Compare
Ion and
Google Workspace.
A different shape of workspace: a focused, open-protocol alternative to the suite. Here is the honest picture.
We name what Google Workspace does well. The point is a fair picture, not a sales pitch.
Side by side
The essentials,
compared.
The same questions we would want answered for any workspace we ran our business on.
| Area | Ion | Google Workspace |
|---|---|---|
| Threaded conversations, folders, labels, and search — connected to the rest of the workspace. | Gmail is excellent and battle-tested, with a deep ecosystem around it. | |
| Calendar | Month view and event details, kept alongside mail in the same working day. | A mature calendar with broad third-party support. |
| Contacts | Address books in the same workspace as mail and calendar. | Directory-grade contacts, tied into the Google admin console. |
| Files | Folders, uploads, and downloads, close to the conversation. | Drive plus the Docs editor suite — far beyond simple file storage. |
| Protocol | JMAP — an open internet standard (RFC 8620) for mail, calendars, and contacts. | Proprietary APIs. IMAP exists but is limited and legacy. |
| Pricing model | Shaped with you during the pilot — no published tier to outgrow. | Published per-user tiers, with suite bundling. |
| Migration path | IMAP import into JMAP storage, with a cutover plan your IT team reviews. | Mature export and transfer tooling between Google tenants. |
Why teams switch
Reasons, without
the sales pitch.
Why teams consider Ion over Google Workspace — and, just as honestly, reasons to stay put.
An open protocol.
JMAP is a published standard with efficient sync. Your workspace is not a proprietary API relationship you cannot leave.
Essentials, not sprawl.
Mail, calendar, contacts, and files as one working day. If you need Docs and Sheets, keep using them alongside — or stay on Workspace.
A pricing conversation.
Plans are shaped per business during the pilot instead of a published rate card you fit yourself into.
A guided migration.
We move mail, contacts, calendars, and files with you, through a cutover window your IT team approves.
Your next chapter of work
A better place
for your
working day.
Email, calendars, contacts, and files.
All the essentials. A little more room to work.
No account. No setup.02 / Make it your next stepRequest pilot accessTell us about your business.
Let’s see if the managed pilot is a fit.