Google announced yet another price increase to all Google Workspace (formerly G Suite) product editions, making customers more interested than ever in ways to save on their subscription plans.
As experts in all things Google Workspace, we at HiView Solutions are pleased to share an effective method to help you save 20% or more on the product suite without losing any functionality.
Google Workspace Plan Types
There are two types of Google Workspace plans: Flexible plans and Commitment plans. In this article, we will review:
- How to find out what type of Google Workspace plan you have
- The difference between the two plan types
- How to save by switching plans
Do you have a Flexible or Commitment plan for Google Workspace?
Not sure what kind of Google Workspace contract you have? Google Admins can easily find out their plan type by doing the following:
- Navigate to admin.google.com.
- Click the menu button (three horizontal lines).
- Click Billing > Subscriptions.
- Click on your subscription to see your plan type.
If you cannot complete the above steps, it is likely that you do not have the necessary Admin permissions. In this case, reach out to the person at your organization who manages your Google environment, likely your IT administrator.
What is a Google Workspace Flexible plan?
Many organizations, especially small businesses, use Flexible plans (also known as “month-to-month” or “flex” plans) for Google Workspace.
Like the name suggests, Flexible plans offer businesses flexibility—specifically, flexibility with regard to license count variability. While on a Flexible plan, you can increase and decrease your license count freely, as well as cancel your subscription at any time. Flex accounts are billed monthly according to usage on a daily prorated basis.
For example, let’s say you begin the month with 50 licenses and add licenses throughout the month until you reach 60 licenses. Because proration occurs daily, you will be billed for more than if you had 50 licenses for the month, but less than if you had 60 licenses.
What is the downside of a Flexible plan?
We have established the key selling point of a Flexible G Suite plan: the ability to remove licenses and cancel your subscription at any time. So, is there a downside?
The answer is yes. The drawback to a Flexible plan is simple—it costs significantly more than a Commitment plan.
Next, let’s explore what a Commitment plan is, as well as the savings you can expect by moving to a Commitment plan.
What is a Google Workspace Commitment plan?
A Google Workspace/G Suite contract is called a Commitment plan. It is an agreement between your company and Google or your company and your Google Cloud Partner (what’s a Google Cloud Partner?). This agreement commits you to the service for one, two, or three years. Commitment plans can also be referred to as Annual Plans, Contracts, or Gmail Contracts.
In a Google Commitment plan, you commit your team to the initially agreed-upon license count and any new licenses you add throughout the duration of the contract. You can, however, reassign licenses after offboarding and archiving a user account and unassigning its email address.
If you add licenses, your new commitment quantity and monthly bill increase. You cannot reduce your license count or monthly payment before the contract term ends.
See the graphic below demonstrating this:
Save 20% or more with a Google Workspace Commitment plan
The relative lack of flexibility of a Commitment plan is offset by the significant savings it offers. See below:
| Flexible plan (month-to-month) | Commitment plan | |
| Google Workspace Business Starter | $7.20/license/month | $6.00/license/month or less* |
| Google Workspace Business Standard | $14.40/license/month | $12.00/license/month or less* |
| Google Workspace Business Plus | $21.60/license/month | $18.00/license/month or less* |
| Google Workspace Enterprise Standard | $27.60/license/month | $23.00/license/month or less* |
| Google Workspace Enterprise Plus | $36.00/license/month | $30.00/license/month or less* |
*Some organizations—especially those open to a multi-year contract—may be eligible for even deeper discounting. Contact us to find out what pricing you qualify for.
Myth: “But I have too many licenses!”
In some cases, eligibility for discounting depends on your number of Google Workspace accounts. A reduction in user accounts (licenses) can mean that you are only eligible for slight discounting, or none at all.
However, in the case of a move from a Flexible plan to a Commitment plan, you are eligible for discounting regardless of how many licenses you sign for! Just be sure to reduce your license count in the Admin console before signing the contract to ensure a smooth transition.
Who should not move to a Commitment plan?
There is one specific group of companies who benefit by remaining on a Flexible plan for Google Workspace. Companies with extremely variable workforces who need to be able to reduce their license count at any time may wish to stay on a Flexible plan.
In this case, consider the degree of your license count variability. Will you need to remove some licenses here and there? Or are you likely to need to slashing your license count by half or more? This will help you determine whether the savings offered by a Commitment plan offset the change in flexibility.
How to switch to a Google Workspace Commitment plan
Ready to start saving 20% or more on your monthly bill by switching to a Commitment plan? We are here to help. As a Google Cloud Premier Partner, Google authorizes us to assist organizations with changing their Workspace subscriptions.
Here is the process to make the switch:
- Send us a message letting us know that you are interested in saving by moving to a Workspace commitment plan
- A HiView Sales Engineer will contact you to understand your needs and eligibility
- Your Sales Engineer will send you a contract, factoring in any additional discounting you are eligible for
- You review and sign the new contract
- Your Sales Engineer will walk you through the process of transferring your billing to HiView and transitioning to your new commitment plan
What else can you gain by switching to HiView?
When you Google Workspace billing to HiView, you do not lose any functionality or support from Google. Instead, you simply gain access to:
- High-quality technical support at no cost to you
- Professional data migration services for your next merge or divestiture
- Expert-led training services for your admins and end users
Conclusion
In conclusion, many businesses on Google Workspace month-to-month plans can benefit greatly by moving to a contract for Workspace. It’s important to understand your Google plan to ensure that you are not missing out on opportunities for savings or other perks.
Have questions? Submit your information using the contact form below and we’ll be in touch!
