Google Workspace Essentials can be viewed as a slimmed-down version of Google Workspace.
It includes Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, Drive, Meet, Chat, Sites, Forms, and Keep.
However, this version does not host your company email. Essentials doesn’t include Google Drawings or My Maps.
So, who is Essentials for?
Let’s say your business is using Microsoft 365 or Zoho as your primary email & calendar platform. Your email addresses such as jabbott@abbottsolar.com are hosted with one of those services.
There are a number of reasons you may want to subscribe to Google Workspace Essentials in addition to your current provider.
1. You want the powerful collaboration capabilities of Google’s office products (Docs, Sheets, Slides) within your organization.
2. You work with other businesses and subcontractors using Google Workspace. If someone from a company using Google Workspace decides to share a Google Sheets spreadsheet file with one of your employees, in the absence of Essentials, they would have to use visitor sharing, which is one extra step.
3. You hire a new employee who has been using consumer Google products for years and also used Google Workspace at previous jobs. They will be more efficient if they can originate documents, spreadsheets, and presentations on the Google platform, even if they save those as Microsoft Office files before sending them out to others.
4. While there are many meeting platforms on the market such as Zoom and Teams, you prefer the ease of use of Google Meet and the fact that it is 100% browser-based.
5. You want to build online forms and capture submissions into a spreadsheet or into a database (using a product like Zapier).
If, for example, your organization is using Microsoft 365 and you have 25 or fewer employees, all your staff can use Google Workspace Starter Edition at no cost.
Adding Google Workspace Essentials to your employees’ suite of software can improve collaboration and increase efficiency. If you are looking to host your organization’s email and calendar with Google, consider one of the full versions of Google Workspace.
Essentials Starter at a glance
| Feature | Essentials Starter | Business Starter |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free, with no trial period or time limit | Paid per user. See Google Workspace pricing |
| Email at your domain | No; keep your existing work email | Yes, Gmail at your own domain |
| Storage | 15 GB per user | 30 GB pooled per user |
| Team size | Up to 100 users per team account | Up to 300 users |
| Office files | Edit Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files in Docs, Sheets, and Slides | Same |
Sources: Google Workspace Essentials, Google Workspace pricing. Checked October 23, 2026.
Frequently asked questions
Is Google Workspace Essentials free?
Google Workspace Essentials Starter is free, with no trial period or time limit. It includes 15 GB of Drive storage per user. Paid editions, Enterprise Essentials and Enterprise Essentials Plus, add more storage, advanced meeting features, and admin controls.
Does Google Workspace Essentials include email?
No. Essentials Starter works with your existing work email address, but it doesn’t host your company’s email. For email at your own domain, you need a Business plan such as Business Starter.
How many people can use Essentials Starter?
Up to 100 users can join the same Essentials Starter team account, and a company can set up multiple team accounts on the same domain.
Does Essentials work with Microsoft Office files?
Yes. You can upload Office files to Google Drive and edit them directly in Docs, Sheets, and Slides, and changes are saved in the original Office format.
Sources: Google Workspace Essentials, Work with Office files.