Gmail is a free email service provided by Google Inc., which was founded in 1998 and headquartered in Mountain View, California. It is one of the most popular web-based email services in use today.
Gmail has been available as an invitation-only beta since 2006. In March 2009, it became generally available to all users worldwide. As of February 2012, there are more than 1 billion active users, with over 100 million daily active users.
It is used for personal communication, business communication, and collaboration on the Internet. The service offers several different types of accounts, including standard (free), paid premium, and enterprise.
And not only that, there is also Google Workspace which is a great option for those who want a professional business account – though it comes with a fee.
So, with that in mind, is Gmail free for business use? Let’s take a look at this article.
Is Gmail Free To Use For A Business?
The standard Gmail account is free, and can be used for business purposes, however, the email address will not be related to your work, and instead be your personal account.
Most businesses use Google Workspace to create business email addresses for their employees. It costs $6 (or more) per employee per month, but if you have fewer than 50 employees, then it’s only around $3 per month. You can also get discounts when purchasing multiple licenses at once.
If you want to use Gmail for your business, you need to purchase a domain name from GoDaddy or another registrar. Then you can sign up for a Gmail account using your new domain name.
You can also set up your own custom domains, so that you can send emails directly to someone@yourdomain.com. This way, you don’t have to worry about having a separate email address for each person who works for you.
This also makes your business look professional, because a business email account looks more legitimate and trusting, rather than a personal email which some people could assume is a scam.
Can You Create A Free Gmail Business Email?
Yes, you can create a free Gmail business email. However, it won’t be associated with your company. Instead, it will be linked to your personal Gmail account.
This means that any messages sent to your business email address will come from your personal Gmail address which will look less professional.
There is no harm as a newcomer to the business world to use your company’s name alongside a regular Gmail account, but overtime you may want to up your professional standards and use an email address that is linked to your company’s website domain name.
What Is Google Workspace?
Google Workspace is a cloud computing platform that allows companies to create and manage private clouds, virtual desktops, and mobile devices.
It is designed specifically for small and medium sized organizations, and provides them with access to applications such as Microsoft Office 365, Salesforce CRM, and other popular tools.
It includes features like:
- Manage apps and data across PCs, Macs, tablets, phones, and Chromebooks
- Share files securely and easily between users
- Access corporate information anywhere, anytime
- Collaborate online and offline with co-workers
- Streamline processes and improve productivity
Google Workspace is available to all enterprises, regardless of size.
What Are The Benefits Of Google Workspace?
There are many benefits when it comes to Google Workspace. Not only does it make your company able to send professional emails, as well as have official company email addresses for people to contact, but there are other reasons as to why you should invest in Google Workplace:
- Your Gmail account becomes ad-free due to the fact you are now paying monthly for your account.
- You get to use your company’s domain name in your email address. For example, yourname@yourcompany.com.
- Being part of Google Workspace means you have 24/7 support from Google via phone, online chat and email.
- You can take ownership of all of your employees’ accounts.
- Whilst you would normally have to pay for such services, you will receive unlimited Google Drive and Gmail storage. This is great for sharing work, as well as keeping backups.
- There are also extra administrative controls and advanced security to keep all your work secure and safe.
If you want to trial these benefits without committing financially, then you can take advantage of a free trial to make sure it is exactly what you need for your business.
Is Google Workplace Suitable For A Lone Employee?
If you do not have a team to manage, but want to use Google for your business, then Google Workspace is still suitable for you.
It will give you the opportunity of a business email address, and provide you with all the benefits it has for any small to medium sized business.
In fact, it will be cheaper to use due to not having to pay for extra employees to use it. The upside is that you can add employees to Google Workspace, meaning it will not be an issue if you were to add people to your team in the future.
Are There Free Alternatives To Google Workspace?
Yes! If you are looking for a more cost effective solution than Google Workspace, then you could consider using one of the following alternatives:
Microsoft Teams – A platform from Microsoft that allows you to collaborate on documents, spreadsheets, presentations, and even video calls.
Zoho Office 365 – Offers similar features to Google Workspace, including being able to access your data from anywhere and collaborating with others.
However, Google Workspace is an all rounder that allows for you to use a business email address for extra professionalism.
Final Thoughts On Google For Business
As mentioned earlier, Google Workspace gives you the ability to send professional emails, and have a company email address.
This is something that cannot be said about other online email providers. With them, you may have to set up multiple accounts just to achieve this.
For example, with Outlook, you would need to create a personal email address, and then another for your business – but even this might not provide you with the option of using your domain name.
Google Workspace does allow you to have two different email addresses, so you can choose whether, or not, you want to use your personal account or your business account.
The final reason why you should use Google Workspace is that you can integrate it with many other services. This includes Google Calendar, G Suite apps, Analytics, Google Ads, YouTube, etc.
Paul Martinez is the founder of EcomSidekick.com. He is an expert in the areas of finance, real estate, eCommerce, traffic and conversion.
Join him on EcomSidekick.com to learn how to improve your financial life and excel in these areas. Before starting this media site, Paul built from scratch and managed two multi-million dollar companies. One in the real estate sector and one in the eCommerce sector.