Alternatives to Google Workspace
Docs, Sheets and Slides in the browser
Google Workspace ranks #6 of 9 in Office suites, with an Alt Score of 82. It is proprietary, sold by subscription from $8.40/user/month (Business Starter, Flexible Plan; $7/user/month billed annually) and available on Web, iOS and Android. 10 of 10 checklist rows are verified against a public source.
Businesses of any size, from startups to large enterprises, that need a company-wide productivity and collaboration platform for their teams; also used by schools and nonprofits.
Business email via Gmail on a custom domain, cloud storage and file sharing through Drive, and collaborative document tools (Docs, Sheets, Slides, Forms). It includes video conferencing (Meet) and messaging (Chat), plus Calendar and an admin console for managing users, security, and devices. Higher tiers add the Gemini AI assistant embedded across apps for writing, summarizing, and analysis.
Admins provision accounts for their organization's domain through the Admin console and assign a subscription tier; users then log in to access the shared apps, with documents and files stored centrally in Drive for real-time co-editing and sharing across the team.
Why people leave Google Workspace
Dashed reasons are sourced facts; the rest are opinions. Vendors can dispute.
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Ranked alternatives
Ordered by Alt Score. Click any score to see the breakdown.
Feature comparison
Rows come from the Office suites checklist (14 rows). Human-verified cells only. ? means the value has not been verified.
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| Office suites checklist | Google Workspace | OnlyOffice | Collabora Online | Microsoft 365 | Apple iWork | CryptPad |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | ||||||
| Starts at | ||||||
| License | ||||||
| Platforms | ||||||
| Word processor | ||||||
| Spreadsheets | ||||||
| Presentations | ||||||
| Real-time collaboration | ||||||
| Desktop apps (offline) | ||||||
| MS Office format fidelity | ||||||
| Self-hostable | ||||||
| E2E encrypted option | ||||||
| Free tier limits | ||||||
| PDF export & editing |
Every fact and feature listed for Google Workspace is verified against its own pages. Each alternative is sourced on its own page.
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Pricing model Subscription verified 2026-07-11
You can cancel your subscription at any time without penalty.
https://knowledge.workspace.google.com/admin/billing/flexible-plan -
Platforms Web, iOS, Android verified 2026-07-11
You can get the apps on Google Play
https://blog.google/products/docs/new-mobile-apps-for-docs-sheets-and/ -
License Proprietary verified 2026-07-11
As between the parties, Customer owns all Intellectual Property Rights in Customer Data, and Google owns all Intellectual Property Rights in the Services.
https://workspace.google.com/intl/en_us/terms/standard_terms/ -
Starts at $8.40/user/month (Business Starter, Flexible Plan; $7/user/month billed annually) verified 2026-07-11
$8.40 USD
https://knowledge.workspace.google.com/admin/getting-started/editions/business-editions -
Status active verified 2026-07-11
You're billed monthly for each user account.
https://knowledge.workspace.google.com/admin/billing/flexible-plan -
Word processor Yes verified 2026-07-11
You can convert Microsoft Word documents into Google Docs format, or you can directly edit Word documents, without having to make a copy.
https://workspace.google.com/intl/en_us/products/docs/ -
Spreadsheets Yes verified 2026-07-11
Online, collaborative spreadsheets
https://workspace.google.com/intl/en_us/products/sheets/ -
Presentations Yes verified 2026-07-11
Create and deliver impactful presentations in your browser, from anywhere - no installation required.
https://workspace.google.com/intl/en_us/products/slides/ -
Real-time collaboration Yes verified 2026-07-11
Multiple people can edit a Google Sheet simultaneously, eliminating the need for back-and-forth email chains and version confusion.
https://workspace.google.com/intl/en_us/resources/real-time-editing/ -
Desktop apps (offline) Partial verified 2026-07-11
Unlike traditional desktop applications, there is no software to install.
https://workspace.google.com/intl/en_us/faq/ -
MS Office format fidelity Yes verified 2026-07-11
All changes are auto-saved to the file in its original Office format.
https://support.google.com/drive/answer/9406611?hl=en -
Self-hostable No verified 2026-07-11
Unlike traditional desktop applications, there is no software to install.
https://workspace.google.com/intl/en_us/faq/ -
E2E encrypted option Partial verified 2026-07-11
Supported editions for this feature: Frontline Plus; Enterprise Plus; Education Standard and Education Plus.
https://knowledge.workspace.google.com/admin/security/about-client-side-encryption -
Free tier limits Yes verified 2026-07-11
Anyone with a Google Account can create in Docs.
https://workspace.google.com/intl/en_us/products/docs/ -
PDF export & editing Yes verified 2026-07-11
Convert your PDFs directly in Docs for easy editing. Docs intelligently transforms text, images, and layouts, so you can quickly make changes and refine content.
https://workspace.google.com/intl/en_us/features/edit-pdf/
FAQ
Yes. Apple iWork, LibreOffice and WPS Office have a free tier or are fully free. Free-tier limits in the comparison table are verified and dated.
OnlyOffice, Collabora Online and CryptPad — every license claim links its source.