office 365 compare business plans

Office 365 Business vs. Business Premium vs. Business Essentials: Which should you buy?

Microsoft has three different Office 365 Business plans, and picking the best one depends on your workflow.

Office 365 for Business brings together several Microsoft productivity apps and services into a single subscription. There are three different plans, Office 365 Business, Office 365 Business Premium, and Office 365 Business Essentials. The three plans aren't just tiers where paying more gets you everything a cheaper plan gets plus more. Instead, you pick a plan based on where you want to use Office, how you want to communicate, and of course, how much you want to spend. Office 365 Business Essentials focuses on the web and online communication through Teams, whereas Office 365 Business gets you the desktop Office apps but doesn't get you access to Teams. Office 365 Business Premium gets you access to everything but comes at a higher cost.

Getting work done your way

Office 365 Business plans build off Microsoft's robust set of productivity applications. They also support cloud storage, web versions of the Office suite, and Microsoft Teams if you pick the right plan.

Head-to-head features

Header Cell - Column 0	Office 365 Business	Office 365 Business Premium	Office 365 Business Essentials
Price	$8.25/mo	$12.50/mo	$5/mo
Cloud storage	OneDrive 1TB	OneDrive 1TB	OneDrive 1TB
Web apps	WordExcelPowerPoint	WordExcelPowerPointOutlook	WordExcelPowerPointOutlook
Desktop apps	Yes	Yes	No
Microsoft Teams	No	Yes	Yes
Real-time collaboration in documents	Yes	Yes	Yes
Business email support	No	Yes	Yes
Management Tools	None	Plan schedules and tasks with Microsoft TeamsSchedule and manage appointments with Microsoft BookingsMileage tracking through MileIQ	None

Office 365 Business

Office 365 Business is in the middle of the pack when it comes to pricing. At $8.25 per user per month, you get access to all of the Office desktop apps, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Publisher, and Access. You also get 1TB of OneDrive storage and access to the web versions of the Office apps.

The main draw of this plan is its access to Microsoft's powerful desktop applications. These have been a staple of many workflows for decades, and Microsoft has done an excellent job building up their capabilities. In addition to their powerful features, their file formats will be the standard for some organizations and people.

The downside to this plan is that it doesn't get you access to Microsoft Teams. Teams is a relatively new communication tool that allows you to communicate through chat, calls, video calls, and file sharing. It integrates with the rest of Office well and is available across platforms. But if you don't need to use Teams or your organization already pays for Slack or another service, then it might not be worth the cost to bump up to Business Premium.

Office 365 Business Premium

Office 365 Business Premium is the fully stocked version of Office 365. With it, you get Microsoft's desktop apps, the web versions of Office, Microsoft Teams, business email support, 1 TB of OneDrive storage, SharePoint support, Exchange, and more. It's a complete productivity suite that covers everything from instant communication to file creation to file sharing.

The downside of the plan is its cost. At $12.50 per user per month, it can add up at a large business that has a lot of employees or have a high monthly cost at a small business that has a low overhead.

Whether you go with Business or Business Premium largely comes down to your budget, if you need Teams, if you need business email support, and if you use SharePoint.

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Office 365 Business Essentials

Office 365 Business Essentials is an affordable option that still gets you access to quite a bit. While you don't get the desktop Office apps, you do get the web versions of Office, Microsoft Teams, Exchange, 1TB of OneDrive storage, SharePoint, and business email support. All of that comes at $5 per user per month. While Business Essentials isn't identical to Business Premium aside from the desktop apps, the desktop apps do make up the bulk of the difference. Another difference is that Business Premium gets you several management tools tasks within Teams.

If the desktop apps aren't important to you and your business, Office 365 Business Essentials is an excellent choice. Aside from the desktop apps, you don't give up much to get a complete productivity suite on the web.

Office 365 Business Essentials doesn't directly compare to Office 365 Business since one has the desktop apps while the other has Teams.

Which should you buy?

All three plans have their strengths and weaknesses. If you want an affordable plan that gets your employees web-based productivity apps and Microsoft Teams for communication, you should go with Office 365 Business Essentials. You get access to a lot of services for just $5 per user per month.

If you need the fully-powered desktop applications and don't need Teams for communication or business email support, you should get Office 365 Business. It's much more affordable than Office 365 Business Premium and still gets all of your employees the desktop Office applications, OneDrive cloud storage, and the ability to work on the web with the Office web apps.

If you need everything Microsoft's Ofice 365 for Business has to offer, then you should get Office 365 Business Premium. It costs $12.50 per user but gets you Microsoft's entire offering. Just make sure that you need everything it has before subscribing to it. For a lot of businesses, the Premium plan could be overkill.

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Sean Endicott brings nearly a decade of experience covering Microsoft and Windows news to Windows Central. He joined our team in 2017 as an app reviewer and now heads up our day-to-day news coverage. If you have a news tip or an app to review, hit him up at  [email protected] .

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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:

	$ 5.00 per user/month	$ 8.25 per user/month	$ 12.50 per user/month	$ 20.00 per user/month
	$ 6.00 per user/month	$ 10.00 per user/month	$ 15.00 user/month
		Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Outlook, Publisher (PC Only)	Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Outlook, Publisher (PC Only)	Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Outlook, Access (PC Only), Publisher (PC Only)
	Word, Excel, Powerpoint, OneNote	Word, Excel, Powerpoint, OneNote	Word, Excel, Powerpoint, OneNote	Word, Excel, Powerpoint, OneNote
	Exchange Online (50 GB of mailbox storage), Sharepoint Online, Teams, Skype for Business Online, Yammer Enterprise, Kaizala,  OneDrive (1 TB of cloud storage)	OneDrive ( 1TB of cloud storage)	Exchange Online (50GB of mailbox storage), Sharepoint Online, Teams, Skype for Business Online, Yammer Enterprise, Kaizala, OneDrive (1 TB of cloud storage)	Exchange Online (50 GB of mailbox storage), Sharepoint Online, Teams, OneDrive (1 TB of cloud storage), Skype for Business Online, Yammer Enterprise, Kaizala, Intune, Azure Information Protection.

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.

Microsoft Bookings	✘	✘	✔	✔
Microsoft Forms	✔	✔	✔	✔
Microsoft Power Automate	✔	✘	✔	✔
Microsoft Briefing email	✔	✔	✔	✔
Microsoft MyAnalytics	✔	✔	✔	✔
Microsoft Graph API	✔	✔	✔	✔
Microsoft Planner	✔	✘	✔	✔
Microsoft PowerApps	✔	✘	✔	✔
Microsoft Project for the web	✔	✘	✔	✔
Microsoft StaffHub	✘	✘	✔	✔
Microsoft Stream	✔	✘	✔	✔
Microsoft Sway	✔	✔	✔	✔
Microsoft Teams	✔	✘	✔	✔
Microsoft 365 Groups	✔	✘	✔	✔
Microsoft Search	✘	✔	✘	✘
Microsoft Delve	✔	✔	✔	✔

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:

Microsoft Defender for Office 365	✘	✘	✘	✔
Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps Discovery	✘	✘	✘	✔
Office 365 Data Loss Prevention	✘	✘	✘	✔
Windows Information Protection	✘	✘	✘	✔
Exchange Archiving	✘	✘	✘	✔
Multi Factor Authentication	✔	✔	✔	✔
Conditional Access	✘	✘	✘	✔
User Provisioning	✘	✘	✘	✔
Microsoft Endpoint Manager	✘	✘	✘	✔
Mobile Device Management	✔	✔	✔	✔
Mobile application management	✘	✘	✘	✔
Shared computer activation for Microsoft 365 Apps	✘	✘	✘	✔

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

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There are several different Microsoft 365 license types and 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 difference 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 license types, price is understandably one of the first considerations for decision-makers, with core capabilities as a close second. 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. Below are the prices* for Microsoft 365 Business, Microsoft 365 Enterprise, and Office 365 Enterprise licenses.

Microsoft Licensing Plan	Price Per User Per Month
Microsoft 365 E5 (no Teams)	$54.80
Microsoft 365 E3 (no Teams)	$33.80
Microsoft 365 F3 (no Teams)	$7.50
Microsoft 365 F1 (no Teams)	$1.75
Microsoft 365 Business Basic (no Teams)	$4.80
Microsoft 365 Business Standard (no Teams)	$10.30
Microsoft 365 Business Premium (no Teams)	$19.80
Microsoft 365 Apps for business	$8.30
Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise	$12.00
Office 365 E1 (no Teams)	$7.80
Office 365 E3 (no Teams)	$20.80
Office 365 E5 (no Teams)	$35.80
Office 365 F3 (no Teams)	$3.50

• 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. However, 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 significant for businesses that purchase third party tools for Anti-Virus, eDiscovery, MFA, or 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 within a Microsoft 365 license.

Microsoft 365 licenses are available as Enterprise, Business, or Apps 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 more limited in features. Additionally, Microsoft 365 Business licenses have a per license cap of 300 users per tenant.

Note: 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 .

• Microsoft 365 Enterprise

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.

The Basics
Price	$54.80/license/month
Who It’s For	Enterprises looking for the most complete productivity and security solution available.

What You’ll Get
AI and rules-based automatic retention policies in Teams, Outlook, SharePoint, OneDrive
Automatic sensitivity labeling in Microsoft 365 apps, Exchange, SharePoint, and OneDrive
Azure Virtual Desktop
Cloud user self-service password change and reset and hybrid user on-premises write-back
Compliance Manager with Premium Regulations
DLP for Teams chat, emails and files, and endpoints
Microsoft Advanced Threat Analytics
Microsoft Defender XDR Full Suite
Microsoft Purview Insider Risk Management and Information Barriers
Mobile Device Management (MDM) and Mobile Application Management (MAM)
Privileged Access Management and Privileged Identity Management
Risk Based Conditional Access / Identity Protection
Secure Score, Advanced Security Reports, and Access Reviews
Sensitivity labels based on advanced classifiers (e.g., Trainable Classifiers, EDM, Named Entities, Contextual)
User Provisioning including Windows Autopilot and Single sign-on (SSO)
Windows Autopatch
Windows Information Protection
Azure Information Protection Plan 2
Desktop client apps
Exchange Plan 2 (100 GB mailbox + up to 1.5 TB archive)
Microsoft Entra ID P2
Microsoft Intune Plan 1
Power BI Pro
SharePoint Plan 2 (1+ TB OneDrive storage)

Compared to the Microsoft 365 E5 license, the Microsoft 365 E3 maintains a similar level of productivity features and allocated storage; however, it lacks machine-learning and automated security capabilities.

The Basics
Price	$33.80/license/month
Who It’s For	Employees who want the best in productivity and collaboration and administrators who want to be assured they are operating in a secure and compliant environment.

What You’ll Get
Azure Virtual Desktop
Cloud user self-service password change and reset and hybrid user on-premises write-back
Compliance Manager
Conditional Access
DLP for emails and files
Manual retention labels
Microsoft Advanced Threat Analytics
Mobile Device Management (MDM) and Mobile Application Management (MAM)
Secure Score and Advanced Security Reports
User Provisioning including Windows Autopilot and Single sign-on (SSO)
Windows Autopatch
Windows Information Protection
Azure Information Protection Plan 1
Desktop client apps
Exchange Plan 2 (100 GB mailbox + up to 1.5 TB archive)
Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps Discovery
Microsoft Defender for Endpoint Plan 1
Microsoft Entra ID P1
Microsoft Intune Plan 1
SharePoint Plan 2 (1+ TB OneDrive storage)

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

The Microsoft 365 F3 comes close to matching the Enterprise Mobility and Security E3 suite (notable losses include Defender for Endpoint Plan 1 and DLP for emails and files) but has deprecated productivity applications and reduced storage allocations.

The Basics
Price	$7.50/license/month
Who It’s For	Enterprises with a variety of productivity use cases but an unchanging security mandate.

What You’ll Get
Azure Virtual Desktop
Cloud user self-service password change and reset and hybrid user on-premises write-back
Compliance Manager
Conditional Access
Manual retention labels
Microsoft Advanced Threat Analytics
Mobile Device Management (MDM) and Mobile Application Management (MAM)
Secure Score and Advanced Security Reports
User Provisioning including Windows Autopilot and Single sign-on (SSO)
Windows Autopatch
Windows Information Protection
Azure Information Protection Plan 1
Microsoft 365 for mobile and the web (no desktop apps)
Exchange Kiosk (2 GB mailbox)
Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps Discovery
Microsoft Entra ID P1
Microsoft Intune Plan 1
SharePoint Kiosk (2 GB OneDrive storage)

As noted above, the biggest difference between a Frontline and Enterprise license is the deprecated productivity applications and reduced storage allocations. The Microsoft 365 F1 takes that up a notch by dropping down from the Microsoft 365 F3’s web and mobile only applications to read-only versions of web and mobile. Note that neither Microsoft 365 F3 or F1 supports desktop applications.

The Basics
Price	$1.75/license/month
Who It’s For	Enterprises with a variety of productivity use cases but an unchanging security mandate.

What You’ll Get
Azure Information Protection Plan 1
Cloud user self-service password change and reset and hybrid user on-premises write-back
Compliance Manager
Conditional Access
Exchange Kiosk (2 GB mailbox)
Manual retention labels
Microsoft 365 for mobile and the web - read only
Microsoft Advanced Threat Analytics
Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps Discovery
Microsoft Entra ID P1
Microsoft Intune Plan 1
Mobile Device Management (MDM) and Mobile Application Management (MAM)
Secure Score and Advanced Security Reports
SharePoint Kiosk (2 GB OneDrive storage)
User Provisioning including Windows Autopilot and Single sign-on (SSO)

Microsoft 365 Business plans were created for small businesses that might not need all of the features of an Enterprise level license. While Enterprise licenses have no seat limitations, Microsoft 365 Business has a per license cap of 300 users per tenant.

The most powerful Microsoft Business license without going full enterprise, the Microsoft 365 Business Premium license includes business specific versions of Microsoft Defender and Windows 11. It also includes Intune, for organizations looking to leverage that capability specifically. While it does not include the full Enterprise Mobility and Security E3 product suite, it comes close.

The Basics
Price	$19.75/license/month
Who It’s For	Businesses with fewer than 300 users that need stronger security and compliance tools, but not the full Enterprise Mobility and Security (EMS) suite.

What You’ll Get
Azure Virtual Desktop
Cloud user self-service password change and reset and hybrid user on-premises write-back
Compliance Manager
Conditional Access
DLP for emails and files
Manual retention labels
Mobile Device Management (MDM) and Mobile Application Management (MAM)
Secure Score
User Provisioning including Windows Autopilot and Single sign-on (SSO)
Windows Information Protection
Azure Information Protection Plan 1
Desktop client apps
Exchange Plan 1 (50 GB mailbox + 50 GB archive)
Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps Discovery
Microsoft Defender for Business
Microsoft Entra ID P1
Microsoft Intune Plan 1
SharePoint Plan 1 (1 TB OneDrive storage)
Windows 11 Business

Formerly Office 365 Business Premium, Microsoft 365 Business Standard adds critical small business tools such as desktop applications and email. It does not stack up security wise to Business Premium.

The Basics
Price	$10.25/license/month
Who It’s For	Businesses with fewer than 300 users that need the latest desktop versions of Office applications, cloud services, and email hosting alongside small business applications.

What You’ll Get
Desktop client apps
Exchange Plan 1 (50 GB mailbox + 50 GB archive)
SharePoint Plan 1 (1 TB OneDrive storage)
Cloud user self-service password change and reset
Compliance Manager
Exchange Online Protection
Mobile Device Management (MDM)
Secure Score
User Provisioning including Windows Autopilot and Single sign-on (SSO)

Microsoft 365 Business Basic is one of the few lower-tier licenses that includes Exchange Online Plan 1, which can make this an ideal choice for frontline users that don’t work at a desk but send a lot of email.

The Basics
Price	$4.75/license/month
Who It’s For	Companies with fewer than 300 users that don’t rely heavily on Office 365 applications, online storage, and who do not need desktop applications

What You’ll Get
Cloud user self-service password change and reset
Compliance Manager
Exchange Online Protection
Exchange Plan 1 (50 GB mailbox + 50 GB archive)
Mobile Device Management (MDM)
Secure Score
SharePoint Plan 1 (1 TB OneDrive storage)
User Provisioning including Windows Autopilot and Single sign-on (SSO)

The Microsoft 365 Apps licenses are stripped down to the Office 365 suite Microsoft is known for. Unlike perpetual versions of the Office 365 suite, these subscription offerings ensure all applications will always be up-to-date and supported.

Formerly known as Office 365 ProPlus, Microsoft 365 Apps for Enterprise is built for enterprise customers. In addition to automatically updated version of the core Microsoft 365 desktop apps (Outlook and Teams excluded), it includes greater security and compliance features, as well as increased deployment and management controls than its Microsoft 365 Apps for Business counterpart. Large organizations leveraging non-Microsoft vendors for communication and collaboration may choose this, along with small to medium organizations that want higher levels of IT control than the Microsoft 365 Apps for Business license supports.

The Basics
Price	$12 / license /month
Who It’s For	Users that rely heavily on Office 365 applications (email hosting and Teams not included) and require compliance and basic business intelligence

What You’ll Get
Delve
Microsoft 365 Mobile App
Microsoft Forms
Microsoft Whiteboard
Office Add-in Support
Office Applications (PC & Mac)
Office Cloud Policy Service
Office for the Web (Visio included)
Office Group Policy Support
Office Telemetry
OneDrive for Business Plan 1
Roaming Settings
Shared Computer Activation
Sway
Virtual Desktop Use Rights

Previously named Office 365 Business, Microsoft 365 Apps for Business provides a maximum of 300 users automatically updated editions of the commonly used Office desktop applications (sans Outlook or Teams), but without any of the additional security, communication, or administrative capabilities in Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise.

The Basics
Price	$8. 30 / license /month
Who It’s For	Businesses with fewer than 300 users that only need Office applications, cloud file storage, and sharing (email hosting and Teams not included)

What You’ll Get
Microsoft 365 Mobile App
Microsoft Forms
Office Applications (PC & Mac)
Office for the Web (Visio included)
OneDrive for Business Plan 1

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.

The Office 365 E5 license includes the highest level of Microsoft’s productivity capabilities, without the security and operating systems components of the Microsoft 365 E5 license. Organizations that are leveraging other vendors or services to cover those bases may find this license appealing.

The Basics
Price	$3 5.80 / license /month
Who It’s For	Full productivity suite without added security or compliance capabilities .

What You’ll Get
AI and rules-based automatic retention policies in Outlook, SharePoint , OneDrive
Automatic sensitivity labeling in Microsoft 365 apps, Exchange, SharePoint, and OneDrive
Cloud user self-service password change and reset and hybrid user on-premises write-back
Compliance Manager
DLP for emails and files
Mobile Device Management (MDM)
Privileged Access Management
Secure Score
Sensitivity labels based on advanced classifiers (e.g., Trainable Classifiers, EDM, Named Entities, Contextual)
Desktop client apps
Exchange Plan 2 (100 GB mailbox + up to 1.5 TB archive)
Power BI Pro
SharePoint Plan 2 (1+ TB OneDrive storage)

Office 365 E3 maintains a similar level of productivity features and allocated storage as the Office 365 E5, however with less automation features and none of the security features of the Microsoft 365 E3.

The Basics
Price	$20.80 / license /month
Who It’s For	Businesses that need the core of Microsoft’s productivity offerings and don’t need the security or compliance capabilities.

What You’ll Get
Cloud user self-service password change and reset and hybrid user on-premises write-back
Compliance Manager
Desktop client apps
DLP for emails and files
Exchange Plan 2 (100 GB mailbox + up to 1.5 TB archive)
Manual retention labels
Mobile Device Management (MDM)
Secure Score
SharePoint Plan 2 (1+ TB OneDrive storage)
User Provisioning including Windows Autopilot and Single sign-on (SSO)

Office 365 E1 is the least expensive Enterprise license, with a focus on services and minimal productivity (e.g., web only apps). It can be combined with Microsoft 365 Apps for Business or Enterprise.

The Basics
Price	$ 7.80 / license /month
Who It’s For	Users that don’t need desktop versions of Outlook or Office applications .

What You’ll Get
Compliance Manager
Exchange Plan 1 (50 GB mailbox + 50 GB archive)
Manual retention labels
Mobile Device Management (MDM)
Secure Score
SharePoint Plan 1 (1 TB OneDrive storage)
User Provisioning including Windows Autopilot and Single sign-on (SSO)

Only available via CSP, the Office 365 F3 is the lightest Enterprise license available. It does not have any of the security features of a Microsoft 365 F3 license and has very minimal productivity and collaboration capabilities.

The Basics
Price	$ 3.50 / license /month
Who It’s For	Desk-less, mobile, line, and floor staff that do not need desktop applications .

What You’ll Get
Compliance Manager
Exchange Kiosk (2 GB mailbox)
Manual retention labels
Microsoft 365 for mobile and the web (no desktop apps)
Mobile Device Management (MDM)
Secure Score
SharePoint Kiosk (2 GB OneDrive storage)
User Provisioning including Windows Autopilot and Single sign-on (SSO)

Licensing isn’t always a one size fits all and if any of the licenses above don’t check all the boxes, reach out to discuss alternative strategies like add-on or standalone licenses. Agile IT’s cloud licensing services make it easy to purchase, transfer, and manage your licenses.

Have questions about which Microsoft 365 license is right for your organization? Request a quote to see how much you can save.

Published on: Jul 17, 2024 .

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Microsoft 365 Business Basic vs Standard vs Premium: what are the differences?

Not sure which Microsoft 365 product your business needs? We explore the three main options

It doesn’t matter if you use your PC or laptop for work, everyday home use or entertainment – at some point you’ll need productivity tools . And if you find yourself in that position, you’ll undoubtedly take a look at Microsoft 365.

While there’s no doubting the quality on offer from Microsoft’s suite of productivity apps, though, it can be difficult to figure out exactly which version of the product you need.

That’s true enough if you’re just buying for your home or family computer, but there’s even more pressure on the decision if you want to buy Microsoft 365 for corporate use.

To save you a headache, we’ve examined Microsoft 365 Business Basic, Standard and Premium to see how the three products differ – and to help you figure out which one to buy. Don’t worry if you need more software help, either, because we’ve also explored the best secure file hosting and key methods if you need to choose business antivirus software .

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 Business Basic Explained

As the name suggests, Microsoft 365 Business Basic is the firm’s entry-level productivity suite. And while that does mean you get fewer features, it also brings the cost down: in the US it costs just $6 per user per month, and in the UK it’s £4.50. All the prices here are based on an annual subscription purchase, and all the prices we’ve mentioned here don’t include sales taxes.

For that money you get access to a host of popular apps. You can use web, Android and iOS versions of Word , Excel , PowerPoint , OneNote and Outlook , and you also get access to Exchange so you can use your domain name for emails.

Collaborative working is possible in documents and spreadsheets, and files are saved and synced across all of your devices with OneDrive and SharePoint.

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If you want these apps as desktop versions, you can pay $8.25 or £7.90 for Microsoft 365 Apps for Business, which gives you downloadable office apps instead of web versions but without Teams.

Beyond that, the Basic tier includes 1TB of cloud storage for each user, business-class email with 50GB of space per mailbox, custom domain names and full calendar capabilities. You can use Teams to plan schedules, track information with Lists, interact with customers through Bookings and get feedback with Forms.

Security comes from Exchange Online Protection, and Microsoft’s software adheres to critical international and industry-standard security and privacy protocols. Admins can deploy custom permissions and groups to restrict access to sensitive data. The Basic product supports 300 users.

That’s a solid start that’ll sate many small and medium-sized businesses, but the Basic tier lacks many advanced features.

Microsoft 365 Business Standard explored 

You’ll get more versatility if you upgrade to Microsoft 365 Standard, which costs $12.50 per user per month in the US and £9.40 in the UK.

Microsoft 365 Business Standard gets off to a good start by including the same range of features as the Basic tier, including web apps, support for 300 users and 1TB of cloud storage per user.

This product justifies the higher cost in a handful of important ways. The key addition is the ability to download and install desktop versions of Outlook, Excel, Word, PowerPoint and OneNote on your PC or Mac hardware – so you don’t have to rely on online versions. PC users also get Access and Publisher, and each user can install these tools on five devices. Beyond that, Microsoft 365 Business Standard allows users to host webinars.

There’s one more key difference. With Business Standard, firms can choose how much control Microsoft has over your data. There’s a more in-depth option that’s ideal for any company that already has its own domain, but you’ll need more tech know-how to get going.

If that’s not suitable for your business, you can access Microsoft 365 Business Standard with email accounts from different providers instead, but you won’t get as many advanced customization options. That’s a process that Microsoft calls Simplified Sign-Up.

Microsoft 365 Business Premium – the best option?

Head to Microsoft 365 Business Premium and you don’t get Simplified Sign-Up, but at this level your firm should have its own domain and the knowledge to manage it properly.

With Microsoft 365 Business Premium you get every other feature we’ve already mentioned here – including the full suite of desktop apps – alongside loads of extra security and management tools from Azure and Intune.

Business Premium users get enterprise-grade security that protects all your devices from malware and ransomware, and you can deploy Microsoft’s best email protection tools to prevent your employees from falling foul of phishing messages.

You’re able to restrict data sharing, prevent unauthorized users from accessing company information, and give trusted employees elevated levels of access no matter where they work, which means you get maximum versatility for hybrid staff.

Business Premium also includes wizards to help admins apply security and access changes to wide swathes of mobile and desktop devices, and apps can be automatically deployed across your organization. Updates can be applied automatically, and you can remotely wipe data from company devices in case of breaches or theft.

That’s a great slate of features for any business needing better security and more control over its devices, but remember that Microsoft 365 Business Premium still only supports 300 users. And be prepared to pay more for this product, too: it costs $22 or £16.60 per user per month.

Which Microsoft 365 Business package should you choose?

There are stark differences between the three different Microsoft 365 Business offerings, which makes it a little easier for companies and IT managers to figure out which option is best for their organization.

The Microsoft 365 Business Basic product is ideal for smaller companies who need reliable web-based productivity tools alongside trustworthy, capable corporate email.

You get cloud storage, calendar functionality and decent security, and this product could be worth a purchase if you already use external products to provide more robust security and management tools – or if your small business just doesn’t need them.

Microsoft 365 Business Standard adds the ability to download and install apps, so that’s worthwhile if you’d prefer to use Windows and Mac software rather than web-based tools. If your employees don’t always have internet access, that’s a worthwhile upgrade.

Elsewhere, Business Standard also gives you the option to retain more control over your data and domains, so it’s ideal if you’ve already got your own domain.

Business Premium is only worthwhile if you need granular control over your devices and if you need stronger security settings to protect sensitive data and regulate access across your company’s range of devices.  

Ultimately, it depends on your needs: Business Basic is suitable for reliable, web-based productivity, Business Standard adds downloadable tools, and the Premium product deploys advanced security and management.

We've featured the best Microsoft Office alternatives .

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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Upgrade or change to a different Microsoft 365 for business plan

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When your business needs change, or you want more features, you can change to a different Microsoft 365 for business plan. Most of the time, you can change plans automatically. An automatic change walks you through the entire process from beginning to end. After you buy a new plan, all users are automatically assigned licenses in the new plan, and your old plan is canceled for you. In some cases, you can't automatically change to a new plan, and instead must change plans manually .

Before you begin

• Find out what type of billing account you have.
• If you have a Microsoft Customer Agreement (MCA) billing account type, you must be a Billing account owner or contributor, or a Billing profile owner or contributor to do the tasks in this article. For information about billing account and billing profile roles, see Understand your Microsoft business billing account and Manage your Microsoft business billing profiles .
• If you have a Microsoft Online Services Agreement (MOSA) billing account type, you must be at least a Billing Administrator to do the tasks in this article. For more information, see About admin roles in the Microsoft 365 admin center .

If you’re the person who signed up for the subscription, you’re automatically a Billing account owner.

When should I change plans?

Changing plans is the right choice when you want to move all users assigned to a single plan. When you change plans, all users in the current plan are assigned licenses for the new plan at the same time. If you only want to move some users to a new plan, buy a new plan with the number of licenses you need, and assign those licenses to the users that you want to move. For more information, see Move users to a different subscription .

Automatically change your subscription to a new plan

If you have an mca billing account type.

If you're using Microsoft 365 operated by 21Vianet in China, use the following link to access the admin center: https://portal.partner.microsoftonline.cn/

• If you’re using the Simplified view , select Subscriptions .
• If you’re using the Dashboard view , go to the Billing > Your products page.
• Select the subscription that you want to manage.
• On the subscription details page, in the Other subscription options section, select Change to a different subscription option .
• On the Compare products and select another option page, select a different plan to compare with your current plan. When you find the one that you want to buy, select Next .
• Choose when to schedule the change, enter the number of licenses that you want, select a subscription length and a billing frequency, then select Next .
• Review your selections, then select Save changes .

If you have an MOSA billing account type

If the View upgrades recommended for your org link is grayed out, see Why can't I change plans?

• On the Available upgrades page, find a new product, then select Upgrade .
• On the Checkout page, select or add a payment method, then select Place order .

After you place the order, it might take a few minutes to finalize the change. You can start using your new subscription right away.

Why can't I change plans?

The information in this section only applies if you have an MOSA billing account type.

If you can't select the View upgrades recommended for your org link, it means that you can't automatically change your plan right now. In some cases, you can resolve the issue so that you can view available plans. In other cases, you can change plans manually , instead. The following table lists issues you might encounter when you try to change your plan, and tells how to resolve them.

Issue	Resolution
You have more users than licenses.	To change plans automatically, all users must have valid licenses. until you have the same or fewer users as your number of licenses.
The current subscription isn't fully set up or the service isn't available.	For example, if a service in your existing plan has an incident, you can't change plans until all services are healthy. To see if there are provisioning or service health issues, in the admin center, go to the > page. If you find that a service isn't fully provisioned, or there's a service health issue, wait a few hours for the service to become available and try again. If you still have a problem, .
Another plan is in the process of being changed or a credit check is pending.	Wait until the credit check is complete before you change plans. Credit checks can take up to two working days.
The subscription isn't currently eligible to change plans.	You can .
You have two or more plans for the same product.	You can only change plans automatically if all users have licenses to the same plan. For example, if you have two Microsoft 365 Business Standard plans, you can't automatically change one of them to a different plan. In this case, move all users into a single plan, cancel the unused plan, then try changing plans again.
You have a government or non-profit plan.	If you have a government or non-profit plan, you can .
The plan that you want to change to isn't a supported option.	The plans that are available to change to are displayed based on the services in your current plan. You can only automatically change to a plan that has the same data-related services, or to a higher version. This ensures that users don't lose data related to those services during the change. If you want to change to a plan with fewer services, you can .
Your subscription has an add-on.	If you start to change plans and your subscription has an add-on that prevents you from continuing, remove the add-on. You can add it back later if you still need it. You can also .
Your invoice has an unpaid balance.	This only applies if you pay for your subscription by invoice. To resolve this issue, find the subscription on the page, and select the or link in the section. After the payment is made, try changing plans again.
I have a different problem than what's listed here.	You can or .

What does automatically changing plans do to my service and billing?

When you change plans automatically, your services and billing are affected in the following ways.

Access to services

• Admins: Admins can't make changes to the subscription details page while the change is in process, but you can use the rest of the admin center. The change between plans can take up to an hour.
• Users: Users experience no interruption of service during the plan change. They continue to have the existing service until the change is finished.

Users and licenses

• Users: Users on the old subscription are automatically moved to the new subscription.
• Services: If your old subscription includes multiple services, and if you changed which of these services your users are assigned to, make note of these changes before you change plans. Your notes can help you can recreate these changes afterwards. All users are given access to all services in the new subscription. For example, if you previously bought Microsoft 365 Business Premium for all 10 of your users, but you unassigned the SharePoint Online service from five of them, this change isn't kept after you change plans.
• License assignments: If you have more than one subscription before you change plans, and users have licenses to more than one subscription, this assignment pattern is kept as much as possible in the new subscription.
• Data: All user data is retained during the change, including Exchange mailboxes and SharePoint Online documents, lists, and other information.

The day your plan change is complete, the billing on your old subscription is turned off and the billing on your new subscription is turned on. Depending on the new plan you selected, you might receive a prorated credit. You receive a new invoice that includes the credit for your old subscription within 30 days of changing to the new subscription.

The length of time it takes to receive your prorated credit depends on the payment method used for the old subscription.

Change plans manually

Most of the time, you can change plans automatically. However, sometimes this isn't possible. You can change plans manually if:

• You can't select the View upgrades recommended for your org link.
• When you select the View upgrades recommended for your org link, the plan you want isn't listed.
• You don't want to move all your users to the same plan. Some businesses need different users licensed for different plans.

If you're changing to a plan with fewer data-related services than your current plan, you must manually back up any data that you want to keep. For more information, see Back up data before changing Microsoft 365 for business plans .

Step 1: Buy a new subscription

Already bought a new subscription? If you already have the subscription that you want to move users to, skip this step and go to Step 2: Check your new subscription and licenses .

Need to buy a new subscription and licenses? Follow the steps in Buy a different subscription .

Make sure that you buy a subscription for the same organization that the users are in now. For example, check the email addresses for the users that you want to move. If their email addresses include @contoso.com , you must buy a new subscription for contoso.com. Buy a license for each user that you want to move.

Step 2: Check your new subscription and licenses

In the Microsoft 365 admin center , go to the Billing > Your products page, then do the following:

• Verify that both the old and new subscriptions are listed and active. The subscription that you're moving users from and the subscription that you're moving users to must be listed together. If the new subscription isn't there when you first check, try again later. Verify that both subscriptions are listed as Active .
• Check that you have enough licenses for each user. Each user needs a license that matches their subscription. If you want to move 10 users to Microsoft 365 Business Premium, make sure 10 unassigned licenses are available in that subscription.
• Need more licenses for the new subscription? Go to the Your products page, select the subscription, and buy more licenses .

The new subscription isn't listed, or isn't active

If you bought two subscriptions and they aren't both listed on the Your products page, you might have bought them for different organizations (for different domains). Subscriptions can't cross organization boundaries.

If you know you have another subscription, and it isn't listed here, or isn't active, contact support .

What about old licenses?

The licenses for the current subscription are removed in Step 4: Cancel subscriptions or remove licenses that you no longer need (Optional) . After that, you only pay for the new licenses.

Step 3: Move users to the new subscription

After you confirm the number of licenses in your new subscription, you can move users from the old subscription to the new one .

Step 4: Cancel subscriptions or remove licenses that you no longer need (Optional)

If you moved all users from one subscription to another, and you don't need the original subscription anymore, just cancel the subscription .

If you have an MCA billing account type, you can only cancel and receive a prorated credit or refund if you cancel within seven days after the start or renewal of your subscription. If you cancel during this limited time window, the prorated amount is either credited towards your next invoice or returned to you in the next billing cycle. For details, see Determine your cancellation option .

If you moved only some users to a different subscription, remove licenses that you no longer need .

If you upgraded to Microsoft 365 Business Premium, use the steps in the Business Premium library to set up your new security capabilities.

Visit the Microsoft 365 Business Premium library

Related content

Move users to a different subscription (article) Try or buy a Microsoft 365 for business subscription (article)

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Microsoft office vs. microsoft 365: which one should you buy.

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Table of contents, what's the difference, microsoft office: pros and cons, microsoft 365: pros and cons, okay, so which one costs more.

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

Microsoft office vs. office online, work from anywhere, collaboration to the max, the latest features and support, membership bonuses.

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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HP 14" Ultral Light Laptop for Students and Business, Intel Quad-Core N4120, 16GB RAM, 192GB Storage(64GB eMMC+128GB Ghost Manta SD Card), 1 Year Office 365, Webcam, HDMI, WiFi, USB-A&C, Win 11

8GB RAM | 128GB Storage

8GB RAM | 192GB Storage

8GB RAM | 256GB Storage

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16GB RAM | 256GB Storage

Brand	HP
Screen Size	14 Inches
Color	Jet Black
Connectivity Technology	Wi-Fi, USB, HDMI
Battery Life	11.5 Hours
Has webcam capability?	Yes
Human Interface Input	Microphone
Software Included	Windows 11 Home in S mode, 1 Year Office 365
Form Factor	Ultra-Portable
Memory Clock Speed	2.4E+3 MHz

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Standing screen display size	‎14 Inches
Memory Speed	‎2.4E+3 MHz
Average Battery Life (in hours)	‎11.5 Hours

Brand	‎HP
Item model number	‎HP
Item Weight	‎4.39 pounds
Product Dimensions	‎12.76 x 0.71 x 8.86 inches
Item Dimensions LxWxH	‎12.76 x 0.71 x 8.86 inches
Color	‎Jet Black
Computer Memory Type	‎DDR4 SDRAM
Flash Memory Size	‎16 GB
Power Source	‎Battery Powered

Additional Information

ASIN	B0CQP1SP81
Customer Reviews	4.0 out of 5 stars
Date First Available	May 26, 2022

Warranty & Support

Amazon.com Return Policy:You may return any new computer purchased from Amazon.com that is "dead on arrival," arrives in damaged condition, or is still in unopened boxes, for a full refund within 30 days of purchase. Amazon.com reserves the right to test "dead on arrival" returns and impose a customer fee equal to 15 percent of the product sales price if the customer misrepresents the condition of the product. Any returned computer that is damaged through customer misuse, is missing parts, or is in unsellable condition due to customer tampering will result in the customer being charged a higher restocking fee based on the condition of the product. Amazon.com will not accept returns of any desktop or notebook computer more than 30 days after you receive the shipment. New, used, and refurbished products purchased from Marketplace vendors are subject to the returns policy of the individual vendor.

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Best HP Student Laptop?

✅ Peter Reviews It 👍🏾

Great computer for the price. Not a ton of memory.

Living.the.Alesia.Life

Great machine. Amazing quality brand. Excellent value!

Great Laptop for Everyday Use

What Kirsten Shopped

Owned 2 months. Great for a college student! All in one!

Great durable laptop

Sadie Zavala

Product Description

Switching out of S mode in Windows 11 Windows 11 in S mode is designed for security and performance, exclusively running apps from the Microsoft Store. If you want to install an app that isn't available in the Microsoft Store, you'll need to switch out of S mode 1. On your PC running Windows 11 in S mode, open Settings > System > Activation. 2. In the Switch to Windows 11 Pro section, select Go to the Store. (If you also see an "Upgrade your edition of Windows" section, be careful not to click the "Go to the Store" link that appears there.) 3. On the Switch out of S mode (or similar) page that appears in the Microsoft Store, select the Get button. After you see a confirmation message on the page, you'll be able to install apps from outside of the Microsoft Store. HP 14 inch Laptop for Business and Student: Sleek design: Easily take this thin and light PC from room to room or on the road Dual array microphones: With two microphones and advanced noise reduction software, you'll always sound crystal clear when you video chat or record Display: 14.0-inch diagonal, HD (1366 x 768), micro-edge, BrightView Processor: Intel Celeron N4120, 4 Cores & 4 Threads Memory: upgraded to 16GB DDR4 RAM Storage: 64GB eMMC+128GB Micro SD Card Graphics: Intel UHD Graphics 600 Operating System: Windows 11 Home in S mode HP Fast Charge: Go from 0 to 50% charge in approximately 45 minutes Battery Life: Up to 11 hours and 30 minutes (video playback); Up to 9 hours (wireless streaming) Webcam: HP True Vision 720p HD camera with integrated dual array digital microphones Connectivity: 802.11a/b/g/n/ac (2x2)(19a) Wi-Fi and Bluetooth combo Dimensions: 12.76 x 8.86 x 0.71 inches Weight: 3.24 lbs

Customer reviews

• 5 star 4 star 3 star 2 star 1 star 5 star 62% 13% 6% 4% 14% 62%
• 5 star 4 star 3 star 2 star 1 star 4 star 62% 13% 6% 4% 14% 13%
• 5 star 4 star 3 star 2 star 1 star 3 star 62% 13% 6% 4% 14% 6%
• 5 star 4 star 3 star 2 star 1 star 2 star 62% 13% 6% 4% 14% 4%
• 5 star 4 star 3 star 2 star 1 star 1 star 62% 13% 6% 4% 14% 14%

Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.

To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.

Customers say

Customers like the portability of the laptop. They say it's light enough to carry around. They appreciate the ease of use. However, some customers dislike the speed. Customers also disagree on performance, appearance, quality, battery life, and value.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

Customers find the laptop easy to carry and functional for work. They also say it strikes an excellent balance between portability, performance, and size.

"...Let's start with the design - this laptop is sleek, lightweight , and portable, making it perfect for carrying around campus or taking to meetings...." Read more

"...Battery life seems very good, the laptop is also fairly lightweight as well. What more could you ask for at this price point." Read more

"I bought this PC to take with me while traveling. It is very light and meets my needs perfectly...." Read more

"...So this one is a tad smaller, but that makes it easier to cart around ...." Read more

Customers find the laptop easy to use. They mention it's simple, convenient, and lightweight. Some say that the laptop handles everyday tasks with ease, and is good for beginners.

"...meetings, and the HDMI, WiFi, and USB-A ports make it easy to connect to external devices and accessories...." Read more

" Very simple and functional yet it has all of the essentials without any of the gimmicky frills...." Read more

"... Setting up the new PC was easy , perhaps too easy. New PC asked for router password which I gave...." Read more

"...picked up on all my “stuff” because of my Microsoft account, so startup was easy ." Read more

Customers are mixed about the quality of the notebook computer. Some mention it's a decent computer, great for work, and excellent product, while others say it'd break at any second. It's lightweight and feels flimsy.

"...The two finger tap for right mouse clicks is clunky and frustrating .. So I got a mouse and a self-adhesive mouse pouch and stuck it to the computer..." Read more

"...if you're a student or a business professional in need of a reliable , efficient, and affordable laptop, with amazing battery life, look no further..." Read more

"...When I finally got around to actually using PC it was BAD ...." Read more

"...It is very light and meets my needs perfectly ...." Read more

Customers are mixed about the performance of the notebook computer. Some mention that it works well, serves its purpose, and has no issues so far. However, others say that it underperforms, deletes work, and wouldn't start.

"...It starts to slow down and freeze ." Read more

"...The performance and quality are on par with laptops that cost twice as much, and I couldn't be happier with my purchase...." Read more

"...The screen looks over exposed and changes in the settings won’t correct it. The keys are pretty loud...." Read more

"Very simple and functional yet it has all of the essentials without any of the gimmicky frills...." Read more

Customers are dissatisfied with the speed of the notebook computer. They mention that it takes a while to load pages, open up programs, and the time between clicks is too long. They also say that typing was a chore because letters were delayed.

"...It starts to slow down and freeze." Read more

"...This computer doesn't have Bluetooth, is extremely slow . MS locks y into using Edge in a worse case scenario than they did with Explorer 25 yrs ago...." Read more

"...you're a student or a business professional in need of a reliable, efficient , and affordable laptop, with amazing battery life, look no further than..." Read more

"...That was a nice bonus. It is not the fastest laptop in the world, but that is to be expected for how cheap it is...." Read more

Customers are mixed about the value of the laptop. Some mention it's truly excellent for the cost, while others say it'll not be worth the buy.

"...or a business professional in need of a reliable, efficient, and affordable laptop , with amazing battery life, look no further than the HP Newest 14..." Read more

"...I had to return it. Although the price is cheap Unfortunately so was the computer." Read more

"...One last note: this is definitely a computer for students. It is priced reasonably considering post Covid greedflation prices...." Read more

"...Overall I think this is a good laptop for the price , but do your research to make sure this is what you are looking for...." Read more

Customers are mixed about the appearance of the laptop. Some mention it looks great, while others say the graphics are terrible and the screen quality and resolution are far lower than expected.

"...Let's start with the design - this laptop is sleek , lightweight, and portable, making it perfect for carrying around campus or taking to meetings...." Read more

"...It’s quick and clean and stylish . Small enough to carry in my bag but large enough to do its job. The battery lasts a long time too" Read more

"... Not great for editing pictures or watching videos, but would be fine for other things...." Read more

"...I'm very pleased with the look and performance of this laptop. Great looking, big screen. My only issue is the track pad - needs a lot of pressure...." Read more

Customers are mixed about the battery life of the notebook computer. Some mention that it has good battery life, and has lasted longer than MacBooks by at least 3 years. However, others say that it's a pain to navigate and the battery is not good. They also say that the laptop stopped holding a charge and has to be restarted quite often.

"...in need of a reliable, efficient, and affordable laptop, with amazing battery life , look no further than the HP Newest 14" Ultralight Laptop...." Read more

"...I do have to restart it quite often if I’m working on it quite a bit. It starts to slow down and freeze." Read more

"... Battery life seems very good , the laptop is also fairly lightweight as well. What more could you ask for at this price point." Read more

"... Battery life isn't great , so keep your charger handy...." Read more

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What's in this article, upgrade to premium, people view, task conversations, task history, advanced dependencies, timeline view, critical path, custom calendar, assignments view, custom fields, conditional coloring, summary and sub tasks.

As projects become more complex, you may need more advanced features to keep up with your team's needs. You can start upgrading to a premium license in the app by going to My Plans,  selecting New   plan and selecting one of our premium options.

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Create custom work week calendars for each plan.

When a project manager develops a resource-loaded work-back structure (WBS), the linear distribution of effort between resources is typically acceptable as a starting point to estimate effort and costs. However, there are scenarios where a PM will need to be more granular in effort within a given time span for each resource (day, week, month) to reflect how the work will be accurately executed.

Create up to ten new fields to help you keep track of important information specific to your plans and workflows using custom fields . Choose from four types:

Track important deadlines with Date fields.

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Take short notes about status with Text fields.

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What's the difference between Microsoft 365 and Office 2021?

Microsoft 365 is a subscription service that makes sure you always have the most up-to-date modern productivity tools from Microsoft. There are Microsoft 365 plans for home and personal use, as well as for small and midsized businesses, large enterprises, schools, and non-profits. 

Microsoft 365 plans for home or business  include the robust Microsoft 365 desktop apps that you’re familiar with, like Word, PowerPoint, and Excel. You also get extra cloud storage and cloud-connected features that let you collaborate on files in real time. With a subscription, you'll always have the latest features, fixes, and security updates along with perennial tech support at no extra cost. You can choose to pay for your subscription on a monthly or yearly basis. The Microsoft 365 Family plan also lets you share these subscription benefits with up to five additional people.

Note:  Microsoft 365 Basic is a subscription for one person. It includes 100GB of cloud storage, secure ad-free email, secure photo and file storage, and Microsoft support. See the Microsoft 365 Basic FAQ for more information.

Most of the Microsoft 365 plans for business, schools, and non-profits include the fully installed desktop apps, but Microsoft also offers basic plans with the online versions of Microsoft 365, file storage, and email. You decide what works best for you: Small business , Enterprise , School , or Non-profit .

Office 2021 is sold as a one-time purchase , which means you pay a single, up-front cost to get Microsoft 365 apps for one computer. One-time purchases are available for both PCs and Macs. However, there are no upgrade options, which means if you plan to upgrade to the next major release, you'll have to buy it at full price.

Microsoft 365 for the web is a free version of Microsoft 365 that you can use in a web browser. All you need is to sign up for a Microsoft account with a new or existing email address.   Use Word, Excel, PowerPoint and more for free on the web .

Tip:  If you're a small business owner looking for more information on how to get Microsoft 365 set up, visit Small business help & learning .

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

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

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Compare Microsoft 365 subscription with Office 2021 (one-time purchase)

		(Example: Office Home & Business 2021)		(Example: Microsoft 365 Family or Microsoft 365 Personal)
Cost
		Get Microsoft 365 apps like Excel, Word, and PowerPoint.		Get the fully installed and latest versions of Excel, Word, PowerPoint and Outlook, and OneNote for Windows or Mac. You'll always get the latest features, new tools, security updates, and bug fixes. (PC users also get Access and Publisher.)
		Security updates are included, but you won’t get any new features. Upgrades to major releases aren't included.		Your apps will always be improving. You'll get all the , as well as security updates and bug fixes.
		One-time purchases can be installed once on either a PC or Mac.		You can install Microsoft 365 Family or Personal, on all your devices and sign in to five at the same time―that means you can use the Microsoft 365 apps no matter where you are or what device you’re on. This includes PCs, Macs, tablets, and phones. With Microsoft 365 Family you can also share your subscription with up to five other people.
		Install the mobile apps for free and get basic editing features on tablets or phones under 10.1 inches.		Install the mobile apps for free and get when you sign in to Microsoft 365 apps on your device.
		Not included.		Securely store your files in the cloud and access them from anywhere. Get 1 TB of cloud storage. With Microsoft 365 Family you get 1 TB per user, and anyone you're sharing with will also get their own 1 TB of cloud storage.
		Initial technical support is included for installing only.		Contact us throughout your subscription at no extra cost for help with technical issues, or for subscription and billing support.

Need help choosing a Microsoft 365 for business plan?

Deciding on a plan can depend on your specific business needs. The Microsoft 365 plan chooser is designed to help you with this. The chooser will make recommendations based on your answers to questions such as the size of your business, your field of work, the devices you use, and what kind of features, IT support, and security you're looking for. See Help me find the right plan for my business .

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Can I buy just one app, like 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 also get a one-time purchase or a subscription version of Visio or Project, available for PCs only. Buy Visio or buy Project .

I have a Mac. What should I buy?

Microsoft 365 subscriptions and Office 2021 can be installed on either Mac or PC.  Compare prices

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

You don't need to be online to use Microsoft 365 apps after they are installed and activated on your devices. However, you will need internet access initially to install and activate Microsoft 365, to install any updates, and to manage your billing. Internet access is also required to access documents stored on OneDrive, unless you install the OneDrive desktop app. However, after your Microsoft 365 apps (like Word, PowerPoint, and Excel) are installed, you can use them offline.

You should connect to the internet regularly to keep your apps up to date and benefit from automatic upgrades. If you don’t connect to the Internet at least once a month, your applications will go into reduced functionality mode, and you might see an unlicensed product error . To reactivate your Microsoft 365 applications, simply reconnect to the internet and sign in to Microsoft 365. Learn how to sign in .

Do I need to be connected to the internet to use Office 2021?

You don't need to be online to use Office 2021 apps after they are installed and activated on your device. However, you will need internet access initially to install and activate Office 2021 and to install any updates. In addition, Office 2021 requires reactivation periodically, and may also be triggered by changes to your device’s components, requiring an internet connection. Failing to reactivate may cause your applications to go into reduced functionality mode, or you might get an unlicensed product error .

If you are unable to connect to the internet, you should consider Office LTSC .

Do I have to store my files in the cloud?

No. There are benefits with saving your files to the cloud, but the choice is yours. With both Microsoft 365 and non-subscription versions of Office, you choose where you want to store your documents. The option is yours to save them to a local device or save them to the cloud using a service such as OneDrive.

You can even choose to store your files in the cloud, but continue to access them from your device whether you're online or offline. You do this by syncing your files to your device and making them available for offline access. See  Sync files with OneDrive in Windows or  Sync files with OneDrive on macOS .

To learn more about the benefits of saving to the cloud, see  Video: Why store files in the cloud? To learn more about the choices for where to save your files, see  Save your files and  Save, back up, and recover a file in Microsoft Office .

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