Best Google Workspace Alternatives for Business in 2026
Eight ways to run Gmail, Drive, Docs, Meet and Calendar's jobs without Google, compared on what they cost per user, what they include, where the data lives and who each is for. MassiveGRID's Nextcloud Hub is one of them and we say so; the rest are rated as honestly as we can.
Why teams look beyond Google Workspace
Price and bundling. Google's 2025 increase took Business Starter from about $6 to $7, Business Standard from $12 to $14 and Business Plus from $18 to $22 per user per month, with Gemini bundled whether or not you wanted it; the price increase page shows what that does to a 20-person bill.
Data location. Google chooses the regions. For a European works council, a UK regulator or a US healthcare contract, "in Google's cloud" is not an answer, and the data-region controls on higher tiers cost more than the problem is worth for a small company. The European alternative page covers that case.
The business model and AI. Boards are increasingly uncomfortable with company documents inside an advertising company, and the arrival of Gemini in every app raised the question again; how to turn Gemini off, and what to do if you would rather not have to, has its own page.
The alternatives at a glance
| Alternative | What it is | Per user per month | Data region | Apps | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MassiveGRID Nextcloud Hub | Managed Nextcloud Enterprise, per user | $5.90 to $19.90 | U.S., E.U., U.K. or Asia, your choice | Files, Office, Talk, mail, calendar, contacts; Deck, Tables, Notes from Business | Teams of 1 to 50 that want the suite with the data where they choose |
| Microsoft 365 | SaaS suite | About $7 to $22 | Microsoft's regions | Exchange, OneDrive, SharePoint, Teams, Office | Teams that want desktop Office and Microsoft's ecosystem |
| Zoho Workplace | SaaS suite | About $3 to $7 | Zoho's regions | Mail, WorkDrive, Writer, Sheet, Cliq, Meeting | Price-sensitive teams |
| Proton for Business | Encrypted mail and drive, SaaS | About $7 to $20 | Switzerland and EU | Mail, Calendar, Drive, VPN, Pass | Teams whose priority is encrypted mail |
| openDesk | Open-source suite for public bodies | Via partners and ZenDiS | Your or a partner's datacenter | Files, Office, mail, chat, video, projects | European public administrations |
| ONLYOFFICE DocSpace | Document rooms, self-hosted or SaaS | Check vendor | Self-hosted or vendor cloud | Documents, spreadsheets, presentations, forms | Document-first teams |
| Hetzner Storage Share, IONOS | Storage-priced Nextcloud instances | From about €4 per instance | Germany | Files, calendar, contacts; office via App Store | Teams that only need a shared drive |
| Self-hosted Nextcloud | You run it | Server cost only | Anywhere | Everything Nextcloud offers | Teams with a Linux administrator |
Prices are the vendors' published U.S. list prices per user per month at the time of writing (October 2026), annual billing where offered, and change often; check each vendor's page before deciding. Nextcloud Hub figures are the live prices in the widget below.
Each one in a paragraph
1. MassiveGRID Nextcloud Hub
Managed Nextcloud Enterprise priced per user with Nextcloud Office, Talk, a mailbox, calendar and contacts on every plan, in the U.S., E.U., U.K. or Asia, from $5.90. It replaces Gmail, Drive, Docs, Sheets, Slides, Meet, Chat, Calendar and Contacts one for one; the plan-by-plan comparison says where Google still wins, mostly Gmail's search and the long tail of add-ons.
2. Microsoft 365
The obvious alternative and the one most companies consider first, at about $7, $14 and $22 after Microsoft's July 2026 increase. It brings desktop Office and a bigger licence menu, and the same provider-chosen regions. Right for companies whose objection to Google is Google rather than the SaaS model.
3. Zoho Workplace
Complete and cheap, from roughly $3 to $7 per user on annual billing, with Zoho's own datacenters and no advertising. The ecosystem is smaller and the office apps are solid rather than best in class.
4. Proton for Business
End-to-end encrypted mail, calendar and drive from Switzerland, from about $7 to $20 per user. The strongest answer to the Gmail privacy question and the weakest on collaborative documents and video.
5. openDesk
The German public sector's sovereign suite, built from open-source parts including Nextcloud, for ministries and municipalities. Our openDesk guide explains it.
6. ONLYOFFICE DocSpace
Document rooms with a Microsoft-like editor, self-hosted or in ONLYOFFICE's cloud. Good for document-first teams; mail and video need other tools.
7. Hetzner Storage Share and IONOS
Storage-priced Nextcloud instances in Germany from about €4 a month per instance. The cheapest shared drive there is, without office, video or mail; the Storage Share comparison says when that is enough.
8. Self-hosted Nextcloud
Everything above for the price of a server and an administrator's hours, which our cost comparison prices honestly.
How to choose
| If your reason for leaving is | Look first at |
|---|---|
| Price and the Gemini bundle | Nextcloud Hub, Zoho Workplace |
| Where the data lives | Nextcloud Hub (you choose), Proton (Switzerland), openDesk (your datacenter) |
| Email privacy above all | Proton for Business |
| You want desktop Office | Microsoft 365 |
| You only need a shared drive | Hetzner Storage Share, or Nextcloud Hub Starter |
| A public body under sovereignty rules | openDesk, or a dedicated Nextcloud Enterprise instance |
| You have a Linux team and want control | Self-hosted Nextcloud |
Nextcloud Hub Pricing
Per-user plans on MassiveGRID's Nextcloud Enterprise platform: files, office, email, chat and video calls, calendar and contacts, in the U.S., E.U., U.K. or Asia. Pick the region and team size to see what your team would pay.
First month for $1 on monthly billing with coupon code NEXTCLOUD, applied by the Order buttons.
- Files, Photos, Calendar and Contacts
- Nextcloud Office: documents, spreadsheets and presentations
- Talk: chat, audio and video calls, screen sharing
- Standard Email
- 100 GB storage per user
- Desktop and mobile sync clients, public share links
- Nextcloud Enterprise platform with managed updates and daily backups
- Ticket support
- Files, Photos, Calendar and Contacts
- Nextcloud Office and Talk: documents, chat, audio and video calls
- Notes, Tables, Deck and Tasks
- Standard Email
- 1 TB storage per user, ten times Starter
- Desktop and mobile sync clients, public share links
- Nextcloud Enterprise platform with managed updates and daily backups
- Priority support: faster response and escalation
- Files, Photos, Office, Talk, Calendar and Contacts
- Notes, Tables, Deck and Tasks
- Enterprise Email with delegation and other enterprise mail features
- 1 TB storage per user
- Desktop and mobile sync clients, public share links
- Nextcloud Enterprise platform with managed updates and daily backups
- 24x7 support
- Upgrade path to a dedicated instance with your own domain and branding
USD per user per month before taxes; the billing-cycle discount applies to every plan. Order 1 to 50 users online. Need your own domain, a compliance boundary of your own or more than 50 users? See the dedicated instances below or contact us.
Frequently Asked Questions
Same suite, your region, from $5.90 per user
Order a Nextcloud Hub plan and the first month is $1 with coupon code NEXTCLOUD. Move one team, run a month of real work, then decide.