compare microsoft office 365 business plans

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Microsoft 365 Family vs Microsoft 365 Business: which is better for work?

Not sure whether to spend extra on corporate software? We weigh up Microsoft’s productivity possibilities

Most of us have been using apps like Word and Excel for decades, so it’s no surprise that productivity suites like Microsoft 365 are popular – they combine top tools and security features into easy, accessible packages.

If you’re not familiar with the range of Microsoft 365 options on the market, though, the range of options can be extremely confusing. It’s even trickier if you’re weighing up Microsoft’s various family and business plans.

And while it might seem odd to compare home and work products, the rise in freelancing and hybrid working means more people and companies are trying to figure out if they can use Microsoft 365 home products instead of a pricier business package.

Whether you’re a freelancer, an IT manager or a business owner, it’s worth weighing up Microsoft 365 Family and Microsoft 365 Business to find the best option for you – and that’s exactly what we’ve done.   

That’s not the end of our software support, either. We’ve delved into the best photo recovery apps and explored the best apps for managing your money .

Microsoft for Business can help identify your company's specific tech needs. Connect one-on-one with a business product expert by video chat or audio call. Book a consultation today.

Microsoft 365 Family: what do you get?

There’s no denying that Microsoft 365 Family offers great value. Pay $99.99 per year in the US or £79.99 in the UK and you get Word , Excel , PowerPoint , OneNote , Outlook and OneDrive . Users can run those apps on PCs, Macs, Android and iOS devices and on the web. Access and Publisher are available for PC users, too.

It’s huge versatility, and the impressive set of features doesn’t stop there. Each user gets 1TB of cloud storage so you can sync files across devices. Each user gets 50GB of space with their Outlook email address, and Family users can enjoy Microsoft Teams and Skype for easy communication.

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Elsewhere, conventional data protection comes from Microsoft Defender, and OneDrive incorporates ransomware detection and recovery services. There’s even a basic free video editing software and royalty-free templates, stock photos and stock videos.

If you need reliable, synchronized access to productivity tools, then the Home product makes loads of sense – especially if you want productivity software that your family can use. And with support for six users, the Family package is ideal for small businesses with relatively basic productivity needs.

There’s a great option if you’re self-employed, too: the Microsoft 365 Personal product only supports one user, but it only costs $69.99 or £59.99 per year.

Microsoft 365 Business: a better option?

There’s no doubt that Microsoft 365 Family is well-suited to anyone who needs relatively straightforward productivity and email tools, but if you run a business or handle corporate IT systems then you’ll find its limits very quickly.

If that’s the case, then you should consider Microsoft 365 Business instead. These products are more expensive, but they’re far more powerful.

Let’s start with Microsoft 365 Business Basic, which costs $6 or £4.50 per user per month. You get web versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote and Outlook. You get Exchange, too, so you can use your domain name rather than Outlook. Each user gets 1TB of OneDrive cloud storage space alongside 50GB of email capacity.

The Basic product has more collaboration options, in-depth calendaring capabilities and a solid range of admin settings, and its tools also work on Android and iOS – just like in Microsoft 365 Family.

If you’d like to switch your business to downloadable apps rather than online versions, you can pay $8.25 or £7.90 for Microsoft 365 Apps for Business.

Upgrade to Microsoft 365 Business Standard and you get everything in Business Basic alongside downloadable apps and the ability to host webinars . You’ll also get more detailed options about how Microsoft controls and processes your data, which is perfect if you want to retain your existing domain.

Microsoft’s top option, 365 Business Premium, costs $22 or £16.60 per user per month. That’s pricey, but you get class-leading security and management features that you simply won’t find on any other Microsoft 365 product. It’s the best product here if you have a wider network that you need to manage and sensitive data that you have to protect.

The various Microsoft 365 Business products offer more than the Family and Personal tools. Even at the Basic level you get Exchange, and as you upgrade through the tiers then Microsoft adds enterprise-grade management and security abilities.

And, no matter which Microsoft 365 Business tool you purchase, you’ll be able to add 300 users to your system and allow each user to use Microsoft’s products across five different devices.

We can’t deny the increase in cost, though. When all the Business products charge per user and per month, those products will quickly become pricier than Microsoft 365 Family or Personal.

Which should you use?

The relatively high costs means that there are plenty of situations where Microsoft 365 Family will be your best option – even if you’re buying software for business use.

If you’re a small company that only has relatively basic productivity needs, for instance, then you can easily buy Microsoft 365 Family, grant access to five other employees, and enjoy web, mobile and PC-based access to crucial apps.

It’s also ideal for freelancers, people who need a product for their family, and many people who work from home.

Pretty soon, though, you’re going to hit the limits of Microsoft 365 Family, especially if you’re part of a growing business or if you operate in a larger team. If that’s the case, then you or your business should stump up for a Microsoft 365 Business product.

Exchange compatibility means you can use corporate email addresses, those tools support a broader number of users, and as you progress through the tiers you get better security and management options. In terms of protection, deployment and administration, there’s really no competition.

Ultimately, freelancers, sole traders and people who need basic productivity tools can certainly save money with Microsoft 365 Family, and that’s a great option if you want one package to cover home and work use. But if you have a larger business then you’ll almost certainly need the more robust security and management tools available from Microsoft’s proper corporate software. 

L ooking for a new laptop to WFH? Check out our best laptop for working from home

Mike has worked as a technology journalist for more than a decade and has written for most of the UK’s big technology titles alongside numerous global outlets. He loves PCs, laptops and any new hardware, and covers everything from the latest business trends to high-end gaming gear.

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Microsoft 365 Business Plans Compared

In April 2020 Microsoft changed the names of the Office 365 Business plans to Microsoft 365 Business. Before this name change, we had only Microsoft 365 Business, but now we have Business Basic, Business Standard, Business Premium, and Apps for Business.

Only the names have changed, the price and the features of the plans have stayed the same. In this article, we are going to take a look at the differences between the Microsoft 365 Business plans . We are going to start with a comparison table so you can quickly compare the most important details between the different plans.

Microsoft 365 for Business Plans Compared

In the table below you will find all the details of the Microsoft 365 business plans compared. You can find the prices for your country here at Microsoft.com . Keep in mind that all Business plans are limited to 300 users.

Note Microsoft added new plans without Teams wich are only available in the European Union. These plans are less expensive. Read everything about it in this article

Tip You can mix Microsoft 365 Business plans with Enterprise plans, so if you have more than 300 users, you buy Office 365 E3 plans for the other users.

Microsoft 365 Business Basic

The Microsoft 365 Business Basic plan, formerly known as Office 365 Business Essentials, is the perfect plan if you don’t work a lot in Word, Excel, or Outlook.

In the Business Basic plan, you don’t get the desktop apps , so you can’t install Word, Excel, Outlook, etc on your desktop. But you can use those applications online in your browser.

The browser versions of these apps work perfectly for light usage. Outlook Online is great to work with, it has all the important features just like the Outlook app. Word and Excel Online also work fine if you need to write an occasional letter or spreadsheet.

What makes the Business Basic plan so great is that you get Exchange Online with 50Gb mailboxes OneDrive and SharePoint. So you can use all the benefits of Office 365 (safely storing your data in the cloud, easily working together and sharing documents, etc.), for only $5 per month.

Microsoft 365 Business Standard

This is basically the default Microsoft 365 plan for small businesses ( hence the name 😉 ). Microsoft 365 Business Standard , formerly known as Office 365 Business Premium, contains everything a small business needs.

It comes with desktop apps so that you can install Outlook, Word, Excel, etc. on your desktops, and it comes with a lot of online business apps.

The desktop apps have of course a lot of advantages over the online versions, but the most important ones are that you can use add-ins (for your business applications for example) and macros . Something that is not possible with the online versions.

Business Standard comes with a couple of Online Business Applications that are only available in Standard and Premium.

• Outlook Customer Manager – a Lite CRM system based on Outlook
• Microsoft Teams Shifts – Built-in Microsoft Teams to plan shifts and tasks
• Microsoft Bookings
• Microsoft Invoicing

Microsoft 365 Business Premium

Business Premium is an original Microsoft 36 plan, it was formerly known as Microsoft 365 Business. It comes with everything that Business Standard has with the addition of a couple of security features/services and a Windows 10 Pro license.

Windows 10 Pro License

The Windows 10 Pro license is a pretty strange one compared to the other plans, so let me explain it a bit. Some of the advanced security features that come with Business Premium don’t work on older versions of Windows or on Windows 10 Home.

So to make full use of the security features, you get a Windows 10 Pro license. Now to be clear, you can only upgrade Windows 7 or 8 Pro to Windows 10 Pro. You can’t upgrade Windows 10 Home to Pro.

Advanced Security Features

The advanced security features help you to stay protected against cybersecurity threats. It protects you from phishing emails and ransomware.

Another important feature is the Azure Information Protection. If you are working with a lot of sensitive data, then you absolutely don’t want the data to be accidentally shared with others. With Information Protection you can classify, label, and encrypt data so it can’t be shared accidentally.

Keep in mind that settings up these features require some knowledge about Office 365, so it might be a good idea to get an IT/Office 365 Consultant to help you set it up correctly.

Microsoft Intune

The last important addition to this Premium Microsoft 365 Business plan is Intune. With Microsoft Intune, you can manage and protect your mobile devices. Keep in mind data mobile devices are easily getting lost or stolen, so you want to make sure that those are fully protected and easily can be wiped clean when lost.

Microsoft 365 Apps for Business

This plan doesn’t really belong here in this comparison, but I have put it in because of the name and the confusion it might cause. You should actually really compare this plan with just buying Office 2019 in my opinion.

Basically, Apps for Business is only the Office applications (Word, Excel, Outlook, etc.) with the advantage that you also get Online versions, continuous updates, and 1Tb OneDrive storage. But you don’t get SharePoint or Exchange Online.

So you will have to host your email somewhere else, store your files locally (or in OneDrive) and you won’t get any of the advantages of Office 365.

The Microsoft 365 Business Standard plan is for most businesses the best plan to choose. It comes with the Office apps, and all the cloud features and it’s reasonably priced. If you are still in doubt, you can always start with a trial of Business Standard .

Make sure you also check the following articles:

• Microsoft 365 Business Standard vs Office 365 E3
• Office 365 Branding
• Setup Multi-Factor Authentication in Office 365

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5 thoughts on “microsoft 365 business plans compared”.

M365 Business Premium comes with Windows 10 Business, not Pro. Win 10 Pro is a requirement for Business.

Hi Can M365BP be combine with M365Standard or basic after BP has exceed the 300 limit ?

So 300MBP and 50MBS and so on.

Yes, that is possible.

your statement on Win 10 pro is wrong. Premium CANNOT upgrade a home to pro. I asked microsoft directly to confirm.

“Windows 10 Pro License The Windows 10 Pro license is a pretty strange one compared to the other plans, so let me explain it a bit. Some of the advanced security features that come with Business Premium don’t work on Windows 10 Home. In small companies, you see more Windows 10 Home devices, because people are using a (former) personal device or buy the more affordable computers with Windows 10 Home on it.

So to make full use of the security features, you get a Windows 10 Pro license. Installing it is pretty simple, all you need to do is change the license key and your Windows 10 Home installation will be upgraded to Pro.”

You are correct. I have updated the article.

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• Complete Office 365 & Microsoft 365 Licensing Comparison

The Complete Office 365 and Microsoft 365 Licensing Comparison

I’ve only met one other person that could write the complete Office 365 and Microsoft 365 licensing comparison. That person is Glenton Davis, Sr. Product Marketing Manager at Microsoft. (Although, I did stump him on a few CAS unified labeling features…after he schooled me about the new Microsoft 365 Security E5 plan.) To put it another way: Microsoft subscriptions are confusing.

What did I just buy?

Or if you work in sales—what did I just sell? Microsoft has no shortage of comparison charts.

When I see that Office 365 E3 sort of includes AIP, I always need to refer to my notes for clarification. Updates to the chart are listed at the bottom of the page, so you can be sure if recent announcements have been added to the Microsoft 365 licensing comparison chart.

Note: as of April 2020 the term “Microsoft 365 Business” now means “limit of 300 users.” The only bundle of Office 365, EMS, and Windows 10 in the M365 Business family is the M365 Business Premium plan.

* Microsoft 365 A1 is a one-time purchase. ** Does not include a personal SharePoint site.

Scroll → → →

RO = Read Only. EOK1 = Exchange Online Kiosk Plan 1. SOK1 = SharePoint Online Kiosk Plan 1. OME = Office Message Encryption. CAD = Cloud App Discovery.

Include Other Vendors When Making Your Microsoft 365 Licensing Comparison

At Infused Innovations, we prefer when our customers purchase a given feature set only once. Too often, we see a company purchase Enterprise Mobility + Security (EM+S) for the sole purpose of enabling Self-Service Password Reset (SSPR) with writeback for on-premises AD. That same company also owns Okta for SSO, AirWatch for MDM, and Netskope for CASB.

When we explain to the CFO that they already own EM+S, which contains similar functionality as those three other vendors, it’s usually a pretty quick discussion to get approval to start a proof of concept deployment standardizing on Microsoft 365. The budget that was allocated for the other vendors can then be used to purchase new security features like Microsoft Defender for Endpoint (previously MD ATP) and Azure Sentinel .

Circle the solutions you have deployed above. Is the price more than $57/user/mo?

Infused Innovations partners with a few other security vendors to fill some gaps, including KnowBe4, CyberArk, and SecPod, but Microsoft’s 60+ security products cover most customer’s needs. The added benefit to standardizing on Microsoft services is that they all integrate with the Microsoft Intelligent Security Graph, which allows the services to worth with each other and reduce false positives.

Even if you think you have a good grasp of your Microsoft 365 and Office 365 Licensing, I’d encourage you to sign up for one of our f ree cyber security assessments to have one of our experts review what you already own and create a strategic cyber security roadmap for your organization.

Which Microsoft 365 licensing plan should I buy?

I already expressed my thoughts that you’re (likely) on the wrong Microsoft license . For an organization of any size with an online presence, you should seriously consider one of the Microsoft 365 plans. (Unless you have purchased parts of the bundle through an EA, non-profit, or educational SKU.)

Just as you can purchase a new car without adaptive cruise control to save money in exchange for having to manually turn cruise control on and off, you can purchase Office 365 by itself to reduce your initial costs at the expense of having manually review logs. But with the projected shortfall of 3.5 million cyber security professionals by 2020, you may actually be increasing your overall costs if you don’t invest in automation now.

Microsoft spends over $1 Billion a year on security research and uses AI to interpret 6.5 trillion signals daily via the Intelligent Security Graph. With over 3,500 security engineers, it’s possible that Microsoft has more employees in its cyber security department than you have in your entire organization. All you have to do to take advantage of this combined risk intelligence and automation is purchase the correct Microsoft 365 license. And as of September 2019, you can now ingest your Microsoft 365 threat analytics data into Azure Sentinel for free !

Are you an educational organization? Read up here . Are you a non-profit organization? Read up here .

Microsoft 365 F1 for Frontline Workers

In April 2020, Microsoft changed the old Microsoft 365 F1 plan to Microsoft 365 F3. The new M365 F1 plan has no email or OneDrive storage. It’s essentially Microsoft Teams plus EM+S E3 to provide a secure device to access Microsoft Teams on.

What appears to be an oversight, is that EMS E3 appears to be available for only $4/mo now if you add the M365 F1 plan to any Office 365 plan. We’ll see if Microsoft addresses this by restricting licensing assignments.

Here’s a comparison of the Microsoft 365 Frontline worker plans:

Unless you’re on Microsoft 365 E5, licensing and pricing plans are confusing. Fortunately, Microsoft is trying to simplify and consolidate their bundles around the features that fit common roles across multiple industries.

However, you’re probably asking yourself something like: I already own Windows 10 Pro licenses—do I need Microsoft 365 Business? Or, I have a volume license for Windows 10 Enterprise— how can I license only Microsoft Defender for Endpoint ? The easiest answer is to schedule a call using the form below to speak with one of our licensing experts. Prices change every month and Microsoft releases new Office 365 plans several times a year. Keeping up to date with Microsoft licensing can feel like a full-time job by itself. Which is why it’s important to select a Microsoft Gold partner to help guide you through the maze of licensing and Microsoft 365 pricing plans.

Reference Material:

• Office 365 Plan Options
• Office 365 Platform Service Descript ion
• Microsoft 365 Business Service Description
• https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/compare-all-microsoft-365-plans

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Microsoft 365 Business VS. Enterprise: A Detailed Comparison

As businesses of all sizes become increasingly reliant on technology, the choice of software becomes a crucial factor in determining their success. For many organizations, Microsoft 365 has become the go-to solution for productivity and collaboration needs.

Table of Contents

What is Microsoft 365?

Microsoft 365 has revolutionized the way businesses operate, offering a subscription-based service that provides access to the complete suite of Office applications , alongside advanced enterprise business services such as Exchange Online and SharePoint Online.

Microsoft 365 Business

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Microsoft 365 Business is a powerful suite of tools and services designed to help Small and Medium-sized Businesses (SMBs) streamline their operations and increase productivity.

Microsoft 365 Business comes in three different pricing plans, each tailored to suit different business needs. The Business Basic plan offers access to essential Office apps, email and calendar services, and OneDrive storage.

Microsoft 365 Enterprise

Microsoft 365 Enterprise is a cloud-based productivity suite that brings together a range of Microsoft applications and services to help businesses of all sizes to work smarter, collaborate more effectively, and stay secure in the digital age.

Microsoft 365 Enterprise also provides advanced security and compliance features to help businesses protect their data and stay compliant with industry regulations. This includes advanced threat protection, data loss prevention, and encryption capabilities, as well as compliance features like eDiscovery and legal hold.

Key Differences in Microsoft 365 Business and Enterprise

Compatibility

Whereas, Microsoft 365 Enterprise plans require each user to have specific licensing requirements. This includes being licensed for Windows 10 or 11 Enterprise , as well as having licenses for Microsoft Endpoint Manager and Azure AD P1. These licensing requirements are essential to ensure full access to all enterprise features and functionalities.

For Microsoft 365 Business plans, device management is somewhat limited. The Microsoft Admin Center allows for the assignment and unassignment of cloud PC licenses, while some device management is possible through Microsoft Endpoint Manager with an Intune license. However, cloud PCs are not visible in the Windows 365 blade.

Microsoft 365 Business or Enterprise: Which One to Select

However, if you need local desktop installations for Office programs or require advanced security controls, an Enterprise plan may be more appropriate for your needs. An Enterprise plan would also only be considered if the size of your organization exceeds 300 users.

So, take the time to evaluate your needs, explore the available options, and make the right decision for your business. With Microsoft, you can be confident that you’re getting the best tools and services to help your business thrive.

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Microsoft 365 License Comparison: Business Plans Vs. E5, E3, and E1

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Choosing the correct Microsoft 365 licensing is an important step for every business, especially organizations in the cloud. Microsoft offers tiered solutions for small, medium, and enterprise sized businesses. While this allows companies to right-size licensing to their specific needs, it can also create confusion about which license is the right one. This blog will highlight the differences between Office 365 and Microsoft 365 products so you can make an informed decision.

Learn more about:

• Microsoft Licensing Changes in 2022 - The New Commerce Experience
• Microsoft Government Licensing
• Office 365 Educational Licensing
• Microsoft GCC and GCC High Licensing
• Microsoft Front Line Worker (F1 & F3) Licensing

When comparing Microsoft 365 licenses, price is one of the first questions decision-makers consider. Below are the prices for Microsoft 365 Business, Microsoft 365 Enterprise, and Office 365 Enterprise licenses. As of April 1st, 2024, Microsoft Teams is no longer included in Microsoft 365 and Office 365 licensing but is available as a standalone purchase. When comparing Microsoft 365 licenses, price is one of the first questions decision-makers consider. Below are the annual prices for Microsoft 365 Business, Microsoft 365 Enterprise, and Office 365 licenses:

• Prices assume a monthly payment with an annual agreement. Month-to-month licenses are available at a premium. Read more at Microsoft New Commerce Experience .

The base price per user for Microsoft 365 Business and Enterprise Plans ranges from $4.80 to $54.80, and that can quickly add up for larger organizations. That said, companies that utilize capabilities such as Rights Management or cloud PBX may save money by bundling these services into their licensing. Cost savings can be immense for businesses that purchase third party tools for Anti-Virus, eDiscovery, MFA, SIEM.

Many people use Microsoft 365 and Office 365 interchangeably; however, these are markedly different products. Office 365 is Microsoft’s productivity suite and includes the core applications most think of when they think of Microsoft: Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and more. It is also only one of three suites included in a Microsoft 365 license.

Microsoft 365 licenses are available as Enterprise or Business licenses. Microsoft 365 Enterprise licenses bundle three suites—Office 365, Enterprise Mobility and Security, and Windows Enterprise—at different levels (E5, E3, F3, F1). Some Microsoft 365 Business licenses include all three suites but are generally more limited in features. Additionally, Microsoft 365 Business licenses have a per license cap of 300 users per tenant.

Note on GoDaddy’s Microsoft 365: We strongly discourage purchasing Microsoft 365 or Office 365 from GoDaddy due to hidden costs, and lack of feature availability. To learn more, read our blog on Migrating from GoDaddy Office 365 to Microsoft Office 365 .

Here are some major features you gain with Office 365 Enterprise plans:

• Advanced Information Protection
• Advanced Threat Protection
• Active Directory integration
• Litigation Hold
• Unlimited archive and mail storage

Microsoft 365 Enterprise is a suite that includes Office 365, Enterprise Mobility and Security, and Windows Enterprise. Microsoft 365 Enterprise gives you the enterprise security and compliance features you need, while providing cost savings through vendor consolidation, reduced management, and training overhead.

Due to its cost, the Microsoft 365 E5 license is often positioned as a luxury license for companies that want advanced security and compliance capabilities, along with automated features. The reality is that most IT teams are overworked and understaffed, at a time when cyberattacks are increasing exponentially.

Even if employees aren’t working from home, internet connectivity makes every company a potential global target and enables intellectual property to flow freely out of any unsecured environment. IT personnel are tasked with supporting business critical operations and protecting the organization from external and internal threat actors, a responsibility that’s only getting more challenging with shrinking budgets and workforce reductions.

At a minimum, we recommend having Microsoft 365 E5 licenses in place for anyone with far-reaching environment access, but strongly encourage companies to consider the business impact a breach will impose when, not if, one occurs.

| Advanced Compliance | Advanced eDiscovery | | Audio Conferencing | | Azure Advanced Threat protection | | Customer Lockbox | | Data Governance | | Everything in Enterprise Mobility and Security (EMS) E3+ | | Everything in Office 365 E3 + | | Everything in Windows 11 Enterprise E3+ | | Exchange Threat Detection | | Integrated Phone System | | Intelligent data classification and licensing Microsoft Cloud App Security | | Microsoft Defender Advanced Threat Protection | | Office 365 Advanced Threat Protection | | Risk based conditional access |

Microsoft 365 E3 brings together best-in-productivity and collaboration with Office 365 Enterprise E3, Enterprise Mobility and Security E3 and Windows 11 E3.

Microsoft’s Frontline licensing is an alternative for users that need to have a digital presence in the tenant but are not but are not spending their days creating or consuming data within the environment. Frontline users may not work at a desk, but still require matching security and compliance capabilities. As such, the Microsoft 365 F3 license includes the full Enterprise Mobility and Security E3 suite but has very deprecated productivity applications and reduced storage allocations.

For organizations with regulatory requirements, the Microsoft 365 F5 Security and Compliance Add-On raises the security and compliance features in line with a Microsoft 365 E5 license while maintaining reduced productivity capabilities and storage allotments.

Microsoft 365 Business plans were created for small businesses that might not need all the features Enterprise Microsoft 365 and Office 365 offer. Microsoft 365 Business has a per license cap of 300 users per tenant.

The most powerful Microsoft Business Suite without going for full enterprise plans, Microsoft 365 Business premium takes all of the features of Microsoft 365 Business Standard and rolls in industry leading advanced security features, including Advance Threat Protection against zero-days, ransomware, malware, the ability to selectively wipe company data from mobile devices with Intune, Restrict copying and saving of company information on mobile devices, apply document restrictions and provide unlimited archiving.

Formerly Office 365 Business Premium, Microsoft 365 Business Standard adds critical small business tools such as Microsoft Bookings to allows customers to schedule appointments, and Mile IQ for real-time mileage tracking from your mobile devices.

Looking to get basic Microsoft 365 functionality? Microsoft 365 Business Basic offers business email with 50 GB mailbox storage, custom email domain, and web versions of essential Office 365 applications like Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.

Here’s what you need to know about the Business Essentials license:

(Previously Office 365 ProPlus): Microsoft 365 Apps for Enterprise offers option for users who don’t need email but want Office 365 applications.

Microsoft 365 Apps for business (formerly Office 365 business) provides up to 300 users with automatically updated editions of the most used Office desktop applications.

Office 365 Enterprise is Microsoft’s productivity suite and includes the core applications most think of when they think of Microsoft: Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and more. It is also only one of three suites included in a Microsoft 365 license. Unlike Microsoft 365 Enterprise licenses, which bundle three suites—Office 365, Enterprise Mobility and Security, and Windows Enterprise—Office 365 Enterprise licenses lack the security and operating system tiers.

Building off the E1 and E3 business plans, Office 365 E5 is the highest tier Microsoft offers. With this license, you gain Audio Conferencing, Phone System, Power BI pro, Customer Lockbox, and Microsoft Cloud App Security:

The E3 license is one of the more popular options for digital-driven businesses. With E3, you gain desktop apps, You gain email, archiving, information protection and more storage options. Additionally, you gain Intune for device management and Azure Information Protection (plan 1) for data loss protection.

Here’s what’s included in E3:

• Exchange Online Archiving (EOA) and Legal Hold
• Unified eDiscovery Center
• Rights management, data loss prevention and encryption
• Ability to add on PSTN

E1 is the least expensive Enterprise plan. Here’s what you get with the E1 license:

• With E1, you can only access email via the online application.
• With E1, you lose desktop versions of Office applications. You must use the online versions of Outlook and other Office applications like Word or PowerPoint online.

Ideal for line workers, drivers, retail staff, Office 365 F3 is focused on workers who do not spend much time in front of a computer. Including popular office apps for web and mobile devices, including Word, Excel, Outlook and PowerPoint.

If any license doesn’t suit your needs, you can also add on specific features via add-on licensing. But often, the cost of upgrading is cheaper than ballooning a license with monthly add-on charges. (Read more about add-ons here .) You can also mix and match licenses depending on user needs to better control costs.

Agile IT’s cloud licensing services make it easy to purchase, transfer, and manage your licenses. As your cloud solutions provider, Agile IT handles all billing and subscriptions for your Office 365 products. You continue paying Microsoft the monthly license fee, and we take care of the rest.

Published on: May 22, 2024 .

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If you signed in to  Microsoft365.com with your Microsoft account and you see a Free or Subscribed badge, you may wonder what that means.

A  Free badge means an active Microsoft 365 Family or Personal subscription isn't associated with the account you signed in with.

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A Subscribed badge means a Microsoft 365 subscription such as Microsoft 365 Family or Personal is already associated with your account and you can access many of your subscription benefits including installing the desktop apps.

Don't already have Microsoft 365, or you're looking for product details and prices?

Buy or try Microsoft 365

Tip:  See the comparison table below for more details.

Other subscription plans

Besides Microsoft 365 Family or Personal, there are other Microsoft 365 plans which include additional benefits and features designed specifically for  small and mid-size businesses , enterprises , schools , or non-profits . 

You also get 5 GB of OneDrive online cloud storage with your free Microsoft account so you can access your files from anywhere. Any documents you create with the free versions of apps like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint are automatically saved to OneDrive.

With a Microsoft 365 Personal or Family subscription, you'll always have the most up-to-date modern productivity tools from Microsoft all with the latest features, fixes, and security updates. You also get perennial tech support, and 1 TB of cloud storage to store your files and photos at no extra cost. And with Microsoft 365 Family you can add up to five additional people to your subscription.

If you don't think you'll need the full richness of the desktop apps right now, but want the extra cloud storage and email benefits that come with a Microsoft 365 Family or Personal plan, check out  Microsoft 365 Basic which comes with 100 GB of cloud storage.

Learn more about the differences between these Microsoft 365 plans in the table below .

Not sure what you have now?  See  What version of Office am I using?

Think you might need a business subscription? See  What's the difference between a Microsoft 365 subscription for personal and family and a subscription for business

Ready to install the desktop apps?  See  Install Microsoft 365 or Office on your PC or Mac .

Looking for product details and prices?

Compare the Microsoft 365 free web apps with Microsoft 365 Basic, Personal, or Family

The table below highlights subscription plans for home use. If you think you might need a business subscription, see  What's the difference between Microsoft 365 personal and business plans .

Frequently asked questions

What's the cost.

Choose an option below to get pricing info.

Can I buy a single app only, such as Word, Excel, or PowerPoint? What about Project or Visio?

Yes. You can buy standalone versions of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint for Mac or PC. Go to the Microsoft Store and search for the app you want.

You can purchase subscription or non-subscription versions of Visio or Project (desktop versions of these apps are for PCs only). Buy Visio or buy Project .

I have a Mac. What should I buy?

Most apps for Microsoft 365 Family or Personal subscriptions and Office 2021 apps can be installed on either Mac or PC.  Compare prices

Do I need to be connected to the internet to use Microsoft 365?

If you're using Microsoft 365 Family or Personal and after the desktop apps are installed on your devices, you don't need to be online to use Microsoft 365. However, you'll need internet access to do any of the following:

First time install (if apps weren't pre-installed on your device)

Initial activation of the Microsoft 365 desktop apps

Install updates or to reinstall the apps

Manage your subscription (for example, you need to update your payment method, renew, or share a Microsoft 365 Family subscription)

Access documents stored on OneDrive, unless you install the OneDrive desktop app to your device.

You should connect to the internet regularly to keep your version of Microsoft 365 up to date and benefit from automatic upgrades. If you don’t connect to the Internet at least every 39 days, your apps will go into reduced functionality mode, and you might see an unlicensed product error . To reactivate the Microsoft 365 apps, simply reconnect to the internet and sign in to Microsoft 365. Learn how to sign in . For help with renewing an expired subscription, see Renew Microsoft 365 .

I have more questions. Is there someone I can talk to?

Use Contact us at the bottom of this page.

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Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint are the standard productivity applications for most businesses and classrooms. But how do you choose between the traditional Office suite and the Microsoft 365 subscription service? What's the difference between Office and Microsoft 365, and which is more cost-effective?

Buy It Once, Own It Forever

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Everyone's familiar with the old Microsoft Office ritual. You buy a disc full of Word, PowerPoint, and other Microsoft-branded software, stick it in your computer, and get to work. A few years go by, and your job or classroom requires a newer version of the Office suite, so you go out and blow your savings on another disc. Rinse and repeat.

But the traditional Office bundle is a lot less common than it used to be. Today, many people access Excel, Word, and other software through a Microsoft 365 subscription or the free, browser-based Office Online suite (which is a stripped-down version of Office).

Unlike an Office bundle, which requires a one-time payment of $150 and only works on one computer, Microsoft 365 costs $7 a month, works on all of your computers and mobile devices, and includes collaborative features and perks that don't come with a standard Office bundle. Microsoft launched its 365 service in 2011 to help modernize the Office suite, which hadn't experienced a major overhaul in nearly a decade. The subscription model allows Microsoft to offer constant updates and support for its productivity software, along the with the cloud storage and deep collaborative features made famous by Google's browser-based productivity tools (Google Docs, Drive, Sheets, etc).

Microsoft still sells its traditional Office suite for people who don't want to pay a monthly fee or use the free, stripped-down Office Online tools. But is the Office bundle really that cost-effective? And even if you can save some money by avoiding Microsoft 365, is it worth missing out on the subscription services' exclusive features?

Microsoft Office 2019 and the upcoming Office 2021 suite start at $150 and come with Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. The expanded Office Home and Business bundle , which costs $250, includes the Outlook email and calendar tool on top of the standard Office software. Both versions of the Office suite work on just one computer and includes a few years of bug and security support from Microsoft (7 years for Office 2019, 5 years for Office 2021).

While Office's lack of collaborative and cloud features may feel a bit limiting, the software bundle is still useful to individuals and businesses who want a stable, unchanging collection of productivity tools. Office is also a stellar option for always-offline machines, and for some, it could be more cost-effective than a Microsoft 365 subscription.

Microsoft Office has one obvious perk---you buy the software once and own it forever. Sure,  your version of Office will grow old and miss out on flashy new features, but you have the freedom to replace it when you choose. Plus, Microsoft does a great job with file compatibility, so if someone sends you a Word document written in the latest Office or Microsoft 365 software, it will still open on your machine.

For hobbyists, educators, and small businesses, dropping $150 for the Office suite (which will work as long as you have a compatible machine) could be more cost-effective than a Microsoft 365 subscription. That said, you have to use the software for a few years before you actually "save" money.

Wait a minute, why would you pay $150 for Microsoft Office when the browser-based Office Online suite is free? Office Online is great for the average Joe who just needs to make an occasional spreadsheet or word document, but it only works when you're connected to the internet, which isn't great for people or businesses who work offline or have a slow internet connection---Office Online can get pretty laggy!

The Office Online suite also lacks some important features, such as the table of contents or bibliography in Word, advanced formula or chart tools in Excel, and rich formatting in PowerPoint. That said, Office Online supports real-time editing with another person, while the desktop version of Office only allows one person to edit a paragraph at a time (for this reason, some people supplement their offline Microsoft Office bundle with the free Office Online suite).

Again, if you just need to throw together a few documents, Office Online will get the job done for free. But if you want to work offline or use advanced features, you have to pay for the Office suite. Or, you know, subscribe to Microsoft 365.

Microsoft Office

Grab Microsoft Office for $150 and start using Word, Excel, and PowerPoint without a monthly fee.

Microsoft 365 Personal , which supports one user on up to five devices at a time, costs $7 a month or $70 a year if paid upfront. It comes with Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote, and 1TB of OneDrive cloud storage.

If you want to share these apps with your whole family, you can subscribe to Microsoft 365 Family service for $10 a month or $100 a year paid upfront. Microsoft 365 family covers up to six users, each with 1TB of OneDrive storage and access to 365 apps on five devices at a time. The family plan also unlocks the Microsoft Family Safety app for tracking and managing your kids.

While the monthly fee may be less than ideal for some, the Microsoft 365 service works on any device and comes with a never-ending stream of updates and bug support. It's the best service for people who always want the latest features or need to collaborate with others. Plus, it comes with a few perks that are well worth the $7 to $10 monthly fee.

In a world where people are constantly jumping between computers, phones, and tablets, Microsoft 365's cross-platform support truly an essential feature. You can access Microsoft's productivity suite on any device just by logging into your Microsoft account. And thanks to the 1TB of OneDrive storage provided with your account, you can access your documents from anywhere without carrying around a thumb drive.

Microsoft 365 makes emailing documents a thing of the past. Instead, you can invite people to view or edit your document through a sharable link, with real-time collaboration and messaging. Sharing through the cloud ensures that you and your collaborators always have the latest version of a document, and that you can see the changes made by others without comparing old and new files side-by-side.

Collaboration goes a step further when you use Microsoft Teams , an instant message tool that integrates with Microsoft 365. Teams makes sharing and collaborating on documents super easy and provides an all-in-one setting for chats and video meetings. Anyone can set up a Teams group with up to 100 participants for free , though larger groups require a 365 Business plan .

People who subscribe to Microsoft 365 are the first to get Microsoft's new features and bug fixes. They also get free tech support for all Microsoft products (even products purchased outside the 365 service) by phone or text-based chat.

Admittedly, most of Microsoft's app updates are for quality of life features like dark mode. But the company's growing interest in AI could revolutionize spreadsheet automation , document writing , and other time-consuming tasks in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. If you want to be first in line for these new features, you'll need to pay for Microsoft 365.

Even if you don't use Word or Excel, a Microsoft 365 subscription might be worth it just for the bonuses. The biggest bonus is, of course, 1TB of OneDrive cloud storage (or 1TB per person on a family plan). Paying just $7 a month for 1TB of cloud storage is a pretty decent deal, especially when you consider that Dropbox's 2TB cloud storage plan, which doesn't come with any productivity software, costs $12 a month.

But that's not all---Microsoft 365 also comes with enhanced versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote, which include exclusive AI features along with extra templates, stock photos, fonts, and icons. And to help you write those professional emails, Microsoft 365 includes Microsoft Editor , a Grammarly-like tool that suggests spelling and grammar changes to improve your writing in Word, Outlook, and in your browser.

Microsoft 365

Sign up for Microsoft 365 and gain access to Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote, and 1TB of OneDrive storage. Microsoft 365 works on any device and contains Microsoft's real-time sharing and collaboration features.

For those who just want access to Word, Excel, and PowerPoint but don't care about collaborative features or cloud storage, choosing between Office and Microsoft 365 is mostly a matter of price. Of course, Office costs more upfront, but 365 comes with a monthly fee, so deciding which is more cost-effective really depends on how you plan to use the software or how often you plan to replace it.

Let's start with some simple math. Microsoft 365's individual plan costs $7 a month. So if you were to buy the standard $150 Office suite, you would need to use it for 21 and a half months for it to be more cost-effective than Microsoft 365. Individuals who buy the $250 Office Home and Business bundle for Outlook access need to use the software for about 35 and a half months before they start "saving" money. (If you're a business buying Microsoft software for multiple computers, then you would need to stick with Office for even longer before you start "saving" money, as 365 Business starts at just $5 per person per month.)

So unless you use Office for over two years before updating to the latest version (or ditching the software), you aren't saving any money. And until you reach that three-year mark, your savings are marginal at best. Microsoft clearly planned out its pricing strategy here---the company releases a new version of Office every two or three years, so at the end of the day, people who always buy the latest version of Office are paying about as much as Microsoft 365 subscribers.

Knowing that it takes two to three years to save with Office, one could argue that the feature-rich Microsoft 365 is actually a better value. Microsoft 365 just comes with more stuff, like Outlook access, 1TB of OneDrive cloud storage, the latest updates and bug fixes, real-time collaboration features, and of course, the option to work on any device at any time. But again, this really comes down to your priorities and the length of time you're willing to spend with a traditional Office suite.

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Compare Microsoft Office 365 Business Plans: Apps, Features and Pricing

Microsoft 365 for Business (previously known as Office 365 for Business) is a cloud productivity subscription-based service geared towards small to medium-sized businesses. With a Microsoft 365 for Business subscription, your organization gets access to the most up-to-date Office applications as well as Microsoft’s flagship collaborative online services.

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Microsoft Office 365 Plans for Business Overview

Microsoft Office 365 for Business is a complete solution that brings together the best-in-class productivity of Office 365, advanced security, and device management tools. Within your organization, you and your co-workers can be more productive and work better together with Office apps, email, cloud storage, and a hub for teamwork. Microsoft Office 365 plans for business come with building tools that let you manage access to your data, keep sensitive data safe, and keep your business compliant and protected against most (but not all) security threats.

Microsoft currently offers four business plans to choose from, depending on an organization’s needs. The Microsoft 365 plans for businesses are:

Microsoft 365 Business Basic

Microsoft 365 apps for business, microsoft 365 business standard, microsoft 365 business premium.

Note that all Microsoft 365 plans for business have a limit of 300 users per license. If your organization requires more users, you may want to consider subscribing to a Microsoft Office 365 enterprise plan.

Now, let’s take a closer look at each of the Microsoft 365 plans for businesses and see what they have to offer in terms of features and pricing.

For a subscription fee of $5.00 per user/month, Microsoft 365 Business Basic (formerly known as Office 365 Business Essentials) offers web and mobile versions only of Office apps. These apps include Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, and OneNote. This entry-level plan also gives your organization access to collaborative services like Exchange Online with 50 GB of mailbox storage, SharePoint Online, Yammer, Skype for Business Online, and Microsoft Teams. Also included with this subscription is 1 TB of OneDrive cloud storage per user.

This Microsoft Office 365 plan is ideal for small and medium-sized businesses that want to unlock the benefits of cloud integration and remote work using the Office for the web suite and online communication services.

For a subscription fee of $8.25 per user/month, Microsoft 365 Apps for Business (formerly known as Office 365 Business) gives your organization access to the most up-to-date desktop versions of Office applications. These include Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneDrive, Access, and Publisher. The Office suite in this plan can be installed on up to 5 devices per user. None of the collaborative tools and services are available in this plan but the 1 TB of OneDrive cloud storage per user feature and the Office for the web suite are still present.

Microsoft 365 Apps for Business provides both cloud-based and on-premises Office suites to deliver the right set of capabilities to your organization. This plan is ideal for organizations whose computing workload heavily revolves around Office applications.

Priced at $12.50 per user/month, the Microsoft 365 Business Standard plan  (formerly known as Office 365 Business Premium) combines in one package the features available in both Business Basic and Apps for Business plans. In addition to the cloud-based and on-premises Office suites, Microsoft 365 Business Standard includes a complete set of collaborative tools thus making this Microsoft Office 365 plan ideal for organizations looking to expand their remote work capabilities.

Priced at $20.00 per user/month, Microsoft 365 Business Premium (formerly known as Microsoft 365 Business) includes all the features available in the lower Business tiers in addition to an advanced security infrastructure and device management tools. The Business Premium plan is ideal for organizations that require a comprehensive remote work solution with cyber threat protection and a powerful mobile management system.

Microsoft Office 365 Comparison of Plans

Here is a comparison of pricing and available apps and collaboration services between all four Microsoft 365 plans for business:

Microsoft 365 suite apps comparison

Along with the traditional Office applications and online collaborative services, Microsoft 365 plans for businesses include applications used for knowledge, insights, content, project and task management, automation, and app building.

Business plans security and management options

As stated before, when it comes to advanced security options and management tools, Microsoft 365 Business Premium is the most feature-packed plan. The other Microsoft 365 plans do include basic security tools, but they pale in comparison to the Business plan’s features, as shown below:

Despite the advanced security features available in Microsoft 365 Business Premium, third-party Office 365 backup solutions is necessary to ensure that your SaaS data is safe and recoverable.

Your Microsoft 365 data can be compromised by human error or malicious cyber threats like ransomware. Files can be deleted or encrypted even when stored in the cloud. To keep your data safe, NAKIVO Backup & Replication offers full backup and recovery functionality for Exchange Online, OneDrives for Business, and SharePoint Online.

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'ZDNET Recommends': What exactly does it mean?

ZDNET's recommendations are based on many hours of testing, research, and comparison shopping. We gather data from the best available sources, including vendor and retailer listings as well as other relevant and independent reviews sites. And we pore over customer reviews to find out what matters to real people who already own and use the products and services we’re assessing.

When you click through from our site to a retailer and buy a product or service, we may earn affiliate commissions. This helps support our work, but does not affect what we cover or how, and it does not affect the price you pay. Neither ZDNET nor the author are compensated for these independent reviews. Indeed, we follow strict guidelines that ensure our editorial content is never influenced by advertisers.

ZDNET's editorial team writes on behalf of you, our reader. Our goal is to deliver the most accurate information and the most knowledgeable advice possible in order to help you make smarter buying decisions on tech gear and a wide array of products and services. Our editors thoroughly review and fact-check every article to ensure that our content meets the highest standards. If we have made an error or published misleading information, we will correct or clarify the article. If you see inaccuracies in our content, please report the mistake via this form .

Buy a one-year subscription to Microsoft 365 for $45: Last chance

Get a one-year subscription to Microsoft 365 at a big discount right now.

If you've recently upgraded your laptop , you may have suddenly found yourself without access to Microsoft Office, Excel, PowerPoint, and the rest of Microsoft's near-necessary software. And since Microsoft switched from the traditional Office suite to a Microsoft 365 subscription service , it's become more expensive to access those programs. But right now, Microsoft partner StackSocial is offering a one-year subscription to Microsoft 365 for $35 , down from the usual price of $70 and the lowest price we've seen so far. 

This deal gets you a year of access to the premium Office apps including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook, along with 1TB of OneDrive cloud storage. You can use the apps and storage across multiple PCs, Macs, iPads, iPhones, and Android devices. 

Microsoft 365: 1-Year Subscription

StackSocial also offers deals on previous versions of Microsoft Office, which get you a lifetime license for one price (at the time of this writing, you can buy Microsoft Office Home & Business 2019 for PC or Mac for $30 , or Microsoft Office Professional 2021 for PC or Mac for $70 . The benefit of choosing a Microsoft 365 subscription instead is that you'll get the newest features and updates as soon as they're released. 

One thing to note: While StackSocial is an authorized Microsoft partner, it's possible that Microsoft itself could rescind this deal. However, it seems unlikely the company will: The version of Microsoft Office that I bought through StackSocial over a year ago is still working on my Mac. 

Buy a one-year subscription to Microsoft 365  now.

ZDNET Recommends

Microsoft office 2019 for windows or mac is $25 with this deal, bundle microsoft office pro 2021 and windows 11 pro for $60, microsoft office 2021 for windows is $50 right now.

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COMPARISON OF Microsoft 365 BUSINESS PLANS AND PRICING

Since April 21, 2020, Microsoft has officially renamed all ‘Office 365 Business’ plans to ‘Microsoft 365 Business’. Here’s the table of feature comparison of Microsoft 365 Business plans:

Business Plans without Teams

Business plans with teams.

• ✓ Free Migration
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• ✓ Talk to Microsoft-certified experts

All Our Microsoft 365 Business Plans Include

Free end-user support, free migration help, 24 x 7 phone, chat, & email, online knowledge base, savings on it costs, fully automatic updates, regular data backup, 1 tb of online storage, business email service, tier-1 partner expertise, faqs on m365 business plans, why microsoft changed name from office 365 to m365.

Name changes are not unconventional at Microsoft. The tech giant changes the names of its popular products and services from time to time. The reason behind this name change is cited as a more holistic approach which appeals to a wider base, rather than just the ‘office’ sphere.

What plan should I choose if I do not need Microsoft Office apps?

If you do not need Microsoft Office applications, go with the most basic plan – Microsoft 365 Business Basic (earlier called as Office 365 Business Essentials). This plan is priced at only $6 user/month. At $8.30 user/month, Microsoft 365 Apps for Business is a standard plan includes Microsoft Office applications along with OneDrive for Business. In addition to all the features of the above plans, Microsoft Business Standard has more advanced features priced at $12.50 user/month.

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN OFFICE 365 AND MICROSOFT 365?

Microsoft 365 is a bundle of services including Office 365, comprising of Microsoft services including Windows 10 Enterprise. Office 365 is a cloud-based productivity suite which is a bundle of popular Microsoft apps.

IS IT POSSIBLE TO USE MY OWN DOMAIN NAME FOR THE EMAILS IN MICROSOFT 365?

Yes, you can add the domain name you own to your Microsoft 365 account and set up your domain-based email addresses. You can even add multiple domains and sub-domains to Office 365 and host any of the services, including email, on any of the domains that you add. You must own a domain name and as an admin, you will have to make some changes on the DNS records of your domain – we will guide you for this.

WHAT OFFICE VERSIONS ARE COMPATIBLE WITH MICROSOFT 365 BUSINESS BASIC?

Microsoft 365 Business Basic, earlier known as Office 365 Business Essentials, is most compatible with the latest version of Office, Office 2016, and Office 2011 for Mac. The ancient versions of MS Office before 2013 may work with the plan, but with reduced functionality.

HOW EXACTLY WILL APPS4RENT HELP ME WITH THE PLANS?

As your Cloud Solution Provider for Office 365, we will provide free migration and 24/7/365 support to end-users for issues that take up your time, such as email configuration accounts, password resets, setting up aliases and contacts, creating groups, configuring MS Teams, synchronizing OneDrive, exploring search features, and optimizing browser settings. We will also help you with installing and configuring the latest Office version on your devices and handling DNS records.

IS A DESKTOP VERSION OF OFFICE REQUIRED TO USE MICROSOFT 365 BUSINESS BASIC?

No. You do not need to have a desktop version of Office to use Microsoft 365 Business Basic plan. However, you will have a richer experience and also be able to work offline when you connect a desktop version of Office to the Microsoft 365 services and get it in sync.

WILL BY MS OFFICE BE AUTOMATICALLY UPDATES TO THE LATEST VERSION IF I HAVE MICROSOFT 365 PLANS?

Yes. MS Office apps are always up to date on Microsoft 365. If you already had subscription of erstwhile Office 365 plans which is now Microsoft 365, you already have a version of Office that has all the functions of the latest MS Office version.

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Top things to know about Copilot+ PCs from Microsoft Surface, available today at Microsoft.com

• Microsoft Store Team

Available today, the all-new Copilot+ PCs from Microsoft Surface – Surface Laptop and Surface Pro – are thin, light and beautiful devices that help you do more of what you love. Whether it’s starting a new creative project, connecting with friends and family or pursuing a new business venture, these devices are designed to support your journey.

The new Surface Laptop and Surface Pro are Copilot+ PCs, which are the fastest, most intelligent Windows PCs on the market. They are available in four color options at an incredible value, beginning at $999 Estimated Retail Price (ERP) USD on Microsoft.com or at a Microsoft Experience Center .

Exclusively on Microsoft.com, customers can purchase Copilot+ PCs from Microsoft Surface with 64GB memory (RAM) configurations which offer more performance and multi-tasking:

• Surface Laptop (7 th Edition) , starting at $2,399.99 ERP USD in Black with a 13.8-inch Display, Snapdragon® X Elite (12 Core) Processor and 1TB SSD Storage.
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• Surface Pro Essentials Bundle , starting at $1,144 ERP, get the most out of your Surface Pro with this bundle, saving on a Microsoft 365 subscription and Microsoft Complete Protection Plan. Plus, when purchasing the Essential Bundle, customers can take advantage of 20% off accessories including the new Surface Pro Flex Keyboard.

Read on for everything you need to know about the new Copilot+ PCs from Microsoft Surface.

Our three favorite things about the new Copilot+ PCs from Microsoft Surface: 1 – Designed for your everyday work and play

• Power through your day without a worry. The new Surface Laptop and Surface Pro are more powerful than ever with Snapdragon X Series Processors, providing faster performance and all-day battery life with a powerful Neural Processing Unit (NPU) for all-new AI experiences.
• Sleek design and colors that match your aesthetic. Thoughtfully designed with your everyday in mind, the thin, lightweight and ultraportable devices feature premium finishes. They come in four stunning colors – perfect for any style: classic Black, timeless Platinum, bold Sapphire, and the new and refreshing Dune [i] .
• Brighter, more immersive displays for ultimate viewing. We’re introducing a new OLED with HDR [ii] display to the new Surface Pro for a cinematic experience, and the Surface Laptop has a new HDR touchscreen display with razor-thin bezels. No matter what you watch or view, your content is going to look stunning.
• Everyday AI companion with the Copilot key. The Copilot app is just a click away with the Copilot key – one of the newest additions to Windows 11 keyboards on Copilot+ PCs.

2 – Exclusive AI experiences designed to empower creativity and productivity  

• Express your creativity with Cocreator [iii] . Whether a seasoned artist or new to design, Cocreator simplifies image creation and photo editing with easy text prompts and natural inking using a Slim Pen [iv] on Surface Pro or touch on Surface Laptop. Exclusive to Copilot+ PCs, Cocreator lets you bring your ideas to life, and it works alongside you to iteratively update the image in real time. Cocreator is available in Paint – the app you’ve grown to know and love.
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• Recall (preview) coming soon: For the solo-preneur who has too many working files and emails to maintain organization, Recall helps you quickly find things you have seen on your PC, keeping all documents, images, websites, instant messages, emails and apps right at your fingertips. This experience comes with built-in privacy and security controls.

Learn how to unlock the best of the new AI-powered features on your Copilot+ PC .

3 – The all-new Surface Pro Flex Keyboard [vi] unlocks new levels of flexibility  

Alongside the new Surface Pro, we are introducing the Surface Pro Flex Keyboard , unlocking powerful new levels of flexibility to effortlessly adapt to your work and play routines. Ready to attach to your Pro for the ultimate laptop set-up or detach for more flexibility and to support your creative workflows. It is built with extra carbon fiber layers for stability and has a larger, customizable haptic touchpad. With integrated pen storage, your Slim Pen is secure, charged and ready to go. Accessibility remains core to our approach, so we designed the new Surface Pro Flex Keyboard with a bold keyset option to reduce eye strain and assist people with low vision.

Discover, learn and buy with Microsoft Store

Shopping at Microsoft Store is all about ease and convenience. Whether the new Copilot+ PCs from Microsoft Surface, Copilot Pro, Xbox consoles and games, apps, movies and TV shows, we’ve got you covered. Don’t miss our top deals on your favorite TV shows like Rick & Morty: Seasons 1-7, Buffy The Vampire Slayer Complete Series, Sons of Anarchy: The Complete Box Set and so much more – available for up to 50% off for a limited time .

• Flexible payment options : Find a payment plan that works for you with options like PayPal Pay Later and Citizens Pay Line of Credit [vii] . It’s budgeting made easy.
• Online Trade-in Program : For a limited time, buy a new Copilot+ PC from Microsoft Surface and get extra cash back when you trade in an eligible device.
• Free and fast shipping with 60-day returns : Get your items quickly with 2–3-day shipping at no extra cost or minimum purchase required and enjoy the flexibility of 60-day returns on almost any physical product.
• 60-day price protection : Shop with confidence knowing you have 60 days of price protection from your delivery date. If the price drops or you find a lower price elsewhere, we’ll honor a one-time price adjustment.

You can also bet on Microsoft Store offering lots of great deals throughout the upcoming back-to-school season. Be sure to keep an eye on the deals page !

Available alongside Microsoft Surface today, are brand new Copilot+ PCs from the biggest brands: Acer , ASUS , Dell , HP , Lenovo and Samsung . Learn more from major PC manufacturers or visit leading retailers, including Best Buy .

[i] Colors available on selected models only. Available colors, sizes, finishes and processors may vary by store, market and configuration. 

[ii] HDR requires HDR content and enabling HDR in device settings.

[iii] Microsoft account required.

[iv] Surface Slim Pen sold separately.

[v] Currently supports translation for video and audio subtitles into English from 40+ languages. See  https://aka.ms/copilotpluspcs . 

[vi] Surface Pro Flex Keyboard sold separately.

[vii] With approval of Citizens Pay Line of Credit at 0% APR and 12- or 18-month term. Subject to individual credit approval. See the Citizens Pay Line of Credit Agreement  for full terms and conditions. Citizens Pay Line of Credit Account offered by Citizens Bank, N.A. ​