Free > Google Accounts - GSuite vs Gmail
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Our tech sections are designed for fast education and clarification of confusing matters, not sexiness. If and when we get feedback that something is incomplete or confusing, if we agree with the comments, we try to clean it up and clarify it for all future readers quickly. In that sense, this becomes a community document fairly fast.
Our tech sections are designed for fast education and clarification of confusing matters, not sexiness. If and when we get feedback that something is incomplete or confusing, if we agree with the comments, we try to clean it up and clarify it for all future readers quickly. In that sense, this becomes a community document fairly fast.
NOTICE: GSuite for Business and GSuite for Education use to be called Google Apps for Business and Google Apps for Education. That change from Google Apps to Google Suite happened in October 2016. And now they call it Google Workspace. It's hard to keep up with the Marketeers sometimes.
Understanding Google's Account options are critical to understanding all things Google.
To use any/all of Google's cloud resources you will need a username. Your user name will be an email address.
- Option 1: [email protected]
- Option 2: [email protected]
Option 1 is "just a gmail account" -- but more correctly put, it's actually a "Google User Account"
Option 2 is "NOT just a gmail account" -- it is a "GSuite User Account" (now Google Workspace Account)
Summary: A "Google Account" can be either 1) a "Google User Account" aka a "Gmail Account" or it is a "Google Suite Account" (Google Workspace Account)
The word "Suite" in GSuite implies I get a lot more functionality with a gSuite account vs a Gmail Account (Google User Account). !! Google Suite is now Google Workspace. Sub that in yourself below !!
- Q: Is there a big difference between a Gsuite account and a Gmail Account as an end user?
- A: No, not really. There are some minor (but nice) feature differences between a gmail account and a gsuite user account, like the ability to use a template gallery when creating new gDocs or gSheets, but there are often some work arounds to missing advanced features. A GSuite account user gets HIPAA compliance, but that is not something "seen" or "felt" by the user.
- Q: Is there a big difference between a Gsuite account and a Gmail Account as a business owner or the executive of a n organization?
- A: Yes. Massive. A Gsuite Account is in fact a corporate level account first and foremost, and it provides an IT infrastructure management system for managing users. If you are a one person company, you are actually setting up a GSuite Corporate Account and a single user account at the same time as you sign up, although that isn't intuitive when signing up.
A side by side comparison of the offerings should help clarify things...
Gmail Accounts/Google Accounts
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GSuite User Account
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The GSuite Account establishes a Virtual IT Department for managing the users and all their digital data for your company or organization.
The vocabulary and semantics can be a little confusing in general. You will overcome it with just a little time in conversation.
The sections below include:
The vocabulary and semantics can be a little confusing in general. You will overcome it with just a little time in conversation.
The sections below include:
- What is a Gmail account, what functionality do I get with it other than email, and how much does it cost?
- What is a GSuite Account, how much is it, and why should I consider signing up for one?
- How does a GSuite User Account compare to a Gmail Account?
- Gmail Account Setup
- GSuite Account Setup
- The Semantics Fubar - in more detail...
1) What is a Gmail Account, what functionality do I get with it other than email, and how much does it cost?
What is a Gmail Account?
What functionality do I get with it other than email?
How much does it cost?
Liberation from Microsoft?
A Gmail Account is in fact an account that gives access to a Suite of Digital Productivity Products -- When you come to view a gmail account this way, a Gmail account is a free version of Microsoft Office Suite. Google has been working on this since around 2006 but it hasn't been truly comparable nor competitive at a basic level until late 2013. In late 2016 some major upgrades came which really made it a player and another wave of upgrades in 2018 were awesome. Google has been building this entire system in the Cloud, which is something that has never been done before, thus the long development time. As of today, it is not "perfect"... but it's plateaued to the point where the applications themselves are damn good enough for most people and most application users.
- Q: A Gmail Account is an email account, right?
- A: Yes. BUT your gmail address (your google email address) is not only an email address. It acts as a user name for your entire google account, and that google account offers a hell of a lot more than just email handling, for FREE!
What functionality do I get with it other than email?
- Gmail (Google Email)
- Google Contacts (a contact management system that stores your email contacts and other contacts. An electronic rolodex/address book)
- Google Calendar (an electronic Calendar)
- Google Drive (a cloud based drive where you can store files. This is used 1) as an offsite backup for your files and 2) for file sharing if you use multiple workstations)
- Google Apps, Part 1, Productivity Suite (which is short for Google Applications -- which is short for Google Software Applications -- and the free product offerings include cloud based software designed to compete with Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel and Microsoft PowerPoint -- Googles competitive products are named GDocs, GSheets and GSlides respectively).
- Google Apps Part 2 - In addition Google has apps related to building websites, maps, drawings, forms and many other tools that have familiar feeling interfaces when compared to the core Google Apps
How much does it cost?
- Free under 15 GB of Data - Your google account is free as long as all of your data (email, contacts, calendar, and drive) remains under 15 Gigabytes. And generally speaking, for those who are not storing music and videos, that is a lot of storage space. It could take 10-20 years to use up that much storage space with emails and contacts alone.
- Extra Storage is very "affordable" -- You pay for extra storage as needed. An extra 100 GB is $1.99/month. 1 Terabyte is $9.99/month and it goes up from there... https://support.google.com/mail/answer/2375123?hl=en If you need extra storage, it is because you are a digital data collector of some sort and you know what you are doing.
Liberation from Microsoft?
- Generally speaking, GDocs and GSheets are compatible with MS Word files and MS Excel files (they can be converted back and forth easily with GDocs and GSheets). And IF you find that GDocs and/or GSheets meets your personal Word Processing and Spread Sheet needs, you can be FREE of the Microsoft Software Licensing/Upgrade trap for the rest of your life. Amen and Hallelujah!
Issues to assess:
gDocs seems to slow down a little when you get into the 50-75 page range. If all you do is work on larger documents, if you can't figure out how to break those down to benefit from the cloud bases solution, you may need to still keep a local word processing program in play.
gSheets is extremely powerful with an incredibly powerful scripting module now. The cell level functionality is comparable to excel. The GUI features are catchingup. In 2018 they added some outline view / expand and collapse functionality that was a big upgrade. If you are really stretching excel, look into comparative forums to see if the features you use are in gSheets yet.
In general, the cloud based features are a dream to use and many people are willing to sacrifice a little for that.
A Gmail Account is in fact an account that gives access to a Suite of Digital Productivity Products -- When you come to view a gmail account this way, a Gmail account is a free version of Microsoft Office Suite. Google has been working on this since around 2006 but it hasn't been truly comparable nor competitive at a basic level until late 2013. In late 2016 some major upgrades came which really made it a player and another wave of upgrades in 2018 were awesome. Google has been building this entire system in the Cloud, which is something that has never been done before, thus the long development time. As of today, it is not "perfect"... but it's plateaued to the point where the applications themselves are damn good enough for most people and most application users.
2) What is a Gsuite (Google Workspace) Account, how much is it, and why should I consider signing up for one?
What is a GSuite Account? (Google workspace account)
Why Should I consider signing up for a Google Suite account?
There are several reasons a Sole Proprietor who may or may not operate with employees should consider signing up...
As a Sole Proprietor myself, with only one email address related to my GSuite Account, the value I get for $6/month is downright silly. At that price I am paying pennies for network management support from the most powerful internet force on the planet.
- A GSuite account is a corporate level account that is established with Google. It allows a Sole Proprietor, Company or Educational Institution to create a virtual IT department to assist with digital data management of company related data.
- The fee google charges is based on the number of users (email addresses) you associate with GSuite account.
- There is no additional company fee. It's only a user headcount fee system.
- There are currently two pricing options: $6/email address/month OR $12/email address/month. (Up from $5 and $10 in 2019). Most Sole Proprietors without employees will be starting out with one email address and the $6/month option is fine unless you store videos and audio in your drive (or other items that take up massive storage).
- You will need to have a domain registered with a domain registrar to setup a GSuite account, and that is typically $10-15/year, but that is separate from Google's Service and Google Fees. Also, we suggest signing up for that with a major registrar as opposed to Google for the best registration services. Google had some limiting issues with their registration service and they has some issues with trouble shooting dns routing and their gSites we found very frustrating and unnecessary.
Why Should I consider signing up for a Google Suite account?
There are several reasons a Sole Proprietor who may or may not operate with employees should consider signing up...
- Email Hosting -- Google's Email Hosting/Processing is second to none. If you use [email protected] and you have had problems with email service interruptions with your web host, this may be a great solution, even if you have no desire to use any other aspects of the Google Cloud services that are included. In fact, most major web-hosting companies encourage their users to use Google mail versus the services they offer with website hosting because email hosting is that much of a headache.
- Marketing Perception -- If you are using a [email protected] address, and you are wondering why you should make the shift, marketing perception may be one valid reason. Your email address is on all your marketing literature. Business Cards, brochures, websites and all other communications related material.
What looks more "established" and professional? [email protected] or [email protected]
To most, the later looks more established and professional. The later also implies there is a website at www.johnshoney.com, although that is not necessarily true. - Tech Support -- In general, all aspects of regular Gmail Accounts ([email protected]) are extremely stable. However, if you do have a problem with your digital data and your account, there is no formal email or phone support for a "gmail account". A Gsuite Account provides 24/7 email and phone support or all users. So while generally not needed, if catastrophe strikes and data gets wiped out by your own hand, that of others or a technical burp, tech support is available. Likewise, if you are using the network managment tools related to the GSuite account (which does not exist with a Gmail account) phone tech support exists, which isn't always the case with other virtual network management options.
- HIPPA Compliance -- If you are in the health or wellness business, your digital vendors need to issue you a BAA (Business Associate Agreement) implying they are delivering service in general compliance with HIPPA guidelines. Google will issue such a cert if you have a GSuite Account. they will NOT issue the cert if you only have a Google Account (even though they likely don't handle the security of your data any differently).
As a Sole Proprietor myself, with only one email address related to my GSuite Account, the value I get for $6/month is downright silly. At that price I am paying pennies for network management support from the most powerful internet force on the planet.
3) How does a GSuite (Google Workspace) User Account compare to a Gmail Account from an End User perspective?
If you setup (or are issued) a GSuite Account, you will get the following...
Q: That looks almost identical to a Gmail Account?
A: From a user perspective it is identical.
When I transfer people over from a gmail account to a GSuite user account, once done, they have no idea anything has happened. The only difference to them is their email address is now their custom company address as opposed to the @gmail.com address.
- Email handling for [email protected] (vs [email protected])
- Google Contacts
- Google Calendar
- Google Drive
- Google Apps
Q: That looks almost identical to a Gmail Account?
A: From a user perspective it is identical.
When I transfer people over from a gmail account to a GSuite user account, once done, they have no idea anything has happened. The only difference to them is their email address is now their custom company address as opposed to the @gmail.com address.
4) Gmail Account Setup
A basic gmail/google account can be setup at:.
https://accounts.google.com/SignUp?hl=en
(or search for "create google account")
When creating a "google account" you will provide minimal personal data, you will select an email address ([email protected]) and you will provide a password to establish your account.
Your gmail address and password becomes your username and password for all things Google.
https://accounts.google.com/SignUp?hl=en
(or search for "create google account")
When creating a "google account" you will provide minimal personal data, you will select an email address ([email protected]) and you will provide a password to establish your account.
Your gmail address and password becomes your username and password for all things Google.
5) GSuite Account Setup
THIS IS OLD. LOOK FOR GOOGLE WORKSPACE SIGN UP...
Setup your GSuite account at:
There is a pricing link at the URL above, but in general:
--- $6/Month ---
30 GB of data per user
Security and Admin controls for all accounts
24/7 Support
--- $12/month ---
1 TB of data per user (unlimited if over 5 users)
Advanced admin controls for GDrive
Audit and reporting for GDrive Content and Sharing
Google Vault for archiving everyone's emails
Other Admin controls over all accounts
24/7 support
Once done, you access the GSuite info at http://admin.google.com. The user account you setup GSuite with is assumed to be a master administrator.
Notes of Relevance related to setup and other:
Setup your GSuite account at:
There is a pricing link at the URL above, but in general:
--- $6/Month ---
30 GB of data per user
Security and Admin controls for all accounts
24/7 Support
--- $12/month ---
1 TB of data per user (unlimited if over 5 users)
Advanced admin controls for GDrive
Audit and reporting for GDrive Content and Sharing
Google Vault for archiving everyone's emails
Other Admin controls over all accounts
24/7 support
Once done, you access the GSuite info at http://admin.google.com. The user account you setup GSuite with is assumed to be a master administrator.
Notes of Relevance related to setup and other:
- Setup Process - When setting up the account, it is a little confusing after the initial screen. It will ask you to add more users, and you MUST go into that section and indicate there are no more users to continue with the setup process.
- Setup Process -- Google will reach out and verify your domain registration with your registrar. It will also update the MX records at the registrar to forward your mail to google for handling so as soon as this sign up is complete, your mail will be going to google. If you are currently using a private domain related email address, you will enter into a 2 hour to 2 day transition process where mail may show up in your old console and your new due to the way the global DNS system works. If you are currently using a gmail address or other webmail address, you can start to distribute and use your new address as you see fit. More on migration techniques in another section of this website.
- You can NOT get a GSuite account for your [email protected] account that you may have had for years or decades (in case you just wanted to pay the $5 for tech support.... that doesn't work).
- It is NOT a no-brainer easy to transfer all your stuff from your traditional Google Account to a GSuite for Work account. Getting your emails, contacts, calendar and data over to a new Apps account requires some technical work with the Drive part of it being very tedious (its not just dragging and dropping).
- There are configurations required with your domain registrar to get your emails going to google (although those updates are happening automatically when you sign up for GSuite now)
- Setting up your email account on mobile devices is often trickier or more confusing with a Google Apps for Business setup, although all the mobile vendors are starting to get the hang of it.
- Push Email has always been confusing and problematic with Google Apps setups. Often times you have to use a Google Mail app to get notices and then your local email app for processing if you don't like the Google Mail app (I prefer the iphone mail app, thus I have this split system setup).
6) The Semantics Fubar Explained
Substitute Google Workspace for Google Suite...
Thus comparing a Gmail Account to a GSuite Account is like comparing an orange to a crate that might hold tangerines. An "apples" to "apples" comparison of User Account functionality would be obtained by comparing a "Gmail Account" to a "GSuite User Account". The comparative lists below should assist with this understanding.
- A Gmail Account is a Google Account. It is a USER ACCOUNT. The user name is in the format of [email protected]. The username is an email address. In addition to email service, one gets access to a lot of other cloud based Digital Office products. The name "G-Mail" comes from Google Email.
- A GSuite Account is a Google Account. It is a CORPORATE ACCOUNT acccount. It is like setting up a virtual IT department for a business or an Organization. An Internet Domain Name, registered via a registrar (like Godaddy.com) is a preliminary requirement for setting up this account with Google.
- A GSuite User Account is a Google Account. It is a USER ACCOUNT that is setup underneath a GSuite Account. From an end user/employee perspective, the basic functionality of a GSuite User Account is identical to a Gmail account, except the email address is [email protected] versus [email protected], and those who manage the GSuite Account can in fact manage all aspects of your data.
Thus comparing a Gmail Account to a GSuite Account is like comparing an orange to a crate that might hold tangerines. An "apples" to "apples" comparison of User Account functionality would be obtained by comparing a "Gmail Account" to a "GSuite User Account". The comparative lists below should assist with this understanding.
If Google had asked my opinion on naming systems... this is what I would have recommended. It would have been simple.
The marketing would have gone something like this...
Obviously, it doesn't have the flashiness of the word Suite in it... but for goodness sake, it's less confusing too.. as the SUITE of stuff that one gets is generally related to network management and not something most users and even most business owners would recognize via the use of the word suite...AND it confuses the heck out of those who understand the Apps portion of Google services which are generally considered to be a suite of office productivity applications...
- Gmail Account -- (stays the same)
- Google Business Account (instead of a GSuite Account) (Governments and Education Systems and Health Care Systems are all just types of Businesses and if someone wanted it for their own personal name, they obviously think of themselves as a business too).
- Google Business User Account
The marketing would have gone something like this...
- "Do you want to use your company email address with our award winning Google Email Infrastructure? Sign up for a Google Business Account and migrate your Gmail Account or other email account to a Google Business User Account"
- "Do you want to setup a virtual IT Department to manage your business users email and their business related data? Sign up for a Google Business Account, setup your employees as Business Users under your account, and you are ready to go"...
Obviously, it doesn't have the flashiness of the word Suite in it... but for goodness sake, it's less confusing too.. as the SUITE of stuff that one gets is generally related to network management and not something most users and even most business owners would recognize via the use of the word suite...AND it confuses the heck out of those who understand the Apps portion of Google services which are generally considered to be a suite of office productivity applications...