Essentials Starter vs Enterprise Essentials vs Plus — the quick answer
Google Workspace Essentials editions give teams Google's collaboration tools — Drive, Docs, Sheets, Slides and Google Meet — without Gmail, so you keep your existing email provider. Essentials Starter is free for up to 100 users with 15 GB storage per user and core Meet. Enterprise Essentials adds enterprise scale and security: larger Meet meetings, 1 TB pooled storage per user, Google Vault, and enterprise management and security controls. Enterprise Essentials Plus is the most advanced, with 5 TB pooled storage per user and Google's deepest security, compliance and management capabilities.
PrecisionTech is an authorised Google Workspace partner. Enterprise Essentials editions are quote-based (contact sales) — we provide India INR pricing with GST invoicing, deployment, and India-time support. If you need Gmail with a custom domain, compare the Business editions instead. The tables below reproduce Google's official feature matrix in full.
Google Workspace Essentials Editions
Collaboration without Gmail · per user · INR billing with GST invoice · Setup handled by PrecisionTech
Essentials Starter
Enterprise Essentials
Custom quote
More participants, pooled storage, enterprise security
Storage: 1 TB / user
Get a Quote
Enterprise Essentials Plus
Essentials Starter is free (up to 100 users). Enterprise Essentials editions are quote-based. Contact us for a custom INR quote →
At-a-glance: the differences that matter most
| Key difference | Essentials Starter | Enterprise Essentials | Enterprise Essentials Plus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost | Free | Custom quote | Custom quote |
| Gmail (custom-domain email) | No | No | No |
| Maximum users | 100 | No limit | No limit |
| Storage per user | 15 GB | 1 TB pooled | 5 TB pooled |
| Drive, Docs, Sheets, Slides, Meet | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Google Vault (eDiscovery, retention) | — | ✔ | ✔ |
| Enterprise security & management | — | ✔ | ✔ |
| Data loss prevention (DLP) | — | — | ✔ |
| Client-side encryption | — | — | ✔ |
| Security investigation tool | — | Limited | ✔ |
Summary view (the three editions PrecisionTech provisions). The complete, footnoted feature matrix below also includes Google's standalone "Essentials" column.
Full feature comparison — every category
Reproduced from Google's official "Compare Essentials editions" documentation. ✔ = included; — = not included; symbols (* ** † ‡) are conditions explained in each table's legend.
Service availability
Show / hide this table (17 rows)
| Feature | Essentials Starter | Essentials | Enterprise Essentials | Enterprise Essentials Plus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drive storage and Docs editors | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Video conferencing with Meet | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Tasks | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Directory management | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Sites | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Notetaking with Keep | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Chat and chat spaces | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔* |
| Google Vids | ✔†† | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Calendar | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | — |
| Groups for Business | — | ✔* | ✔* | ✔* |
| Additional Google services (admin managed) | — | ✔* | ✔* | ✔* |
| Colab to collaboratively develop data science and machine learning models (as an additional Google service, no user licenses required) | — | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Colab Pro and Colab Pro+ (add-on) | — | ✔* | ✔* | ✔* |
| Gemini app with enterprise-grade data protections† | — | ✔* | ✔* | ✔* |
| Google Vault for eDiscovery and information governance | — | — | ✔* | ✔* |
| AppSheet Core | — | — | — | ✔* |
| Google Cloud Search for internal search and assist | — | — | — | — |
* Requires verifying your domain.
** New subscriptions to the Essentials edition are no longer available.
† Compare Gemini app offerings.
†† Generative AI features in Google Vids are unavailable.
Identity management
| Feature | Essentials Starter | Essentials | Enterprise Essentials | Enterprise Essentials Plus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Add or remove existing user accounts | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Assign a super admin role | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Create and delete user accounts | — | ✔* | ✔* | ✔* |
| Assign custom admin roles | — | ✔* | ✔* | ✔* |
| Manage user profiles | — | ✔* | ✔* | ✔* |
* This feature requires verifying your domain.
** New subscriptions to the Essentials edition are no longer available.
Usage and support
| Feature | Essentials Starter | Essentials | Enterprise Essentials | Enterprise Essentials Plus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of users | 100† | Any number | Any number | Any number |
| Email, document, photo storage per user | 15 GB | 100 GB per user, up to a maximum of 2 TB†† | 1 TB per user†† | 5 TB†† |
| 99.9% uptime guarantee | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Purchase additional pooled storage | — | ✔ | ✔ | — |
| Enhanced Support | — | — | ✔ | ✔ |
| Standard Support | — | ✔ | — | — |
** New subscriptions to the Essentials edition are no longer available.
† If you signed up for Essentials Starter before June 3, 2022, the user limit is 25 per team.
†† Storage is pooled across all users.
User access options
| Feature | Essentials Starter | Essentials | Enterprise Essentials | Enterprise Essentials Plus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Supported browsers | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Access across devices (computers, phones, tablets) | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Offline access | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Microsoft Outlook | — | ✔* | ✔* | ✔* |
* This feature requires verifying your domain.
** New subscriptions to the Essentials edition are no longer available.
Reports and monitoring
| Feature | Essentials Starter | Essentials | Enterprise Essentials | Enterprise Essentials Plus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Highlights reports summarizing metrics and trends | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Apps-usage reports (organization wide) | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| User- and admin-specific activity reports | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Carbon footprint report | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Audit and investigation tool Log event reporting (See log events below) | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Drive DLP data protection insights report | — | — | ✔ | ✔ |
| Google Meet attendance reports | — | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Export reports to BigQuery | — | — | — | ✔* |
| VirusTotal reports | — | — | — | — |
| Log-event exports to Google Security Operations | — | — | — | — |
| Work Insights reports for users | — | — | — | ✔* |
* Requires verifying your domain.
** New subscriptions to the Essentials edition are no longer available.
Security and data management — Security policies and data protection
Show / hide this table (17 rows)
| Feature | Essentials Starter | Essentials | Enterprise Essentials | Enterprise Essentials Plus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2-Step Verification (admin managed) | — | ✔* | ✔* | ✔* |
| Security keys for 2-Step Verification | — | ✔* | ✔* | ✔* |
| Set session length for Google Cloud services | ✔ | ✔* | ✔* | ✔* |
| Collaboration with trusted external domains | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Basic data exports | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Enforced SSL connections | — | — | ✔ | ✔ |
| Password monitoring and strength control | — | — | ✔* | ✔* |
| Drive data protection insights report | — | — | ✔ | ✔ |
| Set session length for Google services | — | — | — | ✔* |
| Data loss prevention (DLP) | — | — | — | ✔* |
| Control access based on user and device context (Context-Aware Access) | — | — | — | ✔* |
| Cloud Identity Premium security management (no separate license required) | — | — | — | ✔* |
| Multi-party approval for sensitive actions | — | — | — | ✔ |
| Advanced data exports | — | — | — | ✔ |
| Gemini AI security protections | — | — | — | — |
| Client-side encryption | — | — | — | ✔ |
| Assured Controls for managing compliance & security requirements (add-on) | — | — | — | ✔ |
* Requires verifying your domain.
** New subscriptions to the Essentials edition are no longer available.
Security and data management — Security dashboards & investigation tools
| Feature | Essentials Starter | Essentials | Enterprise Essentials | Enterprise Essentials Plus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alert center: Notifications of potential security issues | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Audit and investigation tool Log event reporting (See log events below) | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Security investigation tool Log event reporting with premium features: Take action based on search results Automate security threat response with activity rules Customize searches with nested queries Group results by attribute when searching Create a custom chart based on an investigation Save, share, delete, and duplicate investigations See also below: Common use cases Log events | — | — | — | ✔* |
| Security dashboard reports (See dashboard reports below) | — | — | — | ✔* |
| Security health page (See settings analyses below) | — | — | — | ✔* |
* Requires verifying your domain.
** New subscriptions to the Essentials edition are no longer available.
Security and data management — Data regions
| Feature | Essentials Starter | Essentials | Enterprise Essentials | Enterprise Essentials Plus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fundamental data regions | ||||
| Set a single data at rest region policy for everyone in your organization | — | — | — | ✔* |
| Enterprise data regions † | ||||
| Set data at rest region policies for organizational units or groups | — | — | — | ✔* |
| Basic data regions reports (Includes data at rest, versions, and policy summaries) | — | — | — | ✔* |
| Set data region processing policies (including for organizational units and groups) | — | — | — | ✔* |
| Advanced settings for data regions | — | — | — | ✔* |
| Assured Controls data regions (add-on) | ||||
| Advanced data regions reports (Includes data processing by region and service, and data at rest by service) | ||||
| Policy compliance log events | — | — | — | — |
* This feature requires verifying your domain.
** New subscriptions to the Essentials edition are no longer available.
† Users who don't have a supported edition for Enterprise data regions aren't covered by data region policies—even if you apply a data region policy to their organizational unit.
Security and data management — Security investigation tool: Common use cases
| Feature | Essentials Starter | Essentials | Enterprise Essentials | Enterprise Essentials Plus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Use the security investigation tool to end meetings | — | ✔ | — | ✔ |
| Investigate file sharing | — | ✔ | — | ✔ |
| Transfer a Drive file from an unknown owner | — | ✔ | — | ✔ |
| Investigate users across data sources | — | ✔ | — | ✔ |
| Search and investigate user log events | — | ✔* | — | ✔* |
| Investigate and take action on suspicious session cookies | — | ✔* | — | ✔* |
| Investigate Chat messages to moderate content and protect your data | — | ✔† | — | ✔† |
| Investigate reports of malicious emails | — | — | — | — |
| Use the investigation tool to view sensitive content | — | — | — | — |
* Requires verifying your domain.
** New subscriptions to the Essentials edition are no longer available.
† Users can't report inappropriate chat messages for investigations.
Security and data management — Log events of user and admin activity
Show / hide this table (35 rows)
| Feature | Essentials Starter | Essentials | Enterprise Essentials | Enterprise Essentials Plus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Admin data action log events | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔† |
| Admin log events | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔† |
| Calendar log events | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔† |
| Chat log events | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔† |
| Chrome log events | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔† |
| Chrome Sync log events | ✔* | ✔* | ✔* | ✔*† |
| Cloud Search log events | ✔* | ✔* | ✔* | ✔*† |
| Contacts log events | ✔* | ✔* | ✔* | ✔*† |
| Context Aware Access log events | ✔* | ✔* | ✔* | ✔*† |
| Device log events | ✔* | ✔* | ✔* | ✔*† |
| Directory Sync log events | ✔* | ✔* | ✔* | ✔*† |
| Drive log events | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔† |
| Graduation log events | ✔* | ✔* | ✔* | ✔*† |
| Groups Enterprise log events | ✔* | ✔* | ✔* | ✔*† |
| Groups log events | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔† |
| Keep log events | ✔* | ✔* | ✔* | ✔*† |
| LDAP log events | ✔* | ✔* | ✔* | ✔*† |
| Data Studio log events | ✔* | ✔* | ✔* | ✔*† |
| Meet log events | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔† |
| Meet recordings in Drive log events | ✔* | ✔* | ✔* | ✔*† |
| OAuth log events | ✔* | ✔* | ✔* | ✔*† |
| Profile log events | ✔* | ✔* | ✔* | ✔*† |
| Rule log events | ✔* | ✔* | ✔* | ✔*† |
| SAML log events | ✔* | ✔* | ✔* | ✔*† |
| Takeout log events | ✔* | ✔* | ✔* | ✔*† |
| Tasks log events | ✔* | ✔* | ✔* | ✔*† |
| User log events | ✔* | ✔* | ✔* | ✔*† |
| Vault log events | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔† |
| Voice log events | ✔* | ✔* | ✔* | ✔*† |
| Access Transparency log events | — | — | — | ✔*† |
| Devices log events | — | — | — | ✔*† |
| Users events | — | — | — | ✔*† |
| Chrome browsers events | — | — | — | — |
| Gmail log events | — | — | — | — |
| Gmail messages | — | — | — | — |
* Requires verifying your domain.
† Performed with the security investigation tool, which provides premium reporting features.
** New subscriptions to the Essentials edition are no longer available.
Security and data management — Security Dashboard reports
Show / hide this table (25 rows)
| Feature | Essentials Starter | Essentials | Enterprise Essentials | Enterprise Essentials Plus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DLP incidents report | — | — | — | ✔* |
| Top policy incidents report | — | — | — | ✔* |
| User login attempts report | — | — | — | ✔* |
| Failed device password attempts report | — | — | — | ✔* |
| Compromised device events report | — | — | — | ✔* |
| Suspicious device activities report | — | — | — | ✔* |
| OAuth grant activity report | — | — | — | ✔* |
| OAuth grants to new apps report | — | — | — | ✔* |
| Sensitive content transfer on Chrome report | — | — | — | ✔*† |
| Users with most sensitive content transfer on Chrome report | — | — | — | ✔*† |
| Domains with most sensitive content transfer on Chrome report | — | — | — | ✔*† |
| Domain types with most sensitive content transfer on Chrome report | — | — | — | ✔*† |
| Chrome threat protection summary report | — | — | — | ✔*† |
| Chrome data protection summary report | — | — | — | ✔*† |
| Chrome high risk users report | — | — | — | ✔*† |
| Chrome high risk domains report | — | — | — | ✔*† |
| Suspicious attachments report | — | — | — | ✔* |
| File exposure report | — | — | — | ✔* |
| Authentication report | — | — | — | ✔* |
| Custom settings report | — | — | — | ✔* |
| Encryption report | — | — | — | ✔* |
| Message delivery report | — | — | — | ✔* |
| Spam filter report | — | — | — | ✔* |
| User report | — | — | — | ✔* |
| Spoofing report | — | — | — | ✔* |
* Requires verifying your domain
† Requires Chrome Enterprise Premium
Security and data management — Security health page reports
| Feature | Essentials Starter | Essentials | Enterprise Essentials | Enterprise Essentials Plus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Device management settings that can be monitored Blocking of compromised mobile devices Mobile management Mobile password requirements Device encryption Mobile inactivity reports Auto account wipe Application verification Installation of mobile applications from unknown sources External media storage | — | — | — | ✔* |
| Security settings that can be monitored Two-step verification for users Two-step verification for admins Security key enforcement for admins Security key enforcement for users | — | — | — | ✔* |
| Gmail settings that can be monitored Automatic email forwarding Comprehensive mail storage Bypassing spam filters for internal senders POP and IMAP access for users DKIM, SPF records, & DMARC Approved senders without authentication Approved domain senders Email whitelist IPs Add spam headers setting to all default routing rules MX record configuration MTA-STS configuration Attachment safety Links and external images safety Spoofing and authentication safety | — | — | — | ✔* |
| Drive settings that can be monitored Drive sharing settings Warning for out-of-domain sharing Access Checker Drive add-ons Access to offline docs Desktop access to Drive File publishing on the web Google sign-in requirement for external collaborators | — | — | — | ✔* |
| Hangouts settings that can be monitored Hangouts out of domain warning | — | — | — | ✔* |
| Groups settings that can be monitored Groups creation and membership | — | — | — | ✔* |
| Marketplace apps settings that can be monitored Google Workspace Marketplace applications usage | — | — | — | ✔* |
| Calendar settings that can be monitored Calendar sharing policy | — | — | — | ✔* |
| Sites settings that can be monitored Access to Calendar when offline | — | — | — | ✔* |
* Requires verifying your domain.
** New subscriptions to the Essentials edition are no longer available.
Endpoint management — Device security settings
| Feature | Essentials Starter | Essentials | Enterprise Essentials | Enterprise Essentials Plus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fundamental endpoint management | ||||
| Basic passcode enforcement (mobile) | — | ✔* | ✔* | ✔* |
| Google Credential Provider for Windows (standalone) | — | ✔* | ✔* | ✔* |
| Network management (ChromeOS, meeting room hardware) | — | ✔* | ✔* | ✔* |
| Advanced endpoint management † | ||||
| Strong passcode enforcement | — | — | ✔* | ✔* |
| Network management (mobile) | — | — | ✔* | ✔* |
| Mobile device security policies | — | — | ✔* | ✔* |
| Android work profiles | — | — | ✔* | ✔* |
* This feature requires verifying your domain.
** New subscriptions to the Essentials edition are no longer available.
Endpoint management — Device management
| Feature | Essentials Starter | Essentials | Enterprise Essentials | Enterprise Essentials Plus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fundamental endpoint management | ||||
| Basic mobile device management | — | ✔* | ✔* | ✔* |
| Fundamental management for computers | — | ✔* | ✔* | ✔* |
| Endpoint verification | — | ✔* | ✔* | ✔* |
| Company-owned device inventory (endpoints) | — | ✔* | ✔* | ✔* |
| Remote account sign-out | — | ✔* | ✔* | ✔* |
| Remote account wipe (mobile) | — | ✔* | ✔* | ✔* |
| Block devices | — | ✔* | ✔* | ✔* |
| Drive for desktop | — | — | ✔* | ✔* |
| Advanced endpoint management† | ||||
| Advanced mobile management | — | — | ✔ | ✔ |
| Zero-touch enrollment for Android devices | — | — | ✔ | ✔ |
| Admin approval of devices | — | — | ✔ | ✔ |
| Remote device wipe | — | — | ✔ | ✔ |
| Windows device management | — | — | ✔ | ✔ |
* This feature requires verifying your domain.
** New subscriptions to the Essentials edition are no longer available.
Endpoint management — Mobile app management
| Feature | Essentials Starter | Essentials | Enterprise Essentials | Enterprise Essentials Plus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fundamental endpoint management | ||||
| Public and private app management (Android) | — | ✔* | ✔* | ✔* |
| Advanced endpoint management† | ||||
| Public app management (iOS) | — | — | ✔* | ✔* |
| Android app runtime permissions | — | — | ✔* | ✔* |
| Selectively distribute mobile apps to users | — | — | ✔* | ✔* |
| Publish private Android web apps | — | — | ✔* | ✔* |
| Managed Android app settings configurations | — | — | ✔* | ✔* |
* This feature requires verifying your domain.
** New subscriptions to the Essentials edition are no longer available.
Endpoint management — Device details
| Feature | Essentials Starter | Essentials | Enterprise Essentials | Enterprise Essentials Plus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fundamental endpoint management | ||||
| Basic device details (mobile) | — | ✔* | ✔* | ✔* |
| Basic endpoint details (computer & smart home devices) | — | ✔* | ✔* | ✔* |
| Basic device reports (Chrome & mobile) | — | ✔* | ✔* | ✔* |
| Advanced endpoint management† | ||||
| Advanced device reports (mobile) | — | — | ✔* | ✔* |
* This feature requires verifying your domain.
** New subscriptions to the Essentials edition are no longer available.
3rd-party app integration
| Feature | Essentials Starter | Essentials | Enterprise Essentials | Enterprise Essentials Plus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single sign-on (SSO) using a 3rd-party IdP | ✔ Microsoft (OIDC) only | ✔* | ✔* | ✔* |
| Single sign-on (SSO) using Google as IdP | — | ✔* | ✔* | ✔* |
| App catalog of 200+ preconfigured SAML apps | — | ✔* | ✔* | ✔* |
| Autoprovisioning of SAML apps (maximum number) | — | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Secure LDAP: Connect LDAP-based apps & services | — | — | — | ✔* |
* This feature requires verifying your domain.
** New subscriptions to the Essentials edition are no longer available.
Other admin features
| Feature | Essentials Starter | Essentials | Enterprise Essentials | Enterprise Essentials Plus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Admin SDK (APIs to manage users and services, create reports, and more) | — | ✔* | ✔* | ✔* |
| Upgrade directly to a Google Workspace Business or Enterprise edition with Gmail | — | ✔* | ✔* | ✔* |
* This feature requires verifying your domain.
** New subscriptions to the Essentials edition are no longer available.
Gemini features
| Feature | Essentials Starter | Essentials | Enterprise Essentials | Enterprise Essentials Plus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Generative Gemini AI inside Workspace apps (Help me write, side panel, summaries, image/video generation in Gmail, Docs, Sheets, Slides, Meet, Drive, Vids) | Not included in any Essentials edition — requires a Gemini / Google AI add-on, or a Business or Enterprise edition | |||
| Standalone Gemini app (consumer-grade chat assistant) | Basic access for Essentials Starter (Pro/Thinking basic; Fast general access; Audio Overviews up to 20/day; Deep research 5 reports/month; context window 32K). Limits vary and may change frequently. | |||
| NotebookLM | Standard access | |||
| AI classification in Drive | Not included | |||
Note Essentials editions focus on collaboration and video conferencing without Gmail. In-app Gemini AI is not part of these editions — for AI inside Docs/Sheets/Gmail/Meet, choose a Business or Enterprise edition or add the Google AI add-on. See Google's source for the latest, frequently-changing AI limits.
Drive and Docs editors
Show / hide this table (18 rows)
| Feature | Essentials Starter | Essentials | Enterprise Essentials | Enterprise Essentials Plus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drive for desktop | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Connected Sheets | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Advanced Drive logs and reports (Drive log events) | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Drive sharing permissions | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Shared drives | — | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Manage document approvals | — | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Manage Drive metadata (custom labels and fields) | — | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Turn Docs creation on or off | — | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Delegate access to Connected Sheets | — | — | ✔ | ✔ |
| eSignature | — | — | ✔ | ✔ |
| Smart chip data extraction | — | — | ✔ | ✔ |
| Gemini AI in Docs, Sheets, & Slides | — | — | — | — |
| Drive inventory export | — | — | — | ✔ |
| Drive file suggestions in Chrome browser address bar | — | — | — | ✔ |
| Organizational branding (custom templates) | — | — | — | ✔ |
| Drive data loss prevention (DLP) | — | — | — | ✔** |
| Trust rules for Drive sharing permissions | — | — | — | ✔** |
| Client-side encryption for Drive files | — | — | — | ✔** |
* New subscriptions to the Essentials edition are no longer available.
** Requires verifying your domain.
Groups / Groups for Business
| Feature | Essentials Starter | Essentials | Enterprise Essentials | Enterprise Essentials Plus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Groups for content sharing and calendar invitations | — | ✔* | ✔* | ✔* |
| Collaborative Inboxes and message moderation | — | ✔* | ✔* | ✔* |
| User-managed groups | — | ✔* | ✔* | ✔* |
| Configuration groups for use by admins | — | ✔* | ✔* | ✔* |
| Target audience groups (preset sharing options) | — | — | ✔* | ✔* |
| Inspect group membership | — | — | — | ✔* |
| Restrict group membership | — | — | — | ✔* |
| Dynamic groups (manage membership automatically) | — | — | — | ✔* |
| View members (direct & indirect) in all groups | — | — | — | ✔* |
* This feature requires verifying your domain.
** New subscriptions to the Essentials edition are no longer available.
Google Meet
Show / hide this table (30 rows)
| Feature | Essentials Starter | Essentials | Enterprise Essentials | Enterprise Essentials Plus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maximum meeting length | 24 hours | 24 hours | 24 hours | 24 hours |
| Maximum number of participants per meeting | 100 | 150 | 150 | 1,000¹ |
| External participants | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Secure meetings | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Presentations and screen sharing | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| App for Android and iOS | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Add Meet video to Microsoft Outlook | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Works with Meet room hardware | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Hand raising | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Raise a room's hand using Meet hardware | ✔ | ✔ | ✔* | ✔ |
| Reactions | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Meet eCDN | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Meet Media API | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Dial in (U.S. & international numbers)†† | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | — |
| Record meetings & save them to Drive | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | — |
| Breakout rooms††† | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | — |
| Polls | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | — |
| Q&A | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | — |
| Track attendance (requires 2 or more attendees) | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | — |
| Add co-hosts to meetings††† | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | — |
| Control Slides presentations | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | — |
| Noise cancellation | ✔ | ✔ | — | — |
| Set recording quality for screen shares | ✔ | ✔ | — | — |
| Automatic meeting recording and transcripts | ✔ | ✔ | — | — |
| Waiting rooms in Meet | ✔ | ✔ | — | — |
| In-domain and trusted domain live streaming (maximum number viewers) | 100k | |||
| Transcribe meetings & save them to Drive | ✔ | — | — | — |
| Client-side encryption for audio and video | ✔* | — | — | — |
| Test Meet eCDN large-scale configurations | ✔ | — | — | — |
| Gemini AI features in Meet | — | — | — | — |
* Requires verifying your domain.
** New subscriptions to the Essentials edition are no longer available.
†† Powered by Google Voice.
††† Dependent on Google Calendar limit of 200 invitees.
¹ After 500, the next 500 join as View only.
Google Chat
| Feature | Essentials Starter | Essentials | Enterprise Essentials | Enterprise Essentials Plus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Set spaces history option for users | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔* |
| Turn chat history on or off | — | ✔ | ✔ | ✔* |
| Automatically accept chat invitations | — | ✔ | ✔ | ✔* |
| Allow or restrict external chat | — | ✔ | ✔ | ✔* |
| Allow or restrict Chat apps | — | ✔ | ✔ | ✔* |
| Turn external spaces on or off | — | ✔ | ✔ | ✔* |
| Use discoverable spaces | — | ✔* | ✔* | ✔* |
| Chat Interoperability for interaction between Chat and non-Chat users (add-on) | — | — | ✔ | ✔ |
| External chat for 1:1 and group direct messages | — | — | ✔* | ✔* |
| Control file sharing in Chat | — | — | — | ✔* |
* This feature requires verifying your domain.
** New subscriptions to the Essentials edition are no longer available.
Source & attribution
The feature tables on this page reproduce Google's official documentation, "Compare Essentials editions" (Google Workspace Admin Help), which is the authoritative source of truth. Google publishes this content under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License. Source last verified 04 Jun 2026. Google updates editions and AI usage limits frequently — for the absolute latest detail, refer to the original Google page. Google, Google Workspace and related marks are trademarks of Google LLC. India INR pricing, setup and recommendations are provided by PrecisionTech (PRECISION e-Technologies Pvt Ltd), an authorised Google Workspace partner.
Why buy Google Workspace Essentials through PrecisionTech?
| Capability | PrecisionTech | Buy direct from Google | Generic IT vendor |
|---|---|---|---|
| Authorized Google Workspace Partner | ✅ Yes | N/A (Google direct) | ⚠️ Often not |
| Help choosing the right edition | ✅ Yes | ❌ Self-serve | ⚠️ Varies |
| Meet & Drive collaboration setup | ✅ Included | ❌ DIY | ⚠️ Varies |
| Works alongside your existing email | ✅ Configured | ❌ DIY | ⚠️ Varies |
| SSO / IdP integration | ✅ Yes | ❌ DIY | ⚠️ Varies |
| INR billing with GST invoices | ✅ Yes | ⚠️ USD/card | ⚠️ Varies |
| India-time support (English/Hindi) | ✅ Yes | ⚠️ Limited | ⚠️ Business hours |
| 30+ years IT track record (since 1995) | ✅ Yes | N/A | ⚠️ Varies |
| ISO 9001 / ISO 27001 / CMMI Level 3 | ✅ Yes | N/A | ❌ Usually not |
Comparing a different Google Workspace family?
Business editions
For 1–300 users with custom-domain Gmail — Business Starter, Standard and Plus. Storage from 30 GB to 5 TB, Gemini AI, Vault (Plus) with transparent India INR pricing.
Compare Business editions →Enterprise editions
For larger organisations with no user limit — Enterprise Standard and Plus with advanced security, DLP, client-side encryption and large-scale Meet.
Compare Enterprise editions →Education editions
Discounted and free editions for qualifying institutions — Education Fundamentals, Standard and Plus with Classroom.
Compare Education editions →Google Workspace overview
Full overview of Google Workspace, all apps, India pricing, setup and migration services from PrecisionTech.
Google Workspace home →What clients say
4.8
★★★★★
Verified Google Workspace deployments across India
★★★★★"We were locked into our existing email system but wanted Google Meet and Drive for the whole company. PrecisionTech set up Enterprise Essentials so our teams collaborate on Google without touching our email. Exactly the no-Gmail solution we needed."
★★★★★"PrecisionTech explained clearly that Essentials gives collaboration without Gmail, and compared Starter vs Enterprise Essentials against our Meet and storage needs. Smooth rollout, INR invoicing, and great India-time support."
★★★★★"We kept our compliance-managed email but needed enterprise-grade Meet and secure Drive sharing. Enterprise Essentials Plus from PrecisionTech gave us Vault and advanced controls without forcing an email migration. Highly recommend."
Frequently asked questions — Google Workspace Essentials editions
No-Gmail collaboration, free Starter edition, Meet limits, Vault, storage, security and how to choose between Starter, Enterprise Essentials and Plus.
1What are the Google Workspace Essentials editions?
The Essentials family delivers Google's collaboration tools — Drive, Docs, Sheets, Slides and Google Meet — without Gmail, so teams keep their existing email. The editions are Essentials Starter (free, up to 100 users, 15 GB/user), Enterprise Essentials (1 TB pooled/user, Vault, enterprise management) and Enterprise Essentials Plus (5 TB pooled/user, Google's most advanced security and compliance). Google's comparison also lists a standalone "Essentials" column, shown in the full table on this page.
2Does Google Workspace Essentials include Gmail?
No — Essentials editions do not include Gmail. That is the whole point: you keep your current email provider (Microsoft 365/Exchange, an on-prem server, or another host) and add Google's collaboration tools — Drive, Docs, Sheets, Slides and Google Meet — on top. If you need professional custom-domain Gmail, choose a Google Workspace Business edition instead.
3Who should choose Essentials instead of a Business edition?
Choose Essentials when your organisation is committed to its existing email platform (often for compliance, contractual or migration reasons) but still wants Google's best-in-class Meet, Drive and Docs collaboration. Choose a Business or Enterprise edition when you want Google to also handle your email with custom-domain Gmail. PrecisionTech can help you decide based on your email setup and collaboration needs.
4Is Essentials Starter really free?
Yes — Essentials Starter is free for up to 100 users, with 15 GB of storage per user, Google Meet, and Drive/Docs collaboration. It's ideal for smaller teams that want to trial Google collaboration without changing their email. For more participants, larger pooled storage, Vault and enterprise security, you upgrade to Enterprise Essentials or Enterprise Essentials Plus (quote-based).
5What is the difference between Enterprise Essentials and Enterprise Essentials Plus?
Both remove the user cap and add enterprise management, security and Google Vault. Enterprise Essentials includes 1 TB pooled storage per user and core enterprise controls. Enterprise Essentials Plus is the most advanced edition, with 5 TB pooled storage per user and Google's deepest security and compliance capabilities — including data loss prevention (DLP), client-side encryption and the security investigation tool. See the full table on this page for the exact, footnoted feature breakdown.
6How much do the Enterprise Essentials editions cost in India?
Enterprise Essentials and Enterprise Essentials Plus are quote-based — Google asks customers to contact sales because pricing depends on user count, term and configuration. As an authorised Google Workspace partner, PrecisionTech provides a tailored India INR quote with GST invoicing, plus deployment and India-time support. Essentials Starter remains free for up to 100 users.
7How many participants can join a Google Meet on Essentials editions?
Meet participant limits and advanced features (recording, breakout rooms, polls, Q&A, attendance, live streaming) scale up across the editions, with Enterprise Essentials Plus offering the highest capacity and most controls. Essentials Starter covers core meetings for smaller teams. See the Google Meet section of the comparison table on this page for the exact, footnoted figures published by Google.
8Does Essentials include Google Vault and security tools?
Google Vault (eDiscovery, retention, legal hold and archiving for Drive and Meet content) is included in Enterprise Essentials and Enterprise Essentials Plus, not in the free Essentials Starter. Enterprise Essentials Plus goes furthest, adding data loss prevention (DLP), client-side encryption and the security investigation tool for the strictest compliance needs.
9Can we use Essentials alongside Microsoft 365 or our existing email?
Yes — that is exactly what Essentials is designed for. Your users keep their existing mailboxes (Microsoft 365, Exchange, or another provider) while collaborating in Google Drive, Docs and Meet. PrecisionTech configures the setup, SSO/identity integration and directory so the two systems work together smoothly, with no email migration required.
10Why buy Google Workspace Essentials through PrecisionTech instead of directly from Google?
You get the same Google product, plus an authorised partner who helps you choose the right edition, configures Meet/Drive collaboration to work alongside your existing email, sets up SSO, and bills locally in INR with GST invoices. PrecisionTech has 30+ years of IT experience (since 1995) and ISO 9001 / ISO 27001 / CMMI Level 3 credentials, with English/Hindi India-time support. Contact us to get started.
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