (JMAP, IMAP, CalDAV) focus. Google Workspace Gemini AI integration (all paid tiers) + Microsoft 365 Copilot (+$30/user/month add-on) reshape the AI productivity landscape. Zoho Workplace's lifetime free plan (5 users, 5 GB storage) is unique in category. Proton's Switzerland-based jurisdiction + zero-knowledge encryption appeals to healthcare, legal, finance regulated industries. Fastmail's standards-based approach (JMAP open protocol) appeals to power users wanting provider portability without Google/Microsoft lock-in.
How to choose between workspace & email suites options
First: what's your team's primary workflow? Gmail/Drive/Docs native: Google Workspace. Outlook/Excel/Teams/SharePoint native: Microsoft 365. Email-heavy with privacy: Proton Business or Fastmail. Mixed usage with cost optimization: Zoho Workplace. Second: team size and budget? 1-25 employees, budget-conscious: Zoho Standard $3/user/month ($36/user/year). 25-100 employees, Google ecosystem: Google Workspace Business Standard $12/user/month ($144/user/year) or Business Starter $6/user/month ($72/user/year) if 30 GB sufficient. 25-100 employees, Microsoft ecosystem: Microsoft 365 Business Basic $6/user/month ($72/user/year) or Business Standard $12.50/user/month ($150/user/year) if desktop apps required. Privacy-focused: Proton Business $12.99/user/month ($155.88/user/year). 100+ employees with regulated compliance needs: Microsoft 365 Enterprise E3 $36/user/month ($432/user/year) or E5 $57/user/month ($684/user/year) for security stack + Copilot eligibility. Third: AI features critical? Google Workspace Business Standard+ includes Gemini integration (saves ~$24/user/month Gemini for Workspace add-on on cheaper tiers). Microsoft 365 Copilot is $30/user/month add-on requires Business Basic+ or Enterprise. Proton/Fastmail/Zoho don't have native AI at comparable quality. Fourth: storage needs? Business Starter (Google) 30 GB per user tight for heavy attachment workflows. Business Standard 2 TB adequate. Microsoft 365 Basic 1 TB typical. Proton Business 500 GB per user. Fifth: compliance/regulatory (HIPAA, GDPR, FedRAMP)? Microsoft 365 Enterprise + Business Premium offer HIPAA via BAA. Google Workspace Business Plus+ offers Vault + eDiscovery + HIPAA BAA. Proton's Swiss jurisdiction + zero-knowledge by design is strong for privacy compliance but lacks HIPAA BAA for US healthcare. Sixth: Microsoft-exclusive features (Excel power users, SharePoint, Dynamics, Power BI)? Microsoft 365 wins — no competitor matches desktop Excel depth. Seventh: Google-exclusive features (Classroom, Looker Studio integration)? Google Workspace wins — Classroom for education, Looker Studio Pro requires Workspace.
Building Your Business Stack?
Decision-makers comparing tools often need more than one category. Here are related comparisons:
Frequently Asked Questions
- Is Fastmail cheaper than Google Workspace?
- Fastmail is cheaper starting at $2.38/mo. Fastmail starts at $2.38/mo and Google Workspace at $6/mo.
- Which is better, Fastmail or Google Workspace?
- Google Workspace scores 9.4/10 compared to Fastmail's 8.5/10 in our analysis. Google Workspace ranks higher on features and value, but Fastmail may suit specific use cases — see the feature comparison above.
- Is Fastmail cheaper than Google Workspace for a team of 5?
- For a team of 5, Fastmail costs $2.38/mo (flat rate) and Google Workspace costs $6/mo (flat rate). Fastmail is the cheaper option at this team size.
- Are there other workspace & email suites alternatives besides Fastmail and Google Workspace?
- Yes. Our [Workspace & Email Suites pricing comparison](/pricing/workspace-suites/) page covers all major providers with daily-verified prices. You can also see the [cheapest workspace & email suites](/pricing/workspace-suites/cheapest/) for budget-focused options.