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Home › Categories › Business Email & Office

Business Email & Office Suites, Compared: Verified 2026 Pricing

Bill BelcaminoBy Bill Belcamino · Last updated September 24, 2026 · Our methodologyResearched and fact-checked by the HelpCompare team

Side-by-side pricing for Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Zoho Workplace and Microsoft Excel: entry price, free plan, how each vendor bills for AI, and the date we last checked each figure against the vendor’s own pricing page.

Business Email & Office Suites, ComparedVerified Sep 24, 2026
Bill Belcamino
Bottom line up frontby Bill Belcamino, founder of HelpCompare
Editorial assessment

Bottom line up front: Should a small business run email on Google Workspace, Microsoft 365 or Zoho Workplace?

Treat this as choosing your company's login system, not just its inbox: Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 both start at $7/user/mo on annual billing, and Zoho Workplace is free for up to 5 users.

Microsoft's Business Basic is web and mobile only, with desktop Office apps from Business Standard, and Zoho's free plan has no IMAP, POP or ActiveSync, so desktop clients and IMAP-based migrations out aren't available on it. Here's why the login point matters. Over time, many of your other SaaS accounts get created with 'Sign in with Google' or 'Sign in with Microsoft', so leaving later means moving mailboxes and also rebuilding access to every tool tied to those identities. Pick the suite that matches how your people already work, and set up SPF, DKIM and DMARC on your domain on day one, so your mail is authenticated before the first invoice goes out.

Verified data · quick answer
  • Lowest published entry price: Zoho Workplace — Workplace Standard $3/user/mo (annual).
  • Free plans: Zoho Workplace (up to 5 users, 5 GB each (no IMAP/POP)); Microsoft Excel (Excel for the web with a free Microsoft account).

My read of the verified data on this page, checked against vendor sources on September 24, 2026. Disagree or spot an error? Tell Bill

Business Email & Office pricing at a glance

Every row links to the comparison where the figure was verified and to the vendor’s pricing page.

ToolEntry priceFree planAI billingG2 ratingVerifiedSource
Google WorkspaceBusiness Starter $7/user/mo (annual)No — 14-day free trial——September 19, 2026in Google Workspace vs Microsoft 365Vendor pricing ↗
Microsoft 365Business Basic $7/user/mo (annual)No — one-month free trial (card required)——September 19, 2026in Google Workspace vs Microsoft 365Vendor pricing ↗
Zoho WorkplaceFree for up to 5 users; Workplace Standard $3/user/mo (annual)Yes — up to 5 users, 5 GB each (no IMAP/POP)——September 19, 2026in Google Workspace vs Zoho WorkplaceVendor pricing ↗
Microsoft ExcelFree (web); Microsoft 365 Business Basic $7/user/mo (annual)Yes — Excel for the web with a free Microsoft account——September 24, 2026in Airtable vs ExcelVendor pricing ↗

Head-to-head comparisons

Google Workspace vs Microsoft 365Updated September 19, 2026Google Workspace vs Zoho WorkplaceUpdated September 19, 2026Microsoft 365 vs Zoho WorkplaceUpdated September 19, 2026

Switching guides

Airtable to Microsoft ExcelSwitching guideBox to Google WorkspaceSwitching guideDropbox Business to Google WorkspaceSwitching guideMicrosoft Excel to AirtableSwitching guideGoogle Workspace to BoxSwitching guideGoogle Workspace to Dropbox BusinessSwitching guideGoogle Workspace to Microsoft 365Switching guideGoogle Workspace to Zoho WorkplaceSwitching guideMicrosoft 365 to Google WorkspaceSwitching guideMicrosoft 365 to Zoho WorkplaceSwitching guideZoho Workplace to Google WorkspaceSwitching guideZoho Workplace to Microsoft 365Switching guide
Cloud StorageRelated categoryProject ManagementRelated category
Verified data

Business Email & Office: security, offline & remote work

The office suite tools we track, side by side on compliance, single sign-on, offline access and remote or office controls. Every value links to the vendor page it came from.

What we checkedGoogle WorkspaceMicrosoft 365Zoho WorkplaceMicrosoft Excel
Security & compliance
SOC 2 reportSOC 2 Type IIsourceSOC 2 Type IIsourceSOC 2 Type IIsourceSOC 2 Type IIsource
ISO/IEC 27001CertifiedsourceCertifiedsourceCertifiedsourceCertifiedsource
Other certificationsNot publishedISO/IEC 27017, ISO/IEC 27018, ISO/IEC 27701sourceISO/IEC 27017, ISO/IEC 27018, ISO/IEC 27701, SOC 1 Type II, ISO 9001, ISO/IEC 20000-1, ISO 22301, PCI DSS (SAQ-D), CSA STAR Self-Assessment, Cyber Essentials Plus, TX-RAMP, HDS, ENSsourceISO/IEC 27017, ISO/IEC 27018source
HIPAA (BAA)BAA availablesourceBAA availablesourceBAA availablesourceBAA availablesource
GDPR data processing agreementDPA offeredsourceDPA offeredsourceNot publishedDPA offeredsource
Single sign-on (SAML/OIDC)YesBusiness StartersourceYesBusiness BasicsourceYesMail LitesourceYessource
SCIM user provisioningNot publishedNot publishedNot publishedNot published
Two-factor authenticationYesEnforcement: Business StartersourceYesEnforcement: All Business plans via security defaults; Conditional Access MFA policies need Entra ID P1 (Business Premium)sourceYesEnforcement: Not plan-gated on the pages read (policy enforcement described generally)sourceYessource
Admin audit logYesBusiness StartersourceYesBusiness BasicsourceYessourceYessource
Data residency choicesUS, EUBusiness StandardsourceNot publishedUS, EU, India, Australia, Japan, Canada, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Singapore, ChinasourceAustralia, AT, Brazil, Canada, CL, DK, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Israel, IT, Japan, MY, MX, NZ, NO, PL, QA, South Africa, South Korea, ES, SE, Switzerland, TW, UAE, UKAdvanced Data Residency (add-on)source
EncryptionAES-256 at rest and in transit for Drive/Docs filessourceBitLocker and per-file encryption at rest; TLS and IPsec in transitsourceEncrypted at rest and in transit (TLS; S/MIME and OpenPGP options); WorkDrive AES-256 at restsourceBitLocker disk encryption plus per-file AES-256 encryption at rest (OneDrive/SharePoint); SSL/TLS in transitsource
Self-hosting optionNot publishedNot publishedNot publishedNot published
Offline access
Offline modeWorks offlineDocs, Sheets and Slides can be created and edited offline in Chrome or Edge once offline access and the Docs Offline extension are turned on; recently opened files are saved locally and sync when back online.sourceWorks offlineInstalled Word, Excel and PowerPoint (desktop on Standard/Premium, mobile on all plans) can create, open and save files offline; cloud files must have been opened online once, and changes sync when reconnected.sourceWorks offlineThe Trident desktop app lets users read, search, draft and organise email and edit tasks, notes and contacts offline, syncing when reconnected; the Writer desktop app edits cloud documents offline and syncs later.sourceWorks offlineThe Excel mobile/tablet apps can create new workbooks and edit files offline (cloud files must have been opened online once), and pending changes sync when you reconnect.source
Desktop appsWindows, macOSsourceWindows, macOSsourceWindows, macOS, LinuxsourceWindows, macOSsource
Mobile appsiOS, AndroidsourceiOS, AndroidsourceiOS, AndroidsourceiOS, Androidsource
Offline limitsOffline editing needs Chrome or Edge (not private browsing) and the Google Docs Offline extension, set up while online.sourceDesktop Office apps only on Business Standard and Premium; Business Basic has web and mobile apps only. Extended offline activation (up to 180 days) is a Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise feature.Business StandardsourceTrident offline data excludes email attachments not previously viewed; Trident is for paid and trial Zoho Mail/Workplace users.sourceFiles on OneDrive, SharePoint or other cloud storage must have been opened online at least once before they can be worked on offline.source
Remote, hybrid & in-office
IP allowlistingYesEnterprisesourceYesBusiness PremiumsourceYessourceYesMicrosoft 365 Business Premium (or Entra ID P1)source
Device & session controlsYesBusiness StarterFundamental endpoint management on all Business editions (remote account sign-out and mobile account wipe, block devices, endpoint verification); Business Plus adds advanced mobile management and remote device wipe; Enterprise adds context-aware access and enterprise endpoint management.sourceYesBusiness PremiumBusiness Premium adds Intune Plan 1 endpoint management, Defender for Business device protection and Windows 11 Pro upgrade; Basic and Standard do not include Intune.sourceYesMail PremiumMobile Access Management on Mail Premium and Workplace Professional; Workplace Enterprise adds endpoint control features; Zoho Directory device authentication (10 devices) on all paid plans.sourceYesMicrosoft 365 Business Premium (or Entra ID P1)Entra Conditional Access can require MFA, compliant or hybrid-joined devices, approved client apps or app protection policies; SharePoint/OneDrive can block unmanaged devices or limit them to browser-only access with no download, print or sync.source
Office & room hardwareGoogle sells Google Meet Hardware for meeting rooms as a separate add-on; room booking ('Browse and reserve conference rooms') is on all plans.source———
Editorial assessment

What this means for your team

  • Audit reports: all publish a SOC 2 report, and Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Zoho Workplace and Microsoft Excel also hold ISO/IEC 27001. Ask each vendor for the report under NDA before you sign; security reviews usually want the latest one.
  • Single sign-on: Google Workspace includes it on Business Starter; Microsoft 365 includes it on Business Basic; Zoho Workplace includes it on Mail Lite; Microsoft Excel includes it. If your team signs in through Okta, Microsoft Entra ID or Google, price the Microsoft Excel plan that includes SSO, not its entry plan; Google Workspace, Microsoft 365 and Zoho Workplace include it on the entry plan.
  • Health data: Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Zoho Workplace and Microsoft Excel will sign a HIPAA business associate agreement.
  • Working offline: Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Zoho Workplace and Microsoft Excel let you keep working without a connection. Details are in the Offline mode row above.
  • Office-only access: Google Workspace can restrict sign-ins to approved IP ranges on Enterprise; Microsoft 365 can restrict sign-ins to approved IP ranges on Business Premium; Zoho Workplace can restrict sign-ins to approved IP ranges; Microsoft Excel can restrict sign-ins to approved IP ranges on Microsoft 365 Business Premium (or Entra ID P1). That suits an office network or a company VPN; fully remote teams need a VPN for it to work.
  • Where your data lives: Google Workspace lets you choose US, EU on Business Standard; Zoho Workplace lets you choose US, EU, India, Australia, Japan, Canada, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Singapore, China; Microsoft Excel lets you choose Australia, AT, Brazil, Canada, CL, DK, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Israel, IT, Japan, MY, MX, NZ, NO, PL, QA, South Africa, South Korea, ES, SE, Switzerland, TW, UAE, UK on Advanced Data Residency (add-on). This matters for teams hiring across the EU, UK or Australia.
  • In the office: Google Workspace: Google sells Google Meet Hardware for meeting rooms as a separate add-on; room booking ('Browse and reserve conference rooms') is on all plans.

Google Workspace: worth knowing

  • RemoteMeet caps meetings at 100 participants on Business Starter, 150 on Standard, 500 on Plus and 1,000 on Enterprise, each up to 24 hours. source
  • OfflineOffline editing of Docs, Sheets and Slides only works in Chrome or Edge with the Docs Offline extension, so plan for that browser on laptops used in the field. source
  • SecurityA full admin data export starts no earlier than 48 hours after it is requested and typically takes 72 hours, up to 14 days. source
  • OfficeBusiness Starter, Standard and Plus are capped at 300 users; larger organisations need an Enterprise plan. source

Microsoft 365: worth knowing

  • RemoteAll three Business plans let you host Teams meetings and video calls for up to 300 people. source
  • OfficeEach Business Standard or Premium user can install the Office apps on up to 5 PCs or Macs, 5 tablets and 5 phones. source
  • OfflineOn mobile, cloud files must be opened online at least once before they can be edited offline. source
  • SecurityBusiness Premium includes mailbox archiving with holds; Basic and Standard need the Exchange Online Archiving add-on for In-Place and Litigation Hold. source

Zoho Workplace: worth knowing

  • RemoteZoho Meeting video conferencing allows up to 100 participants on Workplace Standard and 250 on Workplace Professional. source
  • SecurityEmail retention and eDiscovery are only on Mail Premium and Workplace Professional, not on Mail Lite or Workplace Standard. source
  • OfflineThe Forever Free plan has no IMAP, POP or ActiveSync, so desktop mail clients and IMAP-based migrations out are not available on it. source
  • RemoteZoho's Microsoft 365 importer relies on Exchange Web Services; Zoho recommends finishing in-place archive migrations before October 1, 2026. source

Microsoft Excel: worth knowing

  • OfflineEdits made in the Excel mobile apps while offline sync automatically once the device is back online. source
  • RemoteWhen access is limited on unmanaged (e.g. personal home) devices, users get browser-only access and cannot open content in the Office desktop apps. source
  • SecurityLocation (IP) and device rules use Entra Conditional Access, which needs Entra ID P1 licenses or Microsoft 365 Business Premium. source
  • SecurityTenants in 27 local region geographies (e.g. Australia, Canada, Germany, Japan, UK) can buy Advanced Data Residency for stronger in-country storage commitments. source

Checked September 24, 2026 against each vendor’s own trust center, help docs and app pages. Hover or tap “source” to see the exact wording we relied on. “Not published” means we could not find the vendor saying it on its own site; it doesn’t mean the feature is missing. Plan names are the lowest plan the vendor says includes the feature. Security · Offline · Remote vs office · Download the data

Frequently asked questions

Which office suite tool is cheapest?

Of the 4 office suite tools HelpCompare tracks, the lowest published entry price belongs to Zoho Workplace (Workplace Standard $3/user/mo (annual), verified September 19, 2026). Entry prices are the cheapest paid tier each vendor publishes; the right answer at your team size depends on seat minimums and add-ons, which each head-to-head comparison breaks down.

Which office suite tools have a free plan?

Free plans: Zoho Workplace (up to 5 users, 5 GB each (no IMAP/POP)); Microsoft Excel (Excel for the web with a free Microsoft account).

Where does this pricing data come from?

Every figure was recorded from the vendor's own pricing page during research for a HelpCompare comparison, and is dated. The most recent check in this category was September 24, 2026. Nothing is estimated: where a vendor publishes no price, we say so. The full dataset is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 at helpcompare.com/data/.

Sources

Figures come from each vendor’s pricing page, recorded on the date shown. Download the full dataset from Open Data (JSON and CSV, CC BY 4.0).

Cite this page: HelpCompare, “Business Email & Office Suites”, helpcompare.com/business-email/ (updated ).

Source links on this site are checked every month; last check . How sources are checked.

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About the author

Bill Belcamino

Founder and author, HelpCompare

Engineer by training, operator by experience, marketer by choice. Bill spent eight and a half 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 24, 2026. No paid sponsorships, no affiliate commissions.

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