Google will automatically upgrade free G Suite users to Paid Workspace from May 1, 2022

The forerunner of G Suite is Google App for Work, which was released 16 years ago. In 2012, Google App for Work was discontinued and turned into G Suite. Since then, in a decade Google hasn't made any significant changes to those free accounts. However, from the middle of this year, everything will change.

In an email just sent to the admins, Google said that it will switch all remaining users to a paid Google Workspace subscription, and that the fee will be calculated based on the usage of the account. As such, Nonprofits and Education (Fundamentals) is Workspace's only free plan.

After years of using Gmail, Drive, Docs and other apps for free, now companies/users will need to pay for those services. Alternatively, you may have to use your own custom domain name instead of just gmail.com.

Users have until May 1 to choose the appropriate service package. If you don't, after May 1st, Google will choose for you based on what you're using with the free version of G Suite. However, if you let Google upgrade automatically, you won't have to pay right away for at least the first two months.

Upgrading from the free version of G Suite to Google Workspace is quite simple, just a few steps and it's done, without affecting the end user. To assist you with the transition, Google will have discount options available for 12 months after July 1, 2022.

The price of Google Workspace service packages is the basic package of 6 USD / 1 user / 1 month and the most advanced package is 18 USD / 1 person / month. Micro businesses can also sign up for Workspace Invididual for $9.99/month. Google will automatically suspend your subscription/account if you don't enter your payment information by July 1, 2022.

After the 60-day suspension, you'll no longer have access to core Google Workspace services like Gmail, Calendar, and Meet. You still have access to additional services like YouTube, Google Photos. Entering a valid payment method will help you restore your suspended account.