Productivity · alternatives
Alternatives to Google Workspace
24 productivity tools sit alongside Google Workspace in this directory. Below is what separates each from Google Workspace on the figures we hold, price, model, tier count and rating, and a direct comparison for every one.
- Alternatives listed
- 24
- With a free tier
- 15
- Cheaper to start
- 6
- Google Workspace starts at
- €6.8/month
Why people look past Google Workspace
Only what the record supports. Each point below is a figure on the Google Workspace entry measured against the tools listed beside it.
There is no free tier
The record for Google Workspace carries no free tier, so evaluating it means paying first. 15 of the 24 alternatives below can be used without paying.
Cost climbs steeply across the tiers
Google Workspace publishes 4 tiers, from €6.8/month up to On request. Teams that outgrow the entry plan can find the next rung a large step, the Google Workspace pricing page breaks each one down.
What each alternative does differently
Ordered by the aggregated rating on each catalogue entry. Differences are drawn from price, pricing model, tier count and rating, the fields the category listing carries. For a feature-level difference, follow the head-to-head link on each card: those pages read both full records.
The world's #1 task manager and to-do list app
- Can be used without paying; Google Workspace cannot.
- Starts $1.7999999999999998 a month cheaper, at $5/month.
- 3 tiers to Google Workspace's 4.
Professional task management for complex workflows
- Starts $68.19 a month dearer, at $74.99/month.
- Sold on a one-time model rather than subscription.
The award-winning personal task manager
- Starts $3.1900000000000004 a one-time dearer, at $9.99/one-time.
- 3 tiers to Google Workspace's 4.
Scientifically-designed music to enhance focus and productivity
- Can be used without paying; Google Workspace cannot.
- 2 tiers to Google Workspace's 4.
Journalling app for iOS, Android and Mac now sold as a subscription after years as a one-time purchase
- Can be used without paying; Google Workspace cannot.
- Sold on a Free tier plus subscription model rather than subscription.
- 3 tiers to Google Workspace's 4.
Security-focused AI email client with end-to-end encryption and a lifetime purchase option
- Can be used without paying; Google Workspace cannot.
- Sold on a Per user per year, or one-time purchase model rather than subscription.
- 3 tiers to Google Workspace's 4.
Every Google Workspace alternative at a glance
A dash means the catalogue entry carries no figure, not that the answer is nothing.
| Tool | Entry price | Model | Tiers | Head to head |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Google Workspace (this page) | €6.8/month | Subscription | 4 | |
| TodoistThe world's #1 task manager and to-do list app | Free, then $5/month | - | 3 | vs Google Workspace |
| OmniFocus 3Professional task management for complex workflows | $74.99/month | One-time | 4 | vs Google Workspace |
| Things 3The award-winning personal task manager | $9.99/one-time | - | 3 | vs Google Workspace |
| Brain.fmScientifically-designed music to enhance focus and productivity | Free | Subscription | 2 | vs Google Workspace |
| Day One | Free | Free tier plus subscription | 3 | vs Google Workspace |
| Canary Mail | Free | Per user per year, or one-time purchase | 3 | vs Google Workspace |
| Alfred | Free, then £34/one-time | One-time purchase | 3 | vs Google Workspace |
| Bring! | Free | Free, with an optional paid Premium tier for extras | 2 | vs Google Workspace |
| Samsung Food | Free | Free, no subscription | 1 | vs Google Workspace |
| Bluemail | Free | Quote | 1 | vs Google Workspace |
| Spark Mail | Free | Per user per month | 3 | vs Google Workspace |
| Mealime | Free, then $5.99/month | Freemium subscription | 2 | vs Google Workspace |
| Supernormal | Free, then $20/month | Per month by credits | 3 | vs Google Workspace |
| MeetGeek | Free, then $9.99/month | Per user per month | 4 | vs Google Workspace |
| Bluedot | Free, then $14/month | Per recording user per month | 4 | vs Google Workspace |
| LibreOffice | Free | Open source, no licence fee | 1 | vs Google Workspace |
| Gamma | Free, then $12/month | - | 6 | vs Google Workspace |
| Memtime | €10/month | Subscription | 4 | vs Google Workspace |
| Streaks | $5.99/one-time | One-time purchase | 1 | vs Google Workspace |
| AnyList | On request | Per user per year | 1 | vs Google Workspace |
| Mimestream | $4.99/month | Per user per month | 1 | vs Google Workspace |
| Paprika Recipe Manager | $4.99/one-time | One-time purchase, priced separately per platform | 2 | vs Google Workspace |
| HEY | $99/year | Per user per month | 3 | vs Google Workspace |
| Fastmail | $3/month | Per user per month | 3 | vs Google Workspace |
Ratings are aggregated from third-party sources and imported with each catalogue entry; Softwr hosts no reviews of these products. How each figure is used is set out on the Google Workspace badges page.
Cheaper ways to solve the same problem
Free to start (15)
These publish a tier that costs nothing, so they can be evaluated before any money changes hands.
- Todoist , Free, then $5/month
- Brain.fm , Free
- Day One , Free
- Canary Mail , Free
- Alfred , Free, then £34/one-time
- Bring! , Free
- Samsung Food , Free
- Bluemail , Free
Cheaper than Google Workspace (6)
Entry price under Google Workspace's €6.8/month. The record does not say what unit that price is charged in, so confirm per-seat versus flat rate before comparing budgets.
- Todoist , Free, then $5/month
- Mealime , Free, then $5.99/month
- Streaks , $5.99/one-time
- Mimestream , $4.99/month
- Paprika Recipe Manager , $4.99/one-time
- Fastmail , $3/month
What you would be giving up
Google Workspace is most often brought in for business email and communication, cloud document collaboration, team productivity and file sharing, enterprise application suite. Anything replacing it has to cover the ones you actually depend on, and a cheaper tool that misses one of them is not cheaper.
Two things this page cannot settle. It compares on price, model, tier count and rating, because those are the fields the category listing carries, feature-level differences need both full records, which is what the head-to-head pages load. And the ratings are third-party aggregates imported with each entry rather than reviews written here, so a 0.2 difference between two tools is noise rather than a finding.
If Google Workspace is broadly right and the question is cost, the Google Workspace pricing breakdown covers every tier and what each one adds. If you want the whole field rather than a shortlist, the Productivity category lists everything the directory holds, and best productivity tools ranks them.
Google Workspace runs on web. Platform coverage is not carried on the category listing for the alternatives, so it is one more thing to check on each head-to-head page rather than here.
Questions about Google Workspace alternatives
- What are the main alternatives to Google Workspace?
- 24 other productivity tools are listed in this directory, led by Todoist, OmniFocus 3, Things 3, Brain.fm. They are ordered by the aggregated rating on each catalogue entry, not by any Softwr ranking.
- What is the best free alternative to Google Workspace?
- 15 of the alternatives listed here can be used without paying: Todoist, Brain.fm, Day One, Canary Mail, Alfred.
- Is there a cheaper alternative to Google Workspace?
- Yes. 6 of the alternatives below start under Google Workspace's €6.8/month: Todoist at Free, then $5/month, Mealime at Free, then $5.99/month, Streaks at $5.99/one-time, Mimestream at $4.99/month.
- Why do people look for an alternative to Google Workspace?
- On the figures on record, 2 things stand out: there is no free tier; cost climbs steeply across the tiers. Each is set out with the numbers behind it above.
- What would I give up by switching from Google Workspace?
- Google Workspace is most often brought in for business email and communication, cloud document collaboration, team productivity and file sharing, enterprise application suite. Anything you replace it with has to cover the ones you actually rely on, the side-by-side comparisons linked from each alternative below put the two feature records against each other.
- Is there an open-source alternative to Google Workspace?
- None of the productivity tools listed here are recorded as open source. That is what the licence field on each entry says, and the field is not always filled in, so it is worth checking directly for any tool you are serious about.
- How were these Google Workspace alternatives chosen?
- They are the tools filed in the same category, Productivity, ordered by the aggregated rating on each entry. There is no editorial shortlist, and nothing on this page is paid: no sponsored placement runs on alternatives pages and the order cannot be bought. Softwr has not used these products.
- Where can I compare Google Workspace against one of these directly?
- Every alternative below has a side-by-side page against Google Workspace covering price, platforms, features and what each one is used for. Those pages read the full record for both products rather than the summary shown here.
- Does this list cover every productivity tool?
- No. It covers what this directory holds in the Productivity category, 24 tools beside Google Workspace. The category page lists the rest of the catalogue as it grows.