If your Google Workspace bill jumped this year, you're not imagining it. Google raised base prices on Business Standard, Plus and Enterprise by roughly 17–22% in 2026. The trade-off: Gemini AI is now bundled into those plans at no extra charge — features that used to cost an extra add-on per user. So the real question isn't "did it get more expensive?" It's "are we actually using what we're now paying for?"
What you're now paying for
The price rise absorbed the cost of Gemini across the whole suite. Every paid seat now includes:
- ▸Gemini in Gmail, Docs, Sheets, Slides and Meet.
- ▸NotebookLM for turning your documents into a queryable assistant.
- ▸AI image and video generation inside Docs and Slides — work that used to need separate design or video subscriptions.
- ▸Agentic automation features for plain-English workflows.
For a team that uses these, the bundle is cheaper than buying Workspace plus the standalone AI tools it replaces. For a team that ignores them, it's just a higher bill.
The honest math
Run two quick numbers for your business:
- ▸Cost: new per-user price × number of seats × 12.
- ▸Value: the subscriptions Gemini lets you cancel (AI writing tools, a design tool, a meeting note-taker) + the hours your team saves each week.
If Gemini saves each person even two hours a month, the price increase pays for itself several times over. If nobody's using it, you're funding a feature you've never opened.
What to do about it
Before you panic about the bill — or quietly switch providers — make sure you're getting the value you're already buying:
- ▸Audit which paid features your team actually uses.
- ▸Turn on and train people on the Gemini tools that match their real work.
- ▸Right-size your licence tiers — many teams pay for Enterprise seats that only need Business.
- ▸Cancel the standalone tools Workspace now replaces.
Most businesses we review are over-paying and under-using at the same time. A short cost-and-usage review usually finds savings that dwarf the price increase.
Want us to review your Workspace setup and tell you exactly where the value (and waste) is? Book a free call.
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