posted on November 13, 2010 00:41
Part 1: Choosing your Google Account Type
Google Account versus Google Apps Account
A Google Account is what most people refer to when they say Gmail.
A Google Apps account is basically a Gmail account that incorporates your own custom domain.
Both Google Apps and a Google Account provide the user with most of the same applications:
- email (Gmail)
- Google Docs
- Calendar
- Google Sites
The primary difference between a Google Account (a regular old Gmail account) and a Google Apps account is that Google Apps integrates your own domain name into the services.
This difference makes Google Apps the suitable choice for businesses and organizations, and a Gmail/Google Account the choice for personal usage.
Google Apps Versions
- Standard Edition is free for up to 50 users inside a single domain
- Premier Edition costs $50 per user per year
Click here for Google’s comparison of standard vs. premiere editions.
There are also editions available for Government, Schools and non-profit organizations. See the Google Apps home page here for more details.
For most small business or organizations the clear choice is the Standard Edition, which will be the subject of the rest of this article.
To sign up for a free Google Apps account, have the domain name you wish to use ready and go to the Welcome to Google Apps page here to sign up.