Verdict: For EU organisations, Sluis is the better choice because it is easier to adopt (sign in with Microsoft, Google or Apple, build an agent by describing it, apps on every platform, no seat licences), clearer to run (one policy, one audit trail grouped per request, one usage bill at provider list price plus 10%), safer for data (EU-only routing by default, reversible pseudonymization before the model, a hash-chained audit log you can verify offline) and fuller as a workspace (versioned Skills, private and shared Knowledge, spreadsheets and presentations, agent memory, scheduled agents, many model providers in one place).
The short version
Sluis is an AI workspace and a governed gateway. You sign in with Microsoft, Google or Apple, describe an agent in a chat to build it, and use versioned Skills, private or shared Knowledge, spreadsheets and presentations in one place, on web, macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS and Android. One policy and one audit trail apply to every model request, and the gateway behind it runs on Rust. Sluis is hosted in the EU, routes to EU providers by default, is ISO 27001 certified and works with models from many vendors.
Gemini in Google Workspace is an assistant built into Gmail, Docs, Sheets, Slides, Meet and Drive, plus the Gemini app for chat. Since 2025 Google includes it in Workspace Business and Enterprise subscriptions instead of selling it as a separate add-on. It runs on Google's models only, and it lives inside the Google apps rather than across your company's AI use.
Sluis does not replace your mail, calendar or documents, so many companies keep Google Workspace and put their AI work in Sluis. Where the question is which one should govern and power AI across the organisation, Sluis is the answer.
At a glance
| Sluis | Gemini in Google Workspace | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Standalone AI workspace plus a governed API gateway | AI features inside Gmail, Docs, Sheets, Slides, Meet, Drive, plus the Gemini app |
| Models | Many providers: Mistral, Scaleway, Nebul, Google Vertex, OpenAI, Anthropic, xAI and others, chosen by your policy | Google's Gemini models |
| Pricing | Provider list price + 10%, no seat fees; bring-your-own-key at €0.50 per 1M tokens | Included in Workspace Business and Enterprise plans; per-user plan price |
| Data location | Managed service hosted in the EU; API routing defaults to EU-only, enforced per request | Admin-selected data region (EU or US) for covered data; in-region AI processing depends on edition |
| Sensitive-data handling | Detects and reversibly pseudonymizes sensitive values before dispatch | Workspace data protections and admin settings |
| Audit | Tamper-evident hash-chained audit log, verifiable offline | Workspace reporting and audit tools, by edition |
| Sign-in | Microsoft Entra ID, Google and Apple SSO; authenticator-app or passkey two-factor; SAML and SCIM on request (enterprise) | Google accounts, SSO via your identity provider |
| Self-hosted option | Optional Sluis Edge: the data plane as one binary on your infrastructure | No |
| Best fit for EU organisations | Sluis |
Pricing
Sluis has no platform subscription and no seat fee, so there are no licences to assign or reclaim. Managed model usage costs the provider's list price plus 10%. If you bring your own provider keys, or connect a custom OpenAI-compatible endpoint, Sluis charges €0.50 per 1M input plus output tokens, and the provider bills its own usage separately. Self-service is prepaid with a €25 minimum credit purchase, there is no free tier, and payment-method surcharges apply. Some optional checks (AI name recognition, prompt-injection scanning, OCR) are metered separately; the pricing page lists them. Workloads, budgets and a spend overview in the console show where every euro went, on one usage-based bill.
Gemini has no separate price. Google's Workspace help states that the AI features formerly sold as add-ons are now included in Business and Enterprise editions, and the old add-ons are no longer for sale. You pay the Workspace plan price per user. On the UK pricing page we checked, Business Standard was listed at £11.80 per user per month; prices differ by region, currency and commitment, so confirm on Google's page. Which Gemini features you get depends on the edition.
The practical difference: Sluis costs nothing when nobody uses it and scales with actual usage, which suits companies where AI use is uneven. Gemini is cheap only if you already pay for Workspace and your people use it every day.
Data residency and protection
Sluis answers the residency question at the request level. The managed service is hosted in the EU. API routing defaults to EU-only, and the organisation decides explicitly whether other jurisdictions are allowed or whether EU-owned providers are required. An EU region does not imply an EU-owned provider, so these are separate policy settings.
Before a request leaves, Sluis detects PII and secrets (60 built-in detectors, plus optional name recognition) and applies your policy: block, mask, log, or reversible pseudonymization, where each value becomes a typed token such as «EMAIL_1» and is restored in the response. The audit log is hash-chained, so you can verify offline that it was not altered, and retention controls decide how long content is kept. Detection is not a guarantee that every sensitive value is found, and using Sluis does not by itself establish GDPR compliance. Sluis is ISO 27001 certified.
Google lets Workspace administrators choose a data region, EU or US, for covered data. In June 2026 Google announced that the Gemini app follows these data region settings too. Google's announcement lists in-region processing and storage for Enterprise Plus and Frontline Plus, while some Education editions get in-region storage only. If you rely on EU processing, check which edition you are on and what the data region policy covers. Google also states that Gemini interactions stay within your organization and that content is not human reviewed or used for model training outside your domain without permission.
Admin and governance
Sluis puts governance in the AI layer itself: per-workload budgets and limits, residency and provider-ownership policy, data protection modes, a scope guard that can refuse out-of-scope model calls, and deny-by-default grants for MCP tools. Every call is written to a hash-chained audit log, with the checks that ran grouped under each request. Members sign in with Microsoft Entra ID, Google or Apple, can add an authenticator app or passkey as a second factor, and owners can require two-factor. SAML and SCIM are available for enterprise contracts on request.
Gemini inherits the Workspace admin console. Admins can switch the Gemini app, Gemini Notebook, Vids and meeting notes on or off, and, in Enterprise editions, control access to Gemini features inside Workspace services. That is useful if your governance already lives in the Google admin console, but it covers Gemini only, not the other models and applications your company uses.
Model choice and agents
Sluis is model-neutral. A sluis/* alias or a provider/model id reaches any connected provider, and the same gateway speaks the OpenAI and Anthropic Messages APIs, so existing applications and coding agents such as Claude Code, Codex and Cursor can connect by changing a base URL. Agents and Skills are built in a chat by describing them, and external tools go through the same gate via MCP. Compare models per task and move when pricing changes, without changing tools.
Gemini means Google's models. That suits you if you want one vendor and one contract, and it constrains you if you want to compare models or switch.
Who might still pick Gemini
- Your company runs on Google Workspace and most AI value is inside Gmail, Docs, Sheets, Meet and Drive. Editing Google documents in place and summarising meetings are not part of Sluis today; deeper integrations are available on request for enterprise contracts.
- You want AI included in a subscription you already pay, with no new vendor to onboard.
- Google is already an approved processor, with its data region and contract terms fitted into your compliance process.
Many companies use both: Gemini inside Google apps, Sluis for everything that crosses models and needs a single record. For other employee AI options, see European ChatGPT alternatives for organisations.
Our verdict
Sluis wins for EU organisations: simpler to adopt (one sign-in, one workspace, no seats), clearer to run (one policy, one audit trail, one usage bill) and safer for data (EU-only routing, pseudonymization, a verifiable audit chain, optional self-hosting through Sluis Edge). Gemini is a fine add-on inside Google's apps, but it is not a governed layer across models. See Sluis Workspace and pricing.
FAQ
Is Gemini in Google Workspace GDPR compliant?
Google publishes data processing terms and data region controls for Workspace, and states that Gemini interactions stay within your organization. Whether your use is compliant depends on your own assessment, configuration and legal basis. The same is true for Sluis: using it does not by itself establish GDPR compliance, but Sluis adds EU-only routing by default and pseudonymization before data reaches a model.
Can Sluis replace Gemini in Gmail and Docs?
No. Sluis is a separate workspace and gateway. It can work with spreadsheets and presentations as attachments and generated files; in-app integration with the Google apps is available on request for enterprise contracts.
Does Sluis use Google's models?
Yes. Google Vertex (including Gemini) is a supported provider in an EU region, so the default EU-only policy allows it. Google is US-owned, so you can switch on the EU-owned-only restriction to exclude it. Sluis lets you use Gemini without being limited to it.
Which is cheaper?
If your team already has Workspace Business or Enterprise, Gemini adds no separate charge. Sluis charges provider list price plus 10% for managed usage, with no seat fees, so you pay only for what is used and can pick cheaper models for simple tasks. Compare against your actual usage, not list prices alone.
Can I keep prompts inside my own infrastructure?
Gemini is a Google-hosted service. Sluis offers an optional Edge deployment that runs the data plane as one binary on infrastructure you control. Model-provider egress then depends on the providers you configure.