Google Workspace Pics (AI images): worth it for a small business?
Verdict published 2026-09-12 · Category: design, marketing materials
Verdict: Skip. If you already pay for Workspace, try it on one deck. Everyone else: Canva's free plan still wins.
What happened
Google Workspace rolled out Pics, an AI image maker, to all users. You can generate images without leaving Docs, Slides and the rest of the Workspace apps.
What it actually means
This is Google catching up to Canva, not passing it. Canva has had text-to-image built in for a while, and it comes with the rest of a design workflow: templates, a brand kit, resizing for every platform, no app switching. Pics gives you a picture inside a document. That is handy for a placeholder in a meeting deck and not much else. Anything a customer sees, a flyer, a social post, a menu, still comes out better and faster from Canva.
Price
Included in Google Workspace plans (check current pricing). No extra charge if you already pay for Workspace; no reason to start paying for it.
Who it's for
Teams that live entirely in Docs and Slides and only need generic visuals for internal decks. Not for anyone who makes customer-facing material every week.
Do this instead
Time budget: One slide deck this week. If you already pay for Workspace, make one internal deck and use Pics for the images instead of stock photos. Time it. If you make customer-facing material weekly, skip the test and stay on Canva (free, or $15/month for Pro). Kill rule: if Pics does not save you 20 minutes against stock photos on that one deck, ignore it and move on. It solves a problem most small businesses do not have.
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Made something: The Boring AI Playbook, 20 copy-paste prompts with a time budget and a kill rule. One tool (ChatGPT or Claude), free plan is enough. $12 once.