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Should I self-host Google Workspace?
The docs and drive parts self-host fine (OnlyOffice, Nextcloud — both on this scoreboard). The email part is the trap: self-hosted SMTP in 2026 is a deliverability hobby where you debug why Gmail silently spam-folders your invoices. Email is the one workload we tell everyone to keep paying for.
The math (nothing hidden, including your time)
| Google Workspace (Business Starter, per seat) | $8.40/mo |
| VPS share + storage | −$1.00/mo |
| Your maintenance: 60 min/mo at $20/h | −$20.00/mo |
| Net saving | $-12.60/mo |
| Setup: 15 min measured (one-time) | $5.00 |
| Break-even | never |
| Markup Index (price ÷ real self-host cost) | 0.4× |
Price: source, checked 2026-08-07. Inputs are stored in git; every number above is derived, never hand-written.
What you lose
- Deliverability that just works — the entire value is other people's spam filters trusting Google
- Meet/Calendar network effects
What you're paying Google Workspace for
- custom-domain email
- Drive storage
- Docs/Sheets
- Meet
Ranked alternatives
Writer, Calc and Impress in a browser tab, on the LibreOffice engine, driven by the file app you already run.
The Word, Excel and PowerPoint half of an office subscription, as a server your own file app hands documents to.
Hardware
Runs comfortably on a real VPS (2 GB+).
Verification
Protocol v1 · verified by zernonia on 2026-08-10 · setup measured at 15 min · AI assistant: claude-code (allowed & stated)
Full timed log
# Google Workspace — verdict log - **Date:** 2026-08-10 - **Verdict:** NOT REALLY — keep paying - **Protocol:** v1 (2GB reference env, Docker preinstalled, AI assistant: claude-code) ## Why no compose file - This verdict is decided by economics/capability, not setup effort — the rubric doesn't require a timed install to conclude the subscription should stay (or that the replacement's cost lives elsewhere, e.g. GPUs, egress, or an installer script). ## The call The docs and drive parts self-host fine (OnlyOffice, Nextcloud — both on this scoreboard). The email part is the trap: self-hosted SMTP in 2026 is a deliverability hobby where you debug why Gmail silently spam-folders your invoices. Email is the one workload we tell everyone to keep paying for.
Verdict history
- 2026-08-10: unscored → NOT_REALLY — Initial verdict: The docs and drive parts self-host fine (OnlyOffice, Nextcloud — both on this scoreboard).