What you need to know
- G Suite legacy free edition users will need to upgrade to a paid Google Workspace subscription to keep using their existing services.
- The legacy free subscription will be shuttered starting July 1, and users must choose a Workspace subscription by May 1.
- If you're unable to upgrade by that date, Google will do it for you based on the services you currently use.
Google allowed free G Suite legacy users to continue using its services without charge even after it stopped offering the free edition to new customers back in 2012. However, their honeymoon period with free legacy office software apps will come to an end soon.
Organizations that are still subscribed to the G Suite legacy free edition will have to pay for a Google Workspace subscription starting in July or lose access to Google's services such as Gmail and Meet (via 9to5Google). To continue using those office apps, G Suite legacy free users will need to upgrade to a paid Workspace subscription by May 1.
There are four plans to choose from, including a basic $6 monthly tier for each user and an extensive $18 monthly plan. Customers, however, will not be charged until July 1. There is no way to revert to the previous free edition once you've upgraded.
Based on their usage history, Google will automatically upgrade free accounts that are unable to switch to a Workspace subscription before May 1. Customers must also set up a billing option by July 1 or their Workspace subscription will be terminated.
Google's Workspace support page states: "After 60 days in suspension, you will no longer have access to Google Workspace core services, such as Gmail, Calendar, and Meet. You may still retain access to additional Google services, such as YouTube and Google Photos."
The free edition was available as part of Google Apps, which was introduced in 2006 and rebranded as G Suite in 2016 (the free Google Apps tier was shut down then). Google rebranded its office software suite once more in 2020, combining Gmail, Chat, Meet, Docs, Sheets, and Slides under one umbrella.
