Google Workspace Business Starter costs £5.90 per user per month on a one-year commitment, or £7 per user per month on the Flexible plan, before tax. Business Standard is £11.80 or £14, and Business Plus is £18.40 or £22. Microsoft 365 Business Basic is £5.40 per user per month, paid yearly and excluding VAT. For 20 users, the gap between the two entry plans is £120 a year.
How much is Google Workspace per month in the UK?
Google publishes its UK prices in pounds in its billing plan comparison, last updated on 26 October 2026. Every price is per user per month, and Google's UK pricing page says they do not include tax.
| Edition | Annual commitment | Flexible plan | Annual commitment, per user per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Business Starter | £5.90 | £7.00 | £70.80 |
| Business Standard | £11.80 | £14.00 | £141.60 |
| Business Plus | £18.40 | £22.00 | £220.80 |
Google Workspace UK prices by edition
Price per user per month in pounds, before tax, on an annual commitment and on the Flexible plan.
View the data
| Category | Annual commitment | Flexible plan |
|---|---|---|
| Business Starter | £5.90 | £7.00 |
| Business Standard | £11.80 | £14.00 |
| Business Plus | £18.40 | £22.00 |
The yearly figures are our calculation, multiplying the annual-commitment rate by 12. Google's pricing page describes the annual plan as saving 16% against paying flexibly.
What is the difference between annual and Flexible?
The annual commitment gives the lower price. The Flexible plan costs more per user, so annual pays off when your headcount stays stable for the year. A startup that expects to add or lose people quickly may accept the higher Flexible rate. A settled five-person firm will usually find annual cheaper.
Read the current terms in Google's billing comparison before you choose, and note them in writing so a renewal is not a surprise.
What does each Workspace edition include?
Google's edition comparison shows that all three Business editions support 1 to 300 users. Pooled storage differs sharply, at 30 GB per user on Starter, 2 TB on Standard and 5 TB on Plus. Google Vault, which handles eDiscovery and information governance, appears only in the Plus column.
Starter includes the Gemini app with data protections. Google notes that its enterprise-grade data protection requires you to verify your domain. Several Gemini features inside the Workspace apps, such as help scheduling and enhanced smart fill, are listed for Standard and Plus but not Starter.
If you need business email, documents and video calls, Starter is a plausible fit. If staff will store large files or want the extra Gemini features, price Standard instead of comparing Starter with a richer plan from another supplier.
How does it compare with Microsoft 365 Business Basic?
Microsoft's UK Business plans page lists Microsoft 365 Business Basic at £5.40 per user per month, paid yearly, with the annual subscription auto-renewing. Prices exclude VAT. A version without Teams is £4.20, and Microsoft 365 Apps for business, the desktop apps without chat or calling, is £9.80.
Entry-level plans compared
Published UK price per user per month in pounds for entry-level Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace plans.
View the data
| Category | £ per user per month |
|---|---|
| Microsoft Basic (no Teams) | £4.20 |
| Microsoft Basic | £5.40 |
| Google Starter annual | £5.90 |
| Google Starter Flexible | £7.00 |
On the published list prices, Business Basic is £0.50 per user per month below annual Business Starter and £1.60 below Flexible Starter. The two plans are not identical products, so treat the gap as a starting point and compare what each includes for your work.
What will 5, 10 and 20 users cost over a year?
These figures multiply the published prices by headcount and by 12 months. They exclude tax, domain registration and optional purchases.
| Users | Google Starter, annual | Google Starter, Flexible | Microsoft Business Basic | Google Standard, annual |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | £354 | £420 | £324 | £708 |
| 10 | £708 | £840 | £648 | £1,416 |
| 20 | £1,416 | £1,680 | £1,296 | £2,832 |
Add VAT to every figure if your business cannot reclaim it on software.
What costs extra beyond the seat price?
Google's pricing page says storage is pooled across the organisation, and that you can get additional storage if your team outgrows its allowance. Tax is not in the headline price on either vendor's page. Your total will also include your domain name, any migration help and third-party apps, none of which sit in the per-user figure.
Does Google publish how many paid Workspace seats it has?
Not in the sources we checked. In its Next 2026 announcements, Google says Workspace serves more than 13 million customers and over 3 billion users. Those are customers and users, not paid seats, so do not quote them as paid-seat counts.
Do Workspace and Microsoft 365 both support live co-editing?
Yes. Microsoft's co-authoring guidance explains that with Microsoft 365 and OneDrive or SharePoint, several people can work on a Word document, Excel workbook or PowerPoint presentation at the same time. Documents need to be in a modern file format such as .docx, .xlsx or .pptx. Google Docs, Sheets and Slides are built around shared editing, so the choice comes down to which file formats your clients send you.
When is budget email hosting enough?
If you need mailboxes and nothing else, a hosting package can undercut both suites. IONOS lists five accounts of 2 GB each at £1 a month for the first 12 months, then £2.50 a month, excluding VAT. A single 12 GB account is £1.50 a month for 12 months, then £5. The trade-off is storage and tools. A 2 GB mailbox is far below Starter's 30 GB pooled allowance, and you do not get shared documents and meetings. These offers are time-limited and were checked on 30 October 2026, so confirm on the brand's own site before you buy.
Which should a UK startup pick?
Start from what your team does all day, not from the price. If your people already work in Gmail, Docs and Meet, Starter at £5.90 on an annual commitment is the cheapest way to keep them there. If you share Word and Excel files with clients and partners, Microsoft 365 Business Basic at £5.40 gives you web and mobile apps, while the desktop apps cost more.
Migration, training and the time staff spend relearning tools usually outweigh a £0.50 monthly gap. Run a short trial with real tasks before you commit.
What changes next?
Both vendors revise prices and packaging, and Google updates its billing page regularly. Re-check the published price on the day you buy.
Sources
- Google Workspace blog, 10 more announcements at Next 2026
- Microsoft Support, Document collaboration and co-authoring
- IONOS UK, Email hosting, checked 30 October 2026
- Google Workspace, Compare Flexible and annual fixed-term payment plans, updated 26 October 2026
- Google Workspace, Compare Business editions
- Google Workspace, UK pricing, checked 30 October 2026
- Microsoft, Business plans and pricing, UK, checked 30 October 2026
