New Google Apps users have to pay

New users can no longer create a free Google Apps account. Anyone who wants to use Google services on their own domain from now on will have to pull out the wallet. Nothing will change for existing users of the free Google Apps version.

As a result of the change should from now on, all new Google Apps users will pay $50 per user per year for the service. Until now, Google offered new Apps users the option to choose between a free and a paid version. Paying users receive more storage space and support, among other things. Nothing will change for existing users of the free version. Schools and universities can also still switch to Apps for free.

According to Google, the free variant didn’t provide the “right experience” for businesses, as they would quickly outgrow it and need support and more email storage space. In addition, consumer users of the service often had to wait longer for new features in Google services, because they were usually introduced later in Apps. The company wanted to make sure new features were stable enough for businesses. Google therefore advises consumers who want to use its Apps services to create a normal Google account.

According to The Wall Street Journal brought in about $1 billion last year from the sale of Google Apps. More than five million companies would use Google Apps, although in many cases they use the free version. In total, Apps would have 40 million users. Google Apps offers companies the possibility to use Google services with their own domain name, and has been in existence since 2006.