Google Vault vs. SpinOne: What’s the Difference?
Google Vault vs. SpinOne: What’s the Difference?
Google Vault and SpinOne solve different problems for Google Workspace™ data — and increasingly, they overlap in ways the original comparison didn’t account for. Google Vault is Google’s native archiving and eDiscovery tool. SpinOne is an independent SaaS data protection platform that covers backup and recovery, and now includes its own automated archiving and built-in eDiscovery, too. Here’s how they actually compare in 2026.
What Is Google Vault?
Google Vault is Google’s built-in tool for retaining, holding, searching, and exporting Google Workspace data — designed for legal and compliance needs, not disaster recovery. It covers:
- Email and chat archiving and search
- Legal holds to preserve data indefinitely
- Email, chat, and Drive export
- Domain-wide retention policies
- Audit reports on Vault user activity
What it doesn’t do: back up your data. Vault has no restore function, keeps only the latest version of a file (no point-in-time recovery), and doesn’t cover Drive, Calendar, Contacts, or Sites the way a true backup does. It also requires a Vault license — either bundled into Workspace Business/Enterprise plans or purchased as an add-on — for every user in your domain, whether or not they need it.
What Is SpinOne?
SpinOne is an independent SaaS data security platform — meaning it doesn’t rely on Google’s own infrastructure to protect Google Workspace data. For this comparison, three parts of the platform matter:
SpinOne Backup & Recovery
Automated daily backups with granular, point-in-time restore for Gmail, Drive, Contacts, Calendar, and Sites — plus ransomware detection and rapid recovery. This is the core capability Google Vault has never provided. Learn more about SpinOne Backup & Recovery →
SpinOne Enterprise Archiving
Automated archiving for departed or inactive users, so you’re not paying full license costs to retain their data for compliance. Unlike Vault’s retention rules, this runs on SpinOne’s own infrastructure and includes access, search, and reassignment of archived data without extra add-ons. See the full Enterprise Archiving Solution →
SpinOne eDiscovery
Built directly on top of SpinOne’s backup and archiving data, SpinOne eDiscovery lets legal and IT teams search across email, Drive, Calendar, and Chat, build cases, and apply litigation holds — without a separate, standalone eDiscovery tool. Explore SpinOne eDiscovery →
Google Vault vs. SpinOne: Feature Comparison
| Capability | Google Vault | SpinOne |
|---|---|---|
| Automated backup & point-in-time recovery | No | Yes |
| Ransomware detection & response | No | Yes |
| Archiving for departed/inactive users | Yes (native retention rules) | Yes (automated, cost-optimized) |
| Legal holds & litigation preservation | Yes | Yes (via SpinOne eDiscovery) |
| Dedicated eDiscovery case management | Basic search/export | Yes, purpose-built |
| Licensing | Required for every user (bundled or add-on) | Choose which users to license |
| Independent of Google infrastructure | No | Yes |
Can SpinOne Replace Google Vault?
For most organizations, yes. Historically, teams ran Vault for archiving/legal holds and a separate tool (or nothing) for backup. Now that SpinOne includes automated archiving and its own eDiscovery, a single SpinOne deployment can cover backup, retention, legal holds, and search — the jobs that used to require Vault plus a third-party backup tool.
The exception: organizations with existing Workspace Business/Enterprise Plus licensing (which already bundles Vault) and no backup or eDiscovery needs beyond native retention may not see enough value to switch. If you’re already invested in Vault for basic retention and don’t need backup, recovery, or advanced case management, it may still cover your needs.
Pricing: Google Vault vs. SpinOne
Google Vault pricing is either bundled into higher Workspace tiers or sold as a per-user add-on, applied to every user in your domain, whether they need it or not. SpinOne is licensed per user, so you can protect only the accounts that need backup, archiving, or eDiscovery. Current SpinOne pricing is available at spin.ai/pricing.
Which One Should You Choose?
- Choose SpinOne alone if you want backup, recovery, ransomware protection, automated archiving, and eDiscovery in one platform — with license flexibility to cover only the users you need.
- Keep Google Vault too if you’re already on a Workspace tier that includes it and want native, Google-side legal hold enforcement as a second layer alongside SpinOne’s independent backup and eDiscovery.
- Vault alone rarely covers modern requirements: without backup or ransomware protection, a Vault-only strategy leaves a gap most compliance and IT teams can’t accept today.
FAQs
Does SpinOne include eDiscovery?
Yes. SpinOne eDiscovery is built on top of your existing backup and archiving data, letting legal and IT teams search, hold, and build cases without a separate tool. See how it works →
Does SpinOne’s archiving replace Google Vault?
For most retention and cost-reduction use cases, yes, SpinOne Enterprise Archiving automates what Vault does manually, plus gives you direct access to archived data. Compare archiving approaches →
Is Google Vault a backup solution?
No. Vault has no restore function and keeps only the latest version of a file. It’s built for archiving, search, and legal holds — not disaster recovery.
How does SpinOne pricing compare to Google Vault?
SpinOne lets you license only the users who need protection, while Vault typically requires a license for everyone in the domain. See current SpinOne pricing.
