Starting Price
$6/user/month (Business Starter)
$3/user/month (Standard)
Free Tier
No (personal Gmail only)
Yes — free plan for up to 5 users
Cloud Storage (base plan)
30 GB pooled per user
5 GB per user
Email Client
Gmail (industry standard)
Zoho Mail (solid, less ubiquitous)
Word Processing
Google Docs
Zoho Writer
Video Conferencing
Google Meet (up to 100–500 participants)
Zoho Meeting (up to 100 participants on base plan)
Built-in CRM
No (requires third-party)
Yes — Zoho CRM integrates natively
Third-party Integrations
5,000+ via Google Marketplace
800+ via Zoho Marketplace
Offline Mode
Yes (Docs, Sheets, Slides)
Limited (Zoho Writer only)
AI Assistant
Gemini AI (add-on or higher plans)
Zia AI (built into suite)
Admin Console
Polished, enterprise-grade
Capable but steeper learning curve
Data Residency Options
Limited regions
Multiple regions including EU
Worth knowing
- Google Workspace is used by over 10 million businesses worldwide — your clients almost certainly use it too.
- Zoho Workplace bundles 8+ apps (Mail, Cliq, Writer, Sheet, Show, Meeting, Connect, WorkDrive) vs Google's core 6.
- Google's Gemini AI features require an add-on starting around $20/user/month, making the total cost jump fast.
- Zoho is privately held and has been profitable for years — no VC pressure to hike prices or go public.
- Google Meet requires no downloads for participants; Zoho Meeting may prompt a browser plugin for some features.
Zoho's headquarters are in a small town in rural Tamil Nadu, India — yet it quietly competes with Google. David didn't slay Goliath, but he's definitely annoying him.
If you wantYou want frictionless collaboration with clients and external teams
Everyone has a Google account — sharing, co-editing, and Meet calls just work with zero onboarding friction.
→ Pick Google Workspace If you wantYou're a small business watching every dollar
Zoho's free tier and ~$3/user pricing deliver a shockingly complete suite without a corporate credit card required.
→ Pick Zoho Workplace If you wantYou already use Zoho CRM or other Zoho apps
The native integration across the entire Zoho ecosystem is a genuine superpower for sales and ops teams.
→ Pick Zoho Workplace If you wantYou need the widest possible app marketplace and integrations
Google Workspace's 5,000+ integrations means virtually every SaaS tool on earth supports it natively.
→ Pick Google Workspace Some links on this page are affiliate links. If you sign up through them, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.