Google Apps offers a number of applications and features for business customers and further customization than their free line of Gmail and Google Drive. Up until this past week, Google offered a free Google Apps account for organizations that needed 10 accounts or fewer. Before April 2011, that number was even higher at 50 accounts or fewer. Unfortunately, Google no longer offers the free line of Google Apps and will now charge $50/user/year. Fortunately for those who signed up before this recent announcement, their free service will continue to be offered unchanged.
The announcement was made via the Official Google Enterprise Blog and an email was sent out to existing Google Apps customers. The email read as following:
Hello from Google,
Here’s some important news about Google Apps—but don’t worry, there’s no need for you to take any action. We just want you to know that we’re making a change to the packages we offer.
Starting today, we’re no longer accepting new sign-ups for the free version of Google Apps (the version you’re currently using). Because you’re already a customer, this change has no impact on your service, and you can continue to use Google Apps for free.
Should you ever want to upgrade to Google Apps for Business, you’ll enjoy benefits such as 24/7 customer support, a 25 GB inbox, business controls, our 99.9% uptime guarantee, unlimited users and more for just $5 per user, per month.
You can learn more about this change in our Help Center or on the Enterprise Blog.
Thank you for using Google Apps.
Clay Bavor
Director, Google Apps