Why I'm Building for Google Workspace
The business case for building Google Workspace add-ons in 2026, and why it's an underrated opportunity for indie developers.
The Opportunity
Google Workspace has over 3 billion users. That’s not a typo—three billion. And unlike the App Store or Chrome Web Store, the Workspace Marketplace is relatively uncrowded.
Here’s what I’ve learned building add-ons for Sheets, Gmail, and Forms.
Why It Works
Captive audience with real problems
People using Google Sheets for business aren’t casual users. They have actual workflows, actual pain points, and actual budgets. When you solve a problem they face every day, the value is immediately obvious.
Low discovery friction
The add-on appears right in their workflow. They don’t need to open a new app, create an account, or change how they work. They just… use it.
Subscription-friendly
Business users understand subscriptions. $10/month for a tool that saves an hour per week? That math works.
The Challenges
It’s not all upside:
OAuth verification is brutal
If you need sensitive scopes (like Gmail read access), plan for weeks of back-and-forth with Google’s security team. They want detailed justifications, privacy policies, and sometimes even video walkthroughs.
Apps Script limitations
The runtime is quirky. No npm packages, limited debugging, 6-minute execution limits. You learn to work around it, but it shapes what you can build.
Support expectations
Business users expect business support. You need to be responsive, professional, and patient.
The Math
Here’s my rough model:
- Marketplace fee: 0% (Google doesn’t take a cut)
- Stripe fee: ~3%
- Hosting: ~$0 (serverless)
- Customer support: Time
With a $10/month product and 50 customers, that’s $500/month in nearly pure margin. Scale to 500 customers and you have a real business.
What I’m Building
I’m launching three add-ons in 2026:
- Groups Manager Pro - Bulk Google Groups management
- Email Attachment Importer - Gmail to Sheets automation
- FormVue - Form response analytics
Each solves a specific pain point that Google’s native tools don’t address well.
Advice for Others
If you’re considering this space:
- Start with your own pain - The best products come from problems you actually have
- Keep scope small - One feature done well beats ten features done poorly
- Plan for OAuth - Start the verification process early
- Build a shared backend - Licensing, analytics, and support tools pay off quickly
The Google Workspace ecosystem is underrated. If you can stomach the platform quirks, there’s real opportunity here.