# Shared Mailbox in Google Workspace: What It Costs and How Per-Domain Email Compares

Source: https://lotsmail.to/blog/google-workspace-shared-mailbox-cost
Published: 2026-10-21T03:30:42.449262+00:00

Google doesn't publish a price for a shared mailbox in Google Workspace. Its help pages describe four ways to share an address like support@: a shared inbox, Gmail delegation, a group used as a Collaborative Inbox, and aliases, and none of them states a licence fee. What Google does state is that every Business plan is priced per user, from $7 a user a month on Business Starter with a one-year commitment.

So the honest answer to "what does a shared mailbox cost in Google Workspace" is: the people who use it cost $7 or more each, and Google's pages don't say whether the shared address itself adds a seat. Check your Admin console billing before you count on it being free. For comparison, Microsoft states plainly that a Microsoft 365 shared mailbox needs no licence up to 50 GB, and on LotsMail a shared inbox is one more mailbox on a domain you already pay for once.

I read Google's and Microsoft's own help pages on 20 October 2026 for this. Here's what each option does, what it costs where the vendor says so, and what it means for an agency with a support@ on every client domain.

## The four ways to share an address in Google Workspace

| Option | What Google's help pages say (checked 20 Oct 2026) | Price stated by Google |
|---|---|---|
| **Shared inbox** | An admin creates a mailbox (or converts an existing account) and adds delegates, who can read, send and delete messages and manage its contacts. For Business Starter, Standard and Plus. Released in phases: if it's not in your Admin console yet, Google says to use delegated Gmail accounts | Not stated |
| **Gmail delegation** | An account owner adds delegates who read, send and receive on its behalf. Up to 1,000 delegates per account, about 40 at the same time with typical use. A Google group can be a delegate. Only users in the same organization | Not stated; the delegated account is a regular Gmail account in your organization |
| **Group as a Collaborative Inbox** | A Google group that members work in Google Groups: assign conversations, mark them complete or duplicate, and label them. Needs Groups for Business turned on | Not stated |
| **Email alias** | A second address on one user's mailbox, up to 30 per user | **No extra cost**, but only one user can use an alias; for an address used by several people, Google recommends delegation |

Two lines in those pages matter most for teams:

- **Aliases are free but personal.** Google's alias page says only one user can receive mail sent to an alias. Put support@ on one person's mailbox and only that person sees it.
- **Delegation stays inside one organization.** Google's delegation page says users can only delegate access to another user in the same organization. If an agency person answers a client's support@ in the client's Google Workspace, they need an account in that client's organization.

If you're still deciding between a shared inbox and a group, I covered the difference in [Shared Inbox vs Group Email](https://lotsmail.to/blog/shared-inbox-vs-group-email).

## How Microsoft 365 handles the same thing

Microsoft's shared mailbox page (last updated 13 March 2026) is explicit:

- A shared mailbox stores up to **50 GB without a licence**. Above that, or for archiving and litigation hold, it needs an Exchange Online Plan 2 licence (or Plan 1 with an archiving add-on).
- Each person who opens it needs their own **licensed Exchange Online mailbox**; the shared mailbox itself doesn't.
- A shared mailbox supports up to **25 users**; for more, Microsoft suggests a Microsoft 365 group.

Microsoft 365 Business Basic, which includes a licensed mailbox, is $7.00 a user a month paid yearly or $8.40 on a monthly subscription (checked 20 October 2026).

## How a shared inbox works on LotsMail

LotsMail charges per domain, not per person, so a shared inbox is just another mailbox on a domain you already pay for:

- **Unlimited mailboxes, addresses and teammates** on every plan, from $5 a month per domain (Starter, $50 a year). When you create a mailbox you choose a personal one ("one person's inbox") or a shared one ("a team inbox several people open, like info@ or sales@").
- **Access per mailbox.** For each mailbox you choose who can open it and at what level: a **reader** reads and searches but can't send, a **sender** reads, writes and sends from that address, and a **manager** also exports and decides who has access. Team members only see the mailboxes they're added to, owners included, and owner access to a mailbox is recorded and shown to its users.
- **For agencies: a workspace per client,** each with its own domains and mailboxes. Your team works across every client workspace with one LotsTech account, client staff sign in as mailbox users (free and unlimited, no LotsTech account needed), and you can't read a client's mail unless you're given access to that mailbox.
- **ChatGPT or Claude in the shared inbox, if you want it.** LotsMail works with the AI agent you already use. Each person chooses what their assistant may do in each mailbox they can open: read, write drafts or send. Sending is off until they turn it on, so replies wait in Drafts.

What you don't get yet: desktop and phone mail apps (Outlook, Apple Mail over IMAP and SMTP) are coming soon, and LotsMail has no calendar. Your current provider keeps your existing mail, and you can copy it into LotsMail with Import mail: Gmail, Google Workspace, Zoho, Yahoo or any host with IMAP, using an app password. LotsMail is a full inbox in the browser on phone, tablet and desktop, and it isn't a replacement for Google Workspace's Docs, Drive and Meet.

## What it costs: a team of 5 with support@ and sales@

Five people on one domain, each with their own mailbox, plus a shared support@ and sales@. Yearly billing, list prices checked 20 October 2026 (LotsMail checked 26 October 2026):

| Provider | People | support@ and sales@ | Per month |
|---|---|---|---|
| **LotsMail Starter** | Included: unlimited mailboxes | Included: two more mailboxes | **$5** for the domain |
| Microsoft 365 Business Basic | 5 × $7.00 | No licence up to 50 GB each | $35 |
| Google Workspace Business Starter | 5 × $7 | Price not stated by Google | $35, plus whatever your Admin console bills for the shared inbox |

Add a sixth person and the Google and Microsoft rows go up by $7. The LotsMail row doesn't, and neither does adding billing@ or orders@. Google's Business Starter does include Calendar, Meet, Drive and Docs in that $7, so the comparison is fair only if email is what you're buying. I worked through bigger examples in [what business email costs for a team of 10 and an agency with 10 client domains](https://lotsmail.to/blog/business-email-cost-team-of-10-agency-10-domains).

## What it means for an agency

Picture an agency with 10 client domains, each needing a support@ that two agency people answer:

- **On Google Workspace,** if each client has its own Workspace organization, delegation only works between users in that organization. So each person who answers a client's support@ needs a user account in that client's organization, priced per user, before any question of what the shared inbox itself costs.
- **On Microsoft 365,** the shared mailbox is free up to 50 GB, but each person opening it needs a licensed mailbox in that tenant.
- **On LotsMail,** Starter is $5 a month and covers 1 domain, Pro covers 5 and Business 20, and each extra domain costs your plan's rate. The agency's people are added to each client's support@ as senders, with no extra charge per person or per mailbox. See [LotsMail pricing explained](https://lotsmail.to/blog/lotsmail-pricing-explained) for how plans and extra domains are billed.

## Which option fits

- **One person handles support@ on Google Workspace:** an alias is free and simple.
- **Several people share it inside one Google organization:** a shared inbox (or delegation until it reaches your Admin console), or a Collaborative Inbox if you want to assign and resolve conversations in Google Groups.
- **You're on Microsoft 365:** a shared mailbox, free up to 50 GB, for up to 25 people.
- **You want every person and every role address on the domain for one price, with access set per mailbox, and you're happy in a browser inbox:** LotsMail. [Start free](https://lotsmail.to) with 5,000 free credits, valid 90 days, no card.

## FAQ

### Does a shared mailbox in Google Workspace need a licence?

Google's help pages don't say. Its shared inbox page describes how an admin creates the mailbox and adds delegates for Business Starter, Standard and Plus, but states no licence fee (checked 20 October 2026). Google prices Business plans per user, so check your Admin console billing after you create one.

### Is a Google Workspace shared inbox free?

Google doesn't state a price for it. What's free and stated: up to 30 email aliases per user at no extra cost, though only one user can receive mail sent to an alias. For an address several people use, Google recommends delegation or its shared inbox feature.

### What is the difference between a shared inbox and a Google group in Google Workspace?

A shared inbox is a mailbox that delegates open in Gmail to read, send and delete messages. A group sends one address's mail to all its members, and as a Collaborative Inbox it lets members assign conversations and mark them complete in Google Groups. Collaborative Inbox needs Groups for Business turned on.

### How many people can use a shared mailbox?

In Google Workspace, a delegated Gmail account supports up to 1,000 delegates, with about 40 using it at the same time in typical use. A Microsoft 365 shared mailbox supports up to 25 users. On LotsMail, mailboxes and teammates are unlimited on every plan.

### Does Microsoft 365 charge for shared mailboxes?

Not up to 50 GB. Microsoft says a shared mailbox needs no licence up to 50 GB, but each person who opens it needs a licensed Exchange Online mailbox, and more storage or archiving needs an Exchange Online Plan 2 licence or an archiving add-on.

### How much does a shared inbox cost on LotsMail?

Nothing extra. LotsMail charges per domain, from $5 a month on Starter, with unlimited mailboxes, addresses and teammates, so support@, sales@ and every person's own mailbox are covered by the same price.

## Sources (opened 20 October 2026, LotsMail pricing rechecked 26 October 2026)

- Google: [Create a shared inbox](https://knowledge.workspace.google.com/admin/users/create-a-shared-inbox), [Let users delegate access to a Gmail account](https://support.google.com/a/answer/7223765), [Use a group as a Collaborative Inbox](https://support.google.com/a/users/answer/167430), [Create a group in your organization](https://support.google.com/a/answer/33343), [Add or delete an email alias](https://support.google.com/a/answer/33327), [Workspace pricing](https://workspace.google.com/pricing)
- Microsoft: [About shared mailboxes](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/admin/email/about-shared-mailboxes), [Microsoft 365 Business Basic](https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/business/microsoft-365-business-basic)
- LotsMail: [lotsmail.to](https://lotsmail.to), [pricing](https://lotsmail.to/pricing), [connect page](https://lotsmail.to/mcp), [agent docs](https://api.lotsmail.to/docs.md)