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Google Workspace Business Starter vs Standard: Which One to Choose?

By Divya – Support Engineer and Google Cloud Certified Digital Leader with 2+ years of experience in Google Workspace administration at XL Technologies. Her expertise includes user account creation, permission management, email configuration, security, and ticket handling. With proven skills, she ensures smooth, secure, and efficient Workspace operations for clients. At XL Technologies, Divya plays a key role in driving digital transformation through Google Cloud solutions. She is passionate about helping businesses maximize productivity and collaboration with Google Workspace.

Published in Blog on November 28, 2025

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Choosing the right Google Workspace edition is one of the most important decisions for any

UAE business moving to cloud-based email, storage, and collaboration. While both Google Workspace Business Starter and Business Standard provide professional Gmail, cloud storage, online collaboration, and video meetings — the differences between the two directly affect productivity, data storage, collaboration efficiency, and long-term scalability.

As an Authorized Google partner, XL Technologies helps businesses evaluate, deploy, migrate, and optimize Google Workspace based on their team size, workflows, and compliance needs.

This guide breaks down all key differences so you can confidently decide which plan is best for your business.

Quick Overview — Business Starter vs Business Standard

Before we dive deep, here’s a quick snapshot:

Business Starter: Best for small teams needing basic email + 30 GB storage.
Business Standard: Best for growing businesses needing more storage, Shared Drives, meeting recording, and advanced collaboration.

To help you decide, let’s compare both editions feature-by-feature.

Google Workspace Business Starter vs Standard

Feature-by-Feature Comparison

Category	Business Starter	Business Standard
Business Email	Professional Gmail @ your domain	Professional Gmail @ your domain
Total Storage	30 GB per user	2 TB pooled storage
Email Attachment Limits	Standard	Standard
Google Meet Participants	100	150
Meeting Recording	No	yes
Noise Cancellation	Basic	Enhanced
File Ownership	User-owned	Team-owned (centralized)
Drive Sharing Controls	Basic	Granular & advanced
Apps (Docs, Sheets, Slides, Forms)	Full suite	Full suite with enhanced sharing
Security Tools	Basic 2FA, anti-spam, phishing protection	Enhanced device & sharing controls
Device Management	Basic	Standard + expanded options
Admin Console	Basic controls	Advanced organization-wide controls
Data Retention	Limited	More configurable retention settings
Audit Logs	Basic	Advanced activity logs
Google Sites, Keep, Chat	Included	Included
Third-Party App Integrations	yes	yes
Support	Google Support	Google support + more admin capabilities
Google Meet Participants	100	150
Ideal For	1–10 users, startups, light usage	SMEs, remote teams, collaboration-heavy operations
UAE Price	AED 28 / user / month	AED 54 / user / month
XL Technologies Benefits	Free Setup, Email Migration	Free Setup, Migration, Shared Drive Setup, Security Hardening

What Is Google Workspace Business Starter?

Google Workspace Business Starter is the most affordable option in the lineup. It’s designed for startups, freelancers, and small teams that need professional business email and access to Google’s powerful collaboration tools — without advanced storage or security needs.

Key Features of Google Workspace:

1. 30 GB Storage Per User

The biggest limitation of Starter is the 30 GB per-user storage, which includes:

Gmail mailbox
Google Drive files

Photos

Uploaded attachments

This is suitable for small teams with limited file activity, but not enough for organizations handling media, large attachments, or heavy collaboration.

2. Professional Business Email @ Your Domain

You get:

Gmail interface
2FA security
Spam and phishing protection
Domain-branded email (yourname@yourcompany.ae)

3. Google Meet (100 Participants)

Includes:

HD video calls
Screen sharing
Chat

But lacks meeting recording, which many businesses need for training and documentation.

4. Basic Security & Device Controls

Starter offers:

2-step verification
Basic mobile device management
Basic admin controls

Enough for minimal requirements but not ideal for regulatory or security-heavy industries.

Who Should Choose a Business Starter?

Business Starter is ideal for:

Startups with fewer than 10 employees
Freelancers / consultants
Small service businesses
Companies shifting from cPanel, Zoho Mail, or IMAP
Teams with light usage who need the lowest-cost entry

It’s the most budget-friendly option but limited in scalability.

What Is Google Workspace Business Standard?

Google Workspace Business Standard is the most popular edition for UAE SMEs. It significantly expands storage, collaboration capabilities, and video conferencing features.

This plan is recommended for any business expecting growth, remote teamwork, or advanced collaboration workflows.

Key Features of Business Standard

1. Massive Storage Upgrade: 2 TB Pooled Cloud Storage

This is the biggest advantage of the Standard plan.

Instead of 30 GB/user, your organization gets 2 TB pooled cloud storage that can be used flexibly:

heavy users can consume more storage
media files, videos, PDFs, and project folders stay organized
Drive doesn’t fill up quickly

UAE companies in real estate, marketing, engineering, training, and consulting strongly benefit from this upgrade.

2. Shared Drives — A Game Changer

Starter does not include Shared Drives.

Shared Drives allow:

centralized department folders
team-based access control
no data loss when employees leave
better workflow organization across HR, Sales, Finance, Marketing

For growing businesses, Shared Drives dramatically improve productivity and data ownership.

3.Google Meet: 150 Participants + Recording

Business Standard adds:

Meeting recording
Noise cancellation
150 participants
Breakout room enhancements

Perfect for:

HR interviews
Online training
Sales demos
Webinars
Remote team collaboration

4. Enhanced Security & Admin Controls

Includes:

granular Drive sharing controls
better device policies
advanced audit logs
improved access management

These features are essential for organizations that must protect internal documents or client data.

Who Should Choose Business Standard?

Choose Standard if your UAE business:

has 10+ employees
relies on remote or hybrid work
manages large file volumes (media, designs, PDFs, property images)
needs centralized storage
requires meeting recordings

expects fast growth

Most UAE organizations ultimately upgrade to Business Standard due to its long-term scalability.

Detailed Feature Breakdown to Help You Decide

Let’s examine the most important features in detail.

1. Storage — The Most Important Factor

Starter: 30 GB/user

Standard: 2 TB pooled

If your team uses Gmail heavily or shares large files, Starter fills up fast. Standard eliminates storage problems completely.

Verdict: If you want a future-proof setup, pick Standard.

2. Collaboration — Shared Drives Make All the Difference

Starter = Personal Drive folders
Standard = Organization-wide Shared Drives

Shared Drives:

prevent data loss
simplify department-based access
keep files structured
support multi-team collaboration

Verdict: Standard is the clear winner.

3. Video Meetings — Recording Is Crucial

Recording matters for:

training
induction
compliance
client calls
meeting minutes

Starter does not support recording.

Verdict: Standard.

4. Security — Growing Businesses Need More Control

Standard includes:

more detailed admin policies
advanced Drive sharing restrictions
better audit tracking
improved device management

For regulated industries, this is essential.

Why UAE Businesses Buy Through XL Technologies

As an authorized Google Workspace partner, XL Technologies provides:

100% Free Setup & Configuration (Limited-time year-end offer)
Zero-downtime email migration from Microsoft 365, Zoho, cPanel, or any platform
Local UAE support via WhatsApp, phone, and email
Custom branding