Google Workspace vs Proton Mail for Business
Estimate what moving from Google Workspace to Proton Mail for Business costs over 12 to 36 months, including the one-time switch. Then remap your exported CSV headers.
Why teams look at this switch: Google Workspace Business plans per user compared with Proton Mail Essentials seats, flexible and annual billing
Cost calculator
Enter a number from 1 to 2,000. The result is hidden until the value is valid.
This number is outside the slider's range; the calculator uses the number you typed.
Optional. A negotiated, start-up or non-profit discount, taken off the published price every month.
Enter a number from 0 to 999,999,999. The result is hidden until the value is valid.
Enter a number from 0 to 999,999,999. The result is hidden until the value is valid.
Default rates are a starting point for a typical setup and may not match what Google Workspace or Proton Mail for Business charges you. Replace them with your own quote.
Reference price ladder
Reference prices, checked 9 Nov 2026. List prices in EUR; converted prices are explained in the assumptions. Prices exclude VAT and other taxes, change over time and differ by region and contract. Confirm on the vendor's page before you decide.
| Plan | Monthly billing | Annual billing, per month |
|---|---|---|
| Google Workspace Business Starter | €8.10 | €6.80 |
| Google Workspace Business Standard | €16.20 | €13.60 |
| Google Workspace Business Plus | €25.30 | €21.10 |
Price per seat per month.
| Plan | Monthly billing | Annual billing, per month |
|---|---|---|
| Proton Mail Essentials | €7.99 | €6.99 |
Price per seat per month.
Assumptions
- Google Workspace (workspace.google.com/pricing, EUR as shown in Greece, taxes extra, read 9 Nov 2026): Business Starter €8.10 per user per month on the Flexible plan, €6.80 with a 1-year commitment; Business Standard €16.20 / €13.60; Business Plus €25.30 / €21.10 (choose the plan in the selector above). The introductory offer for new customers (50% off for the first months, first 20 users) is not used. Business plans are limited to 300 users; Enterprise is quoted.
- Proton Mail for Business (proton.me/business/mail/pricing, EUR, taxes may apply, read 9 Nov 2026): Mail Essentials €7.99 per user per month billed monthly, €6.99 billed yearly, with 15 GB per user and 3 custom domains. Proton's Workspace Standard (€14.99 monthly) and Premium (€24.99) bundles add Drive, Meet, VPN and the password manager; their yearly prices are shown only as a 40% launch offer to 30 Nov 2026 and are not modelled. With the currency set to USD the same page shows $7.99 / $6.99, and the tool uses those prices when amounts are shown in USD (Google Workspace is then converted from EUR). Against Business Starter the price gap is small, so the decision is about end-to-end encryption, Swiss jurisdiction and the apps your team uses, not price; storage per user also differs (30 GB vs 15 GB).
CSV header mapper
Rename exported Google Workspace column headers to suggested Proton Mail for Business column names, for reporting or manual data preparation. Not an official Proton Mail for Business import format. It runs in your browser. Headers are renamed and the values in kept columns stay unchanged; columns that look like passwords or other secrets are removed.
Renamed headers do not make a file import-ready. Check whether and how Proton Mail for Business accepts such data before importing, and create any custom fields there first.
| Google Workspace column | Proton Mail for Business column | Field type |
|---|---|---|
| First Name [Required] | Name | Suggested |
| Email Address [Required] | Email address | Suggested |
| Org Unit Path [Required] | Group | Suggested |
When moving to Proton Mail for Business makes sense
- The comparison above shows a saving at your own volume, after the switching cost.
- Your team can finish the CSV import and onboarding within the switching budget you entered.
- You have checked that Proton Mail for Business's plan covers the integrations and compliance rules you need.
When staying on Google Workspace is the better call
- The one-time migration, re-integration or retraining cost is larger than 12 to 24 months of savings.
- You are inside a multi-year Google Workspace contract with early-termination fees.
- Your workflow relies on add-ons or features Proton Mail for Business does not support yet.
How the result changes with volume
Twelve-month totals at half, the same and double the volume you entered above, with the other settings you chose (plan, billing, multiplier, switching and extra costs).
| Volume (Mailbox Users) | Google Workspace | Proton Mail for Business | 12-month difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 50% volume (3) | €24.30/mo | €23.97/mo | -€296 |
| Your volume (5) | €40.50/mo | €39.95/mo | -€293 |
| 200% volume (10) | €81/mo | €79.90/mo | -€287 |
≈ = above the last published price tier, so the amount is extrapolated.
Questions
How is the total cost of Google Workspace and Proton Mail for Business compared?
Each side's monthly cost is multiplied by the months in the horizon, and the one-time switching cost is added to Proton Mail for Business. At the default volume (Mailbox Users: 5), the model gives about €40.50 per month for Google Workspace and €39.95 per month for Proton Mail for Business.
How do Google Workspace CSV headers map to Proton Mail for Business?
The mapper renames Google Workspace columns (First Name [Required], Email Address [Required], Org Unit Path [Required]) to Proton Mail for Business columns (Name, Email address, Group) in your browser. Custom fields must exist in Proton Mail for Business before you import.
When should a company stay on Google Workspace?
Stay if the one-time switching, integration or contract-exit cost is larger than the savings over the horizon you care about. The calculator shows that case as a negative result.