The best Google Workspace alternatives for small teams in 2026

Microsoft 365 is the closest like-for-like alternative: email, calendar, Office apps and file storage for every user. If price matters most, Zoho Workplace does the same for less. If you want your mail hosted in Europe under European law, Proton, Infomaniak or mailbox.org. If you only use Gmail and Calendar, a mail-only host is cheaper.

Most small teams that leave Google Workspace do it for one of three reasons: the price per user keeps adding up as the team grows, they want their data in the EU, or they only use Gmail and Calendar and pay for a suite they do not need. The right alternative depends on which one is yours.

How we chose

• Email on your own domain: every option hosts mail for your company domain.
• Price per user: public list prices as of the date of this article, with the billing basis and currency.
• Hosting region and GDPR: where the vendor says your mail is stored, and whether it offers a data processing agreement (DPA).
• Migration: whether you can bring your Gmail history with you.
• AI features: what is included and what costs extra.
• Apps: web, mobile, desktop, and whether you can keep using any IMAP mail app.

On Google’s European pricing page, Business Starter is €6.80, Business Standard €13.60 and Business Plus €21.10 per user per month, excluding tax, with a one-year commitment. The commitment saves about 16% on the flexible plan, paid month to month: €8.10, €16.20 and €25.30. Starter includes 30 GB of pooled storage per user, Standard 2 TB and Plus 5 TB, and every plan now includes Gemini in Gmail.

One detail matters for EU companies: choosing Europe as the region for your data is available on Business Standard and Business Plus, not on Starter. Google’s Cloud Data Processing Addendum covers the GDPR and is part of the agreement.

Prices are public list prices on 2026-10-05, in the currency each vendor's page showed, excluding tax unless stated.

1. Microsoft 365

Microsoft 365 gives every user an Exchange mailbox, Outlook, Teams and OneDrive. Business Basic costs €6.07 per user per month paid yearly in Spain, excluding VAT (US$7 in the US), and includes a 100 GB mailbox, web and mobile apps only. Business Standard and Premium are sold with or without Copilot: with it, they are €20.36 and €27.73 in Spain (US$23.50 and US$32 in the US). If you only need mail, Exchange Online Plan 1 is €3.50 per user per month (US$4 in the US), paid yearly, with a 50 GB mailbox. Customers who sign up in the EU fall under the EU Data Boundary, and Microsoft can import Gmail over IMAP.

Best for: teams that need Word and Excel files or already use Teams. Trade-off: the admin centre is heavy for a five-person company, and Copilot in Outlook costs extra on Basic. Our Outlook alternatives roundup looks at it from the other side.

2. Zoho Workplace and Zoho Mail

Zoho Workplace bundles mail, office apps and file storage. Workplace Standard is €2.70 per user per month billed annually (€3.60 monthly) with 30 GB of mail per user; Professional is €5.40 annually. If you only need mail, Mail Lite starts at €0.90 per user per month, billed annually only. Every paid plan includes the Zia AI assistant, and Zoho runs an EU data centre in Amsterdam with a backup in Dublin. A DPA is available by writing to Zoho legal.

Best for: a cost-conscious team that wants a full suite. Trade-off: fewer third-party integrations than Google. See Zoho Mail alternatives if you are already on it.

3. Proton

Proton, based in Switzerland, encrypts mail end to end. Mail Essentials is €6.99 per user per month billed yearly (€7.99 monthly) with 15 GB; Workspace Standard is €12.99 yearly with 1 TB, drive, docs and the Scribe writing assistant as an add-on. Its primary data centre is in Zurich, and its DPA only allows transfers to Switzerland, the EU or countries with an adequacy decision. Desktop apps like Outlook and Apple Mail work through Proton Mail Bridge, which runs on your computer.

Best for: teams that handle sensitive mail. Trade-off: encryption limits server-side search and integrations, and IMAP needs Bridge.

4. Infomaniak kSuite

Infomaniak is a Swiss provider whose kSuite includes mail, drive, office apps and an AI assistant called Euria, all hosted in Switzerland. kSuite Standard is CHF 1.76 per user per month with unlimited mail storage; Business is CHF 7.34 (CHF 3.67 in the first year with an annual commitment) with 3 TB. Mail works in any IMAP app, and Infomaniak offers an import tool and free migration help.

Best for: a team that wants a European suite with AI that stays in Switzerland. Trade-off: prices are in Swiss francs, and the ecosystem is smaller.

5. mailbox.org

mailbox.org is a German provider with mail, calendar, drive, office and video calls. Business plans are €1, €4 or €12 per user per month net, with 2, 20 or 50 GB of mail, plus a required service package from €25 per month for up to 50 mailboxes. There are no annual contracts. It offers a DPA, custom domains and migration through a partner.

Best for: teams that want German hosting and monthly terms. Trade-off: the service package makes it expensive for one or two people.

6. Fastmail

Fastmail is a fast, focused mail, calendar and contacts service. Custom domains start on Standard, €5 per user per month billed yearly (€6 monthly) with 60 GB; Professional is €9 yearly. Since August 2026 you can choose an EU region where the primary copy of your data sits in Amsterdam, though backups and logs stay in the US. It has an import tool and works with any mail app.

Best for: teams that only use mail and calendar and want them done well. Trade-off: no office suite, and not fully EU-only.

7. IONOS

IONOS, a German hosting company, sells domains and mail together. On its German site, Mail Business is €6 per user per month including VAT, with a 50 GB mailbox, cancellable monthly, and an optional AI assistant in webmail. IONOS also resells Microsoft 365.

Best for: a small company that wants its domain and mail from one European provider. Trade-off: no office suite of its own, and offers change often.

8. Hostinger Email

Hostinger sells mailboxes at a low price on long terms. Starter is US$0.39 per mailbox per month on a 48-month term and renews at US$1.59, with 5 GB; Standard renews at US$2.79 and Premium at US$3.99, both with AI writing and summaries. Every plan includes Agentic Mail, an API and MCP server so AI agents can read and send mail.

Best for: the lowest price per mailbox. Trade-off: the low price needs a long prepaid term, and Hostinger does not say where email is hosted. More in Skein vs Hostinger Email.

9. Skein

Business email on your own domain with an agent that follows up on every conversation. Hosted in the EU. The agent notices when a customer, investor or candidate is waiting and drafts the follow-up in your tone. By default nothing is sent without your OK, from the app or, at launch, from Slack or WhatsApp, and every send has a few seconds to undo. For the contacts you choose, you can let it send on its own. Mail and agent run in Frankfurt, and you can keep reading mail in Apple Mail, Outlook or the Gmail app over IMAP. It imports your Gmail history so the agent knows every open thread. It is mail only: no docs or drive.

It is pre-launch: teams reserve a spot by paying their first month, refundable until they start (pricing). The interactive demo shows the app with sample data. Trade-off: not available yet, and you keep Google Drive or another tool for files.

• You need documents and spreadsheets: Microsoft 365 or Zoho Workplace.
• Your data must stay in Europe: Proton, Infomaniak or mailbox.org. Our list of European email providers covers more.
• You only use Gmail and Calendar: Fastmail, IONOS or Hostinger cost less for the same job.
• You pay for Workspace plus an AI assistant: add the two together and compare with a host that includes the assistant, such as Skein.

Nobody has to give up Google Docs to leave Gmail: many teams keep a free Google account for files and move only mail. Our guide to GDPR-compliant email hosting in the EU explains what to ask any provider.

1. 1Open an account with the new provider and add your domain. Do not change MX records yet.
2. 2Create every mailbox and alias you have in Workspace, including group addresses like sales@.
3. 3Import mail with the new provider’s migration tool, or over IMAP. Export Calendar and Contacts from Google as .ics and .vcf files.
4. 4Lower the TTL of your MX record, then point MX to the new provider and update SPF, DKIM and DMARC.
5. 5Keep Workspace for a week to catch stragglers, run one more import, then cancel.

Our step-by-step guide to migrating from Google Workspace has the details, and SPF, DKIM and DMARC explained covers the DNS records.