Best Email Hosting · head-to-head

Zoho Mail vs Google Workspace

A sourced, side-by-side comparison for email hosting. Zoho Mail has the lower entry price. Every figure links to the vendor's own page and the date we captured it.

At a glance

  • Price: Zoho Mail $0/mo vs Google Workspace $7/mo — Zoho Mail is cheaper to start.
  • Free tier: Zoho Mail Yes; Google Workspace No.
  • HIPAA: Zoho Mail Yes; Google Workspace Yes.

Side by side

Zoho MailGoogle Workspace
Entry price$0/mo (Mail Free)$7/mo (Business Starter)
Free tierYesNo
HIPAA (BAA)YesYes
SOC 2YesYes
GDPRYesYes
Best forBudget-conscious SMBs wanting free business email for up to 5 usersTeams already using Google Docs/Sheets/Slides ecosystem

Sources — Zoho Mail: zoho.com (verified 2026-06-13). Google Workspace: workspace.google.com (verified 2026-06-13).

Key features

Zoho Mail: Custom domain email with free plan up to 5 users; S/MIME encryption and email archiving with eDiscovery (Premium); SOC 2 Type 2 + HIPAA audited; ISO/IEC 27001, 27017, 27018, 27701 certified; GDPR-compliant with 72-hour breach notification commitment; PCI DSS compliant (valid through Oct 2026); Integrated Zoho Workplace suite (Writer, Sheet, Cliq, Meeting); Admin console with group email, eDiscovery, and mobile device management; 750+ third-party integrations via Zapier

Google Workspace: Custom domain Gmail with 99.9% uptime SLA; End-to-end S/MIME encryption (Business Plus and Enterprise); Gemini AI writing assistant built into Gmail; Spam/phishing/malware blocking (99.9% catch rate per vendor); Google Vault eDiscovery and retention (Business Plus+); DLP and data classification (Enterprise); SAML 2.0 SSO and 2-step verification; SOC 2 Type 2 and ISO/IEC 27001 certified; HIPAA BAA available via Admin console

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