Google Workspace vs ProtonMail comparison

Google and Proton Technologies are both solutions in the Email Applications category. Google is ranked #1 with an average rating of 8.2, while Proton Technologies is ranked #10 with an average rating of 8.5. Google holds a 20.1% mindshare in EA, compared to Proton Technologies’s 6.9% mindshare. Additionally, 95% of Google users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 66% of Proton Technologies users who would recommend it.

Google Workspace

Read 104 Google Workspace reviews

6,650 Views
5,054 Comparison Views

95% willing to recommend

ProtonMail

Read 2 ProtonMail reviews

1,192 Views
1,192 Comparison Views

66% willing to recommend

Google Workspace

ProtonMail

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 19, 2025

Google Workspace and ProtonMail compete in the productivity and email service space. Google Workspace seems to have an upper hand due to its integration and creative tools, while ProtonMail's focus on security appeals to privacy-conscious users.

Features: Google Workspace provides a suite of collaboration tools like Google Docs, Sheets, and Drive. It enhances productivity with extensive integration capabilities. ProtonMail emphasizes email encryption and privacy features, designed for secure communication. Its services deeply resonate with those prioritizing data privacy.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Google Workspace has straightforward deployment with comprehensive support and resources. It ensures smoother setup processes. ProtonMail, focused on security, may require additional configuration. Its support, though focused on privacy guidance, is responsive.

Pricing and ROI: Google Workspace offers scalable pricing options with various plans. Its strong ROI is attributed to its diverse feature set. ProtonMail's competitive pricing attracts security-focused buyers but may offer limited value in broader business tools. Google Workspace typically provides higher ROI for versatile functionality, whereas ProtonMail suits needs centered around privacy.

To learn more, read our detailed Google Workspace vs. ProtonMail Report (Updated: September 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Google Workspace vs. ProtonMail

September 2025

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Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Categories and Ranking

Google Workspace

Ranking in Email Applications

1st

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

6.8

Number of Reviews

104

Ranking in other categories

Wireless Email (1st), Cloud Storage (8th), Content Collaboration Platforms (4th)

ProtonMail

Ranking in Email Applications

10th

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

8.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of October 2025, in the Email Applications category, the mindshare of Google Workspace is 20.1%, down from 24.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of ProtonMail is 6.9%, up from 3.5% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Email Applications Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Google Workspace	20.1%
ProtonMail	6.9%
Other	73.0%

Email Applications

Featured Reviews

Sunil-Nair

IT Manager at Universal Carpets & Rugs

Email collaboration and accessibility have improved team productivity

The valuable features include the email service, email updates, and Google Drive. People are given email access to Google Drive. The team can share manual files and work accordingly. They can access different teams from anywhere, collectively putting files, sharing them, and managing them. Additionally, the manufacturing product does not require any downgrades. It works fine and continuously for the last three or four years. Users can access their emails from anywhere in their browser without a laptop or can directly access from Gmail. This is helpful for salespeople.

Read full review

reviewer68329471

Media Content Creator Intern

Trust and anonymity play a key role in secure communications

I am uncertain about the two-factor authentication feature. I have had integrations with other Proton services and have used Proton VPN once, though it has limited features. Simple Mail, which was acquired by ProtonMail, has been very useful for me. The pricing is moderate. I have not used any paid services from ProtonMail. It is not very costly, but I have not used any premium services. I am a customer of ProtonMail. I would rate ProtonMail an eight out of ten due to their transparency and the utility of their simple login feature. My job and company name should remain hidden.

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Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Pros

"They are launching more and more features for mobile, which I understand our customers appreciate."

"I find smart sheets in Google Sheets to be useful."

"The solution is very stable."

"G Suite Enterprise is user-friendly, and the technical toolkits and other information are on the website. Additionally, the technical documents are comprehensive."

"The collaboration features are valuable."

"Reduces IT spend, freeing up cash for other areas: sales, marketing, recruitment, etc."

"The most valuable feature is that it is simple to use."

"Valuable features of the solution are that it's simple and effective."

More Google Workspace pros

"The auto encryption of attachments is valuable."

"What I appreciate most about ProtonMail is that they are trusted, which is why I choose them."

Cons

"Improvements to G Suite would be the ability to collaborate more easily and better quality video compression in Google Meet."

"We've had difficulty using PowerPoint files in G Suite. PowerPoint has some functions that are not available in G Suite, so when you convert from PPTX to the Slides format, they don't work."

"Everything is online, so you don't have a client on your desk. Working on email is online work, so can't do work offline and go back online. Sometimes it's not so intuitive. If you answer an email, it puts your answer at the bottom of the existing email."

"The UI could be simplified and made more user friendly."

"One area of improvement for Google Workspace is the Google Meet functionality. Currently, users cannot upload files directly through Google Meet; instead, they have to share links via Google Drive, which adds unnecessary steps and complexity."

"The synchronization is a bit of an issue."

"Some people complain that Google Mail is inflexible. It was advanced 10 years ago, but other solutions are cleaner and clearer."

"When I compare with Office 365, G Suite has fewer features."

More Google Workspace cons

"I think it is good but I feel that only tech-savvy people use ProtonMail. It is not that popular among other people."

"One improvement could be the integration between ProtonMail and Proton Pass, allowing sharing of specific secrets via email."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It's cheaper to run a couple of users in a Google platform than what it would be with Microsoft Exchange."

"The pricing is a bit on the higher side than normal. For a basic Google account it costs $100, but Enterprise is %150."

"It's about $8.30 up a user per month."

"We normally purchase the license on a yearly basis."

"The pricing is reasonable."

"The pricing is very high, although I cannot tell if this is the result of the Indian vendors artificially inflating it."

"The main challenge regarding startups with identity services is you could be on a platform that works well but the services are expensive. For example, Microsoft Azure costs approximately $30 per user which is expensive. You end up choosing a different platform, such as G Suite Enterprise because it is priced reasonably and is less expensive than other solutions."

"The price of the solution can vary."

More Google Workspace pricing and cost advice

Information not available

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

14%

Educational Organization

10%

Manufacturing Company

Comms Service Provider

Computer Software Company

18%

Comms Service Provider

17%

Educational Organization

10%

Construction Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	64
Midsize Enterprise	13
Large Enterprise	27

No data available

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Google Workspace?

Easy-to-build forms are allowing me to get feedback and information from my internal teams as well as from the customers very efficiently with the result data in structured manner.

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Google Workspace?

The pricing for Google Workspace is moderate. I would rate it a five out of ten, indicating it is neither cheap nor expensive. The current cost is approximately seven to ten euros per user per mont...

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What needs improvement with Google Workspace?

I don't see many areas of Google Workspace that could be improved or enhanced because everything I have been using has been effective. Regarding the user interface, when calling a member in the org...

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for ProtonMail?

The pricing is competitive, offering good value on the average plan. It’s approximately $100 for annual billing.

See all answers

What needs improvement with ProtonMail?

In terms of what can be improved in ProtonMail, I think it is good but I feel that only tech-savvy people use ProtonMail. It is not that popular among other people. Therefore, we do not use it for ...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for ProtonMail?

My use cases include using ProtonMail for Drive occasionally for storing files. After some time, I stopped using that feature. Primarily, I use it for sending emails when I want to maintain anonymi...

See all answers

Comparisons

Amazon WorkMail vs Google Workspace

Compared 22% of the time

Office 365 vs Google Workspace

Compared 17% of the time

Microsoft Exchange Online vs Google Workspace

Compared 17% of the time

Microsoft Exchange vs Google Workspace

Compared 4% of the time

Zoho Mail vs Google Workspace

Compared 3% of the time

More Google Workspace Competitors

Zoho Mail vs ProtonMail

Compared 16% of the time

Atomic Mail vs ProtonMail

Compared 13% of the time

Microsoft Exchange vs ProtonMail

Compared 11% of the time

Microsoft Exchange Online vs ProtonMail

Compared 8% of the time

Superhuman vs ProtonMail

Compared 5% of the time

More ProtonMail Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Google Workspace

October 2025

Download Google Workspace product report

Buyer's Guide

Email Applications

October 2025

Download ProtonMail product report

Also Known As

G-Suite Enterprise, G-Suite, Google Apps for Business, G Suite Basic, G Suite Business, G-Suite Basic, G-Suite Business, Google Vault

No data available

Overview

Similar to G Suite, all Google Workspace plans provide a custom email for your business and include collaboration tools like Gmail, Calendar, Meet, Chat, Drive, Docs, Sheets, Slides, Forms, Sites, and more.

As we’ve evolved G Suite into a more integrated experience across our communication and collaboration tools, we’ve rebranded to Google Workspace to more accurately represent the product vision.

Google

ProtonMail is the world‘s largest encrypted email provider, with over 11 million users trusting us to secure their data every day. We are the email service of choice for security-conscious enterprises.

Proton Technologies

Sample Customers

There are over five million businesses that use Google Apps for Business worldwide. Some key customers include The Roche Group, National Geographic, American Red Cross, City of Los Angeles, Flight Centre, and Konica Minolta.

Wall street journal,The New york times, The Gurdian, Forbes, Fox News

Buyer's Guide

Google Workspace vs. ProtonMail

September 2025

Free Report: Google Workspace vs. ProtonMail

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