ZDNET Picks Google Workspace at $7 a User as 2026's Top Small-Business Email Host
Updated
Updated · ZDNet · Jul 12
ZDNET Picks Google Workspace at $7 a User as 2026's Top Small-Business Email Host
2 articles · Updated · ZDNet · Jul 12
Summary
Google Workspace led ZDNET's 2026 ranking after hands-on testing, with the reviewer citing sub-15-minute setup, familiar Gmail apps and bundled Docs, Drive, Meet and Gemini AI.
Business Starter costs $7 per user monthly and Standard $14, but ZDNET flagged cost creep because every user needs a paid seat and Google has raised prices twice in two years.
Proton Mail and Microsoft 365 tied closely on entry pricing at about $7 per user monthly, with Proton favored for encryption and Microsoft for Word, Excel and desktop-app compatibility.
Fastmail and Spike undercut the larger suites from $4 per user monthly, appealing to businesses that want either no-frills email or a chat-style inbox instead of a full productivity stack.
The review frames the choice around trade-offs in price, custom domains, migration tools, client compatibility, storage and AI costs for freelancers and small remote teams.