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CLOUD STORAGE · MIGRATION GUIDE

Switching from Google Workspace to Box

Box has no Workspace importer. Files are downloaded from Drive and uploaded into Box; you also need a separate plan for the email and office apps Workspace included.

Quick verdict: This is a narrowing move, not a pure upgrade: Box is $2 a seat cheaper but has no email, Docs, Sheets or Meet, so you need to already have (or separately buy) those elsewhere before switching.

Estimate · your inputs

Switching Cost & Friction Estimator

Most buyers only budget for the new subscription. This estimates the hidden labor, data-cleanup, and retraining cost of actually making the switch.

25,000
10

Estimate assumes: 1 hour of data-mapping/cleaning labor per 2,000 records, a blended $75/hr ops rate, tiered migration & cleaning tooling fees, and 4 hours of retraining per seat at a $45/hr fully-loaded rate.

Estimated Migration Time
Data Friction Rating
Total Hidden Switching Cost $0

    Why teams move from Google Workspace to Box

    More storage per user

    100 GB pooled vs 30 GB at Workspace Starter.

    E-signature included

    Box Sign bundled in.

    Content workflow tools

    Purpose-built for document workflow.

    How the migration actually works

    You lose Gmail, Docs, Sheets, Slides and Meet unless you keep or separately buy them — Box includes none of them.

    StepWhat you do
    1Map your folder structureList top-level folders, who owns each, and which are shared externally.
    2Set up the new accountCreate your Box Business account, add your 3–10 users, and set up folder structure and permission groups.
    3Move your filesDownload the working folder tree from the old provider’s desktop app or web export, then upload it into the new tool’s desktop sync folder or web interface. For large libraries, a third-party cloud-to-cloud transfer tool can move files directly without a local download step.
    4Rebuild sharing links and permissionsRecreate external share links and collaborator access; none of this carries over automatically.
    5Point your team’s desktop sync at the new toolInstall the new sync client on each machine and confirm files are syncing before removing the old one.
    6Cancel the old planOnce every team member confirms their files are in the new tool, cancel the old subscription.

    What this path doesn’t do for you:

    Business email, Docs, Sheets, Slides and Meet have no Box equivalent at any tier; plan a separate email and office-apps solution before cancelling Workspace.

    Pricing side by side

    PlanGoogle WorkspaceBox
    Pricing basisPer user, no published minimumPer user (3–10 on Starter)
    Entry priceBusiness Starter $7/user/mo (annual)Business Starter $5/user/mo (annual)
    Storage30 GB pooled per person100 GB pooled per user
    E-signatureNot at StarterBox Sign included
    Email/office appsGmail, Docs, Sheets, Slides, Meet includedNot included

    Business-plan prices checked on each vendor’s pricing page on September 23, 2026.

    Feature parity check

    CapabilityGoogle WorkspaceBox
    Email includedYes (Gmail)No
    Office appsDocs, Sheets, Slides, MeetNo
    Storage30 GB pooled/person100 GB pooled/user
    E-signatureNot at StarterBox Sign included
    Price$7/user/mo$5/user/mo

    Going the other direction, or want the full comparison first?

    Read the Box vs Google Workspace comparison Switching from Box to Google Workspace instead?

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Does Box include email?

    No, at any tier. Keep or separately buy a business email product before switching.

    Will I save money?

    On the storage line alone, $2 a seat — but you’ll need to account for replacing email and office apps.

    Do I lose Google Meet?

    Yes, Box has no video-meeting product; pair it with a separate tool if your team relies on Meet.

    Do shared links and permissions carry over?

    No. Sharing links, folder permissions and collaborator lists are specific to each platform and are rebuilt by hand as you recreate the folder structure in the new tool.

    Sources

    Prices on this page were recorded from each vendor’s own pricing page on the date shown at the top of the page. Vendors change pricing often — check the live source before you buy.

    Every figure is also in our open dataset (JSON and CSV, CC BY 4.0), with its source page and verification date. See how we research pricing.

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    Bill Belcamino, founder of HelpCompare
    About the author

    Bill Belcamino

    Founder and author, HelpCompare

    Engineer by training, operator by experience, marketer by choice. Bill spent nine years as an engineer at HP, was COO of Auctiva (the number one third-party selling platform on eBay, past 200,000 users) and ran Google’s $70M/year search syndication partnership at Alot.com. Then he spent 13 years building his own web properties with his own money at stake. He has bought, trialled, integrated and cancelled more SaaS tools than he can count, and started HelpCompare because the real cost of switching tools is the part nobody covers.

    “I’ve sat on both sides of the table: the agency recommending the tool and the client paying for it.”

    Researched and fact-checked by the HelpCompare team. Pricing on this page was last verified on September 23, 2026. No paid sponsorships, no affiliate commissions.