m365 business plans uk

• Employee quick setup
• Download and install apps
• Setup and use Outlook
• Move your email, calendars, and contacts
• Setup OneDrive
• Collaborate and meet with Teams
• Create an email signature
• Security features and settings
• Create a hub for your team
• Collaborate on business documents
• Share files with my team members
• Create polls to survey employees
• Let customers book appointments
• Schedule meetings with anyone
• Save and share files with clients
• Add your clients as guests
• Manage your business finances
• Track product inventory
• Plan projects and track deadlines
• Scheduling staff shifts
• Suport resources

Welcome to Microsoft 365 for business

• Buy Microsoft 365
• Microsoft 365 Admin Center
• Add a custom domain
• Manage payment information
• Add more users
• All about passwords
• Remote work
• File sharing and storage
• Secure your business

What is Microsoft 365 for business?

Microsoft 365 is a cloud-based productivity platform that offers a set of tools and services for small businesses, including email, calendar, word processing, spreadsheet, and presentation tools, as well as cloud storage and collaboration tools. Depending on your subscription plan, the benefits of your Microsoft 365 for business subscription may include:

The latest Microsoft 365 apps like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint

Email and calendars using Outlook

Group chat, online meetings, and calling in Microsoft Teams

1 TB of cloud storage for your files per person

Here are some key steps to getting started with Microsoft 365 small business.

Step 1 - Sign up for a Microsoft 365 business plan

If you haven’t already purchased a subscription, the first step in getting started with Microsoft 365 is to sign up for a business plan. Visit the Microsoft 365 for business website  and choose a plan that meets the needs of your business.

Need help choosing a plan? Check out  Which Microsoft 365 plan is right for your business? to learn more.

Step 2 - Sign into your account

Go to microsoft365.com and sign in with your business username and password.

When you sign up for a subscription, you specify an alternate email address where you'll get emails from Microsoft that include links to sign into your Microsoft 365 business account.

Step 3 - See what’s included in your subscription

After you purchase a business plan, it's a good idea to review what's in it and to review your account information.

Go to microsoft365.com  and sign into your account.

Select  Subscriptions , and then under Product Name , select the subscription you purchased to view billing information.

Select  View the apps and services included with this subscription for a detailed list of what’s available in your subscription.

Step 4 - Set up Microsoft 365 for your business

After you sign up for Microsoft 365 for business, it’s important to set up your account. In general, the steps involve:

Adding a custom domain name

Setting up Outlook email

Downloading the apps

Determining where to store files

Setting up Microsoft Teams

Adding users

Securing your organization, including setting up multifactor authentication

You may also have existing files, email, or calendars that you'll want to move into Microsoft 365.

To get started with setup, go to Overview of the Microsoft 365 Admin Center - Simplified view .

Step 5 - Find Support and Learning Resources

After you set up your subscription, here are some training and support resources to help get your business up and running successfully.

Get support for Microsoft 365 for business

Links to open a support ticket from the admin center, find phone numbers for support, and learn about the Service Health dashboard.

Business Assist

This add-on license gives you access to personalized help from a small business specialist for: Setting up, moving your files, personalizing your experience, and making sure you have ongoing support for all your Microsoft 365 needs.

Help and learning resources

Small business help and learning resources

Short business tutorials to start, run, and grow your business

How-to, help, and training videos to get your business up and running on Microsoft 365.

Engaging videos to help you get going quickly

Get insights and ideas

Get resources to help you start, manage, and grow your business

Admin Center help

Help and training articles about managing Microsoft 365 in the admin center

Learn by product

Find product-specific help and support for Microsoft 365 apps

 Related topics

Small business help and learning

Microsoft 365 help for small businesses on YouTube

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Microsoft 365 subscription benefits

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Accessibility center

Communities help you ask and answer questions, give feedback, and hear from experts with rich knowledge.

Ask the Microsoft Community

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Microsoft M365 Plan Comparison – Choosing the Right M365 Plan for Your Business

In today’s modern business landscape, the role of technology in optimising productivity and securing sensitive data cannot be overstated. microsoft 365 (m365) stands as a cornerstone solution, offering a range of plans tailored to diverse business needs..

Whether you’re an enterprise organisation seeking advanced security, regulatory, internal compliance and analytics capabilities, or a small or medium-sized enterprise (SME) looking for essential collaboration tools, with a range of M365 business plans available, it’s vital to understand the key differences between these plans and how they can benefit their specific needs, in this post we explore the Microsoft M365 Plan Comparison.

In this post, we explore the Microsoft 365 plans available, highlighting the key differences, including the M365 Business Plans, Enterprise Plans (E), Frontline (F) and Education (A) plans, along with a breakdown of features and benefits, and insights into which plans are most suited for varying types of business.

There are also a number of “Add-ons” that enable feature uplift between plans and also specific Office 365 plans but for this post, we will focus on the main Microsoft 365 plans as they provide the best balance of productivity, security and compliance.

By understanding the distinctions between these plans and considering your organisation’s requirements, you can make an informed decision and choose the plan that aligns with your business goals.

If you are an organisation of over 300 users, the M365 Enterprise E Plans are required as the Business Plans are limited to a maximum of 300 users.

Microsoft M365 Plan Comparison

Microsoft m365 e3, ideal for smes and growing businesses.

Microsoft 365 E3 is a robust proposition that strikes a fine balance between productivity and security. Tailored for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and growing businesses, it includes an impressive suite of applications and tools designed to enhance collaboration, communication, and document management.

The key to its appeal lies in its versatility, which suits businesses that seek a holistic approach to productivity, compliance, and security. Here’s a closer look at the benefits and features of M365 E3:

• Office Applications: Access to familiar Office apps such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook, enabling seamless document creation, editing, and sharing.
• Cloud Storage: 1TB of OneDrive for Business storage per user, ensuring easy and secure file storage and sharing.
• Email and Calendar: Exchange Online for efficient email communication and calendaring, enhancing team collaboration.
• Teams Collaboration: Microsoft Teams – a powerful platform for real-time communication, video conferencing, and collaboration.
• Mobile Device Management with Intune: A single platform to manage various mobile devices, ensuring consistent policies, configurations, and updates.
• Security Features: Advanced threat protection, data loss prevention, and encryption to safeguard sensitive information.
• Compliance Tools: Inclusive compliance and archiving tools to meet industry regulations and data retention requirements.
• Mobile Apps: Access to Office mobile apps for productivity on-the-go.
• Viva Solutions: Including Viva Insights, Learning, Engage and Communications, bringing together communication, feedback, analytics, goals, and learning, all in one unified solution.
• Automation : Power Apps, Chat Bots and Power Automate, quickly automate corporate processes and workflows.
• Windows : Latest Windows versions along with features and security benefits. Enablement and access to Azure Virtual Desktop, Windows 365 (Cloud PC). Virtual Desktop Access licence for your VDI clients (required for any vendor VDI solutions)

Microsoft M365 E5

Tailored for enterprises with advanced security & compliance needs.

The pinnacle of M365 plans is E5. Microsoft 365 E5 is a premium plan designed for larger enterprises and organisations that require advanced security, compliance, and analytics capabilities.

Microsoft M365 E5 offers a robust set of features to ensure data protection, compliance, and in-depth insights. Some key benefits and features of M365 E5 include:

• All E3 Features: M365 E5 includes all the features of E3, ensuring access to productivity, security, compliance and collaboration tools.
• Advanced Threat Protection: Enhanced security against sophisticated cyber threats with additional features for Microsoft Defender for Endpoint and Exchange Online Advanced Threat Protection, Identity, Cloud Apps and Cloud App security. Enhanced risk and identity protection, privilege identity management and access reviews.
• Advanced Compliance: Automatic document labelling and classification along with additional compliance tools and features for meeting complex regulatory requirements. Machine learning and rules-based retention and data lifecycle management, records management, insider risk management and communication compliance.
• Advanced Analytics: Power BI Pro for powerful data visualization and business intelligence capabilities.
• Phone System: Cloud-based phone system capabilities, including domestic and international calling plans.
• Audio Conferencing: Dial-in access for Microsoft Teams meetings.
• MyAnalytics: Personal productivity insights to enhance individual and team efficiency.

See the Microsoft 365 User Subscription Suites for Enterprise Businesses to find the right plan for your business.

When reviewing the Microsoft M365 Plan comparison, it is critical to remember that selecting the appropriate M365 plan depends on your business size, collaboration, and security requirements.

Microsoft A Plans

Specifically designed for educational institutions.

Microsoft A plans, including A1, A3 and A5, are designed specifically for educational institutions to support teaching, learning, and administrative functions, allowing them to create a modern and connected learning environment.

Microsoft 365 A1 provides a simple solution to support learners with desktop apps, cloud management through Microsoft Intune for Education, with a one-time payment per device.

Microsoft 365 A3 offers a more comprehensive suite of apps and enhanced security features to support educators, students, and administrative staff, whilst Microsoft 365 A5 provides the latest and most advanced innovations in security, compliance, analytics, and collaboration.

Microsoft F Plans

Specifically designed for frontline workers.

Microsoft F plans, F1 and F3 offer cost savings over E Plans and are specifically designed for organisations with frontline workers, where employees are on the go, often using mobile devices and working directly with customers or the general public. Microsoft 365 Frontline Worker licenses may be assigned to users who have access to a single device with a screen smaller than 10.1 inches, or where devices are shared across multiple users/shift workers for example.

Some key benefits and features of M365 F plans include:

• Office Apps: Access to online versions of Microsoft Office applications for document creation and collaboration.
• Email and Calendar: Exchange Online for business-class email, shared calendars, and improved communication.
• Online Meetings and Chat: Microsoft Teams for virtual meetings, chat, and real-time collaboration.
• Document Management: SharePoint Online for efficient document storage, sharing, and collaboration.
• Cloud-Based Tools: Cloud flexibility for remote work and collaboration from anywhere.
• Efficient Collaboration: Tools like Teams and SharePoint facilitate seamless teamwork and information sharing.
• Enhanced Communication: Connect through advanced email and chat features.
• Data Security: Built-in security measures, including threat protection and data loss prevention.

Blending M365 E and F Plans

For organisations that have diverse needs across different departments, sites, or user groups blending a Microsoft 365 F plan with an E plan is also a strategic consideration. This hybrid approach allows organisations to maximise the benefits of both plans to cater to specific requirements. Below are some examples where we have blended E and F plans for our clients:

• Nonprofit: E3 plans for internal operations, where advanced security and compliance features are essential, but utilising F1 or F3 plans for volunteers who primarily require basic communication and collaboration tools.
• Retail: Management and administrative staff at the headquarters and offices have access to an E plan, delivering them the advanced corporate functions required, with frontline workers, such as store associates utilising a Microsoft 365 F1 plan.
• Utilities: The engineering and technical teams benefit from a Microsoft 365 E3 plan with access to advanced security features and enhanced collaboration capabilities, whilst field workers and operators use a Microsoft 365 F3 plan, allowing operators to receive real-time instructions, report incidents, and coordinate tasks using mobile devices ensuring efficient and safe operations in the field.
• Hybrid Business Structures: Companies with diverse business units, with a nonprofit arm, use E plans for their main business operations and F plans for their nonprofit initiatives or frontline workers, tailoring tools to each sector’s unique needs.

Where possible, organisations should look at where they can strategically blend Microsoft 365 plans, based on the unique needs of their workforce segments, to enhance productivity, collaboration, and communication and optimise costs.

Selecting the appropriate M365 plan depends on your business size, collaboration, and security requirements. Small organisations (under 300 users) and startups can also enjoy the features available with a basic, standard or premium business plan, as summarised below.

Microsoft 365 Business Premium

An ideal choice for growing enterprises with regulatory compliance needs.

Microsoft 365 Business Premium is a comprehensive subscription plan designed to meet the diverse needs of businesses. It offers a full suite of Office applications, enabling offline and advanced document editing, along with cloud services like Exchange Online, SharePoint Online, and Microsoft Teams for communication and collaboration. The plan prioritises security with multi-factor authentication, data loss prevention, and advanced threat protection, while also including mobile device management and a Windows 10 Pro license for enhanced device security.

Microsoft 365 Business Premium is well-suited for businesses seeking a unified approach to productivity, security, and management, making it an ideal choice for growing enterprises and those with regulatory compliance needs.

Microsoft 365 Business Standard

Well-suited for smes that value both desktop and online office apps.

Microsoft 365 Business Standard, formerly Office 365 Business Premium, aims to empower businesses in diverse industries with a range of tools, making it an adaptable and integrated solution for those looking to enhance productivity, collaboration, and communication within their organisation. This plan includes the full suite of Office applications, Exchange for email, SharePoint for file sharing, and Microsoft Teams. It’s ideal for small to medium-sized businesses seeking comprehensive productivity and collaboration tools.

This plan is particularly beneficial for businesses that value both desktop and online versions of Office applications, enabling them to enhance teamwork, document management, and client communication. It is also relevant to professional services, retail, hospitality, startups, and educational institutions, providing versatile tools to streamline operations, improve client interactions, and boost overall efficiency. Additionally, Microsoft 365 Business Standard is suitable for remote and distributed teams, offering effective means of staying connected and collaborating on projects.

Microsoft 365 Business Basic

An excellent entry-level option for small teams or startups.

Microsoft 365 Business Basic, formerly Office 365 Business Essentials, is tailored for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), startups, and businesses with remote teams. It’s ideal for those seeking a practical and budget-friendly solution to enhance productivity and connectivity. This plan offers cloud email, shared calendars, and Microsoft Teams for virtual meetings and file sharing, making it a cost-effective choice for those prioritising seamless remote work and simplified communication. Additionally, it suits startups aiming for scalability and nonprofits with budget constraints that require basic productivity tools. As businesses grow, they can consider upgrading to more advanced plans for expanded features and capabilities.

See the Microsoft 365 User Subscription Suites for Small and Medium-sized Businesses to find the right plan for your business.

Upgrading Your M365 Plan

Upgrading your M365 plan is a strategic move that can enhance your organisation’s productivity, security, and overall success. To support businesses evolving needs, upgrade paths within the Microsoft 365 ecosystem allow businesses to easily transition from one plan to another.

By carefully assessing needs and consulting with experts, such as Krome, organisations can successfully navigate the upgrade paths and unlock the full potential of their chosen M365 plan.

Here’s a closer look at the upgrade paths and how Krome can help you:

• Understanding the Need for Upgrade: Identify the specific features, tools, or capabilities that your current plan lacks but are crucial to your business operations. This assessment will serve as a guiding compass in choosing the right upgrade path.
• Exploring Upgrade Options: Evaluate which plan aligns best with your newfound requirements. For instance, if your business is currently on Microsoft 365 Business Basic but needs advanced security features and offline access to Office applications, you might consider upgrading to Microsoft 365 Business Standard or even Microsoft 365 Business Premium.
• Consulting with Experts: Engaging with an experienced Microsoft partner, such as Krome will provide you with valuable insights into the upgrade process. Our experts can guide you through the technical aspects, potential challenges, and benefits of the upgrade, ensuring a seamless transition.
• Preparing Data Migration: If your upgrade involves moving data, such as emails, files, or documents, it’s essential to plan the migration process carefully. Krome has vast experience migrating Microsoft environments and can work with you to deliver a seamless migration, without data loss or disruptions.
• Communication and Training: Change management is key to a successful upgrade. Inform your employees about the upcoming changes and new features they can expect. Provide training sessions or resources to help them familiarise themselves with the upgraded tools and applications.
• Monitoring and Feedback: Once the upgrade is complete, Krome can monitor the transition and gather feedback from users. This feedback can help you identify any challenges or areas where additional training or adjustments might be needed.
• Continuous Evaluation: As your business evolves, your needs may change again. Regularly evaluate the effectiveness of your upgraded plan and ensure that it continues to align with your organisation’s goals.

M365 Migration Partner Krome

Krome offers extensive Microsoft 365 consultancy, migration and implementation expertise; by evaluating your current infrastructure and strategically planning how to most effectively migrate your users, or optimise your solution to work for you. Whatever the challenge, we will help you to understand the Microsoft M365 plan comparison, and that your organisation is able to fully leverage the power of your selected Microsoft 365 platform.

Krome is a Microsoft Cloud Solutions Partner (CSP) and also holds Gold Partner status. CSP and Gold Partners are recognised for offering innovative business solutions and are accredited independent solution providers. CSP and Gold competencies are earned by completing a rigorous set of pre-sales and technical assessments, exams, to obtain multiple certifications to prove technology expertise. Krome is also a Microsoft Direct Cloud Solutions Partner and is able to recommend and provide Microsoft licences including Azure, Dynamics, Microsoft 365 and on-premise licences to both commercial and public sector customers.

To speak to a member of the Krome team about the Microsoft M365 plan comparison, or your existing Microsoft 365 environment, please contact us on 01932 232345 or complete the form below.

Want to know more?

Contact us today to explore how our tailored solutions can align with your business priorities.

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Which Microsoft 365 Business Plan Do I Buy?

When you go to Microsoft.com to get yourself set up with Microsoft 365, you might be taken aback at the number of plans available. Which one do you need? Which one is going to meet your needs? We’ve written this blog post to help you decide which M365 business plan meets your requirements best.

Using the decision tree below, you can determine which Microsoft 365 plan is best for you and your organisation:

Really, the decision tree above should help you determine which M365 plans to purchase. However, I’m going to explain more about each plan in detail throughout this blog post.

Microsoft 365 Business Plans: What Are Your Options?

There are 7 types of Microsoft 365 Business plans available, which 4 aimed at SMEs and 3 aimed at enterprises. That’s certainly a lot to choose from!

Here are the plans:

• Microsoft 365 Business Basic
• Microsoft 365 Business Standard
• Microsoft 365 Business Premium
• Microsoft 365 Apps
• Microsoft 365 E3
• Microsoft 365 E5
• Microsoft 365 F3

In this blog post, I’m going to focus primarily on the Microsoft 365 Business plans aimed specifically at SMEs. The plans aimed at SMEs are Microsoft 365 Business Basic, Business Standard, Business Premium, and Apps.

Next, let’s have a look at how much each of these plans cost.

Microsoft 365 Business Plans: How Much Do They Cost?

Obviously cost is an important consideration when deciding what business subscriptions are going to meet you needs best.

Here’s are the monthly costs for all of the M365 Business plans.

Microsoft 365 Licence Price Per User

The cheapest Microsoft 365 Business plan is Microsoft 365 Business Basic, which costs £3.80 per month (ex VAT). Keep in mind that all Microsoft 365 subscriptions are an annual commitment, although you can try plans free for one month.

The most expensive Microsoft 365 Business plan is Microsoft 365 E5, which costs £48.10 per month (ex VAT). Again, remember that this is an annual commitment. Via Microsoft, you cannot try this plan free for a month. If you go through an MSP however, they may allow you to trial the service.

Next, let’s have a look at what all the plans include.

Microsoft 365 Business Plans: What’s Included?

Focusing on the Microsoft 365 Business plans aimed at SMEs, let’s have a look at what’s included with each plan.

What's Included With M365 Plans?

As you can see in the table above, there are a few essentials that all Microsoft 365 plans include:

• Web and mobile versions of Office applications: Simple versions of the Office applications (Word, PowerPoint, and Excel) that enable you to create documents and collaborate with team members. These applications are nowhere near as advanced as the desktop versions of the Office suite but are ideal for editing files quickly on the go.
• 1TB of OneDrive storage, enabling easy sharing and collaboration: With OneDrive, you can back up all your files to the cloud across any of your devices. If you store your files in the cloud using OneDrive, you can access and edit them on any device providing you’re logged in to Microsoft 365. You can also easily share files with colleagues and people outside of your organization, selecting whether people can view, edit, or download them.
• Phone and online support : If you require any deployment support or you encounter a technical issue, you can contact the Microsoft team over the phone, via email, or using live chat. Support is available 24/7, so you get on-demand support whenever you need it.

Microsoft 365 Apps is the only plan that doesn’t include the following business essentials too.

• Microsoft Teams: Microsoft’s communication solution enables you to host online meetings, communicate with colleagues using instant messaging, and create teams for your organization. You can share and collaborate on files directly within Microsoft Teams, making it easier than ever for your organization to stay work together and stay productive.
• Email hosting with 50GB storage: Email hosting for every single user that has an M365 plan. We all know how crucial business email is, so I’m not going to discuss it too much here. You can access your M365 email on virtually every single internet-enabled device, and Microsoft advertises a 99.9% uptime guarantee. This also includes shared calendars, enabling you to easily schedule appointments, keep track of them, and get reminders.
• Exchange online protection: Exchange online protection protects your email against spam, malware, and known threats.

Considering the above, the vast majority of organizations are best using Microsoft 365 Business Standard.

Microsoft 365 Apps is a very basic option, ideal for businesses that already have a business email and don’t require communication tools such as Teams.

Microsoft 365 Business Basic is very basic in another respect, as the name suggests! This is perhaps the best plan for remote workers simply requiring an email address and the ability to work and collaborate from any device.

Microsoft 365 Business Standard, on the other hand, provides extras that suit people working within an office or on the same devices every day. For example, employees working at a desktop PC or laptop are best using the best-in-class desktop Office applications rather than the online variations. Therefore setting these users up with Business Standard applications makes sense.

M365 Business Standard includes the desktop versions of the Office applications, which are essential for office-based employees.

This raises two questions: Why upgrade to Microsoft 365 Business Premium , and what types of businesses is M365 Business Premium appropriate for?

In my opinion, it’s worth paying for Microsoft 365 Business Premium because of a few features:

• Advanced threat protection with Microsoft Defender for Office 365
• Remote management and configuration of company devices with Intune
• Information Rights Management

As I detailed in my blog post Does Microsoft 365 Include Security? Microsoft 365 Business Premium is the only SME-oriented plan that includes advanced security solutions for your devices and files. That’s well worth a read if you want to find out more about Microsoft Defender for Office 365 and how it all works.

M365 Business Premium is also the only SME-oriented plan that enables remote management and configuration of company devices using Intune. I feel like Intune is an essential service for businesses of all sizes. It’s important to have the capabilities to manage your company’s devices, no matter where they are. To find out more about Intune, please read my blog post What Is Microsoft Intune and How Does It Work? In that post, I explain all the features of Intune and how they benefit organizations.

As I very briefly mentioned before, Microsoft 365 Business Premium also includes Information Rights Management. With Information Rights Management, you can label and classify files, controlling whether they can be shared, how they can be shared, how users internally and externally can use the file, and what they can do with it.

Information Rights Management is essential for every organization of a certain size, I believe. For example, you can classify files containing financial information so only your finance team can access and use them. But you can also control files that you share, deciding whether users have editing privileges and whether they can share your file with other users. Furthermore, you can immediately restrict access to your document, even if you’ve shared it with people outside of your organization.

You can read more about Information Rights Management in my blog post How Does Azure Information Protection Work? In that blog post, I explain Information Rights Management and how it works in much more detail than I have here, so it’s well worth a read.

Conclusion: Choosing The Appropriate M365 Business Plan

By this point, you should have an excellent idea of which Microsoft 365 Business plans are the best for your business. I’ve explained everything included with each licence, which hopefully helps you make an informed decision.

If you haven’t decided yet which licence type is best for you, here are a few blog posts that might help. I’ve mentioned a few of these resources throughout the article, so they’re well worth a read if you’re still making your decision.

Microsoft 365 Business Review: The Best Option For Your Business?

This is my super comprehensive review of Microsoft 365 Business Premium, well worth a read if you’re undecided on whether or not M365 will meet your needs.

Does Microsoft 365 Include Security?

Read about the security solutions that are included with Microsoft 365 Business Premium, as I briefly discussed in this post.

What Is Microsoft Intune And How Does It Work?

Microsoft Intune is included with Microsoft 365 Business Premium. In the post linked above, you can read about how it lets you manage devices, deploy policies, and control your data.

How Does Azure Information Protection Work?

Azure Information Protection lets you control your data and files, both internally and externally. You can manage your files so only authorized individuals can access them and control access, even once they’ve left your organization.

Thanks for reading! I hope you’ve found this blog post useful.

Jack Mitchell

Jack Mitchell has been the Operations manager at telecoms and MSP Optionbox for more than 4 years. He has played a crucial role in the company, from marketing to helpdesk, and ensures that the IT requirements of over 300 clients are continuously met. With his innate passion for technology and troubleshooting and a particular interest in Apple products, Jack now delivers the most comprehensive tech guides to make your life easier. You can connect with Jack on LinkedIn .

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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
• ✓ 24/7 expert support
• ✓ 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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Compare all Microsoft Office 365 Plans in one Overview

The Microsoft Office 365 plans offer great tools for businesses and enterprises to fully work in the cloud. Microsoft has changed the names of most plans to Microsoft 365 but also kept partially the Office 365 label. Comparing all the plans together on the Microsoft site can sometimes be a bit challenging, so to help you out I have created an overview to compare all office 365 plans.

If you have a small business with less than 300 users, then the most interesting plans are the Microsoft 365 Business plans. Large organizations will have to look at the Office 365 Enterprise and Microsoft 365 plans.

I have also written a couple of articles where I go more into detail between the different plans, you can find the links further down in the article.

Microsoft Office 365 Comparison Chart

The table below will help you to compare the Office 365 plans. The prices are based on an annual subscription model. Enterprise plans are only available in a yearly agreement.

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

Microsoft 365 Business plans

For most small businesses is the Microsoft 365 Business Standard plan the best choice. With a price of $12.50 per user per month, you get the full Office 365 suite, with the desktop apps, Exchange Online, SharePoint, OneDrive, etc. Everything you need to get your business started in the cloud. If you also want to fully manage your devices (computers, mobile phones) or make use of advanced threat protection, then take a look at the Business Premium plan.

Office 365 Enterprise plans

The Enterprise plans can also be used by companies with less than 300 users, but they are more meant for companies that also need Active Directory integration or features like Litigation Hold and eDiscovery. You get more storage for Exchange Online, OneDrive, and SharePoint with the Enterprise plans.

You can check the prices for your country or buy one of the Office 365 plans here at Office.com

Microsoft Office 365 license comparison

Start with an Microsoft Office 365 Trial

It can be difficult to select the right plan for your business with the many options that are available for Office 365. It’s good to start with the comparison of Office 365 plans, but keep in mind that you can also start with an Office 365 Trial . This way you can see what will work for your organization.

You can use your own domain for the trial, but only do that when you are really sure you are going to proceed with Office 365. Otherwise use a temporary domain, like Contoso-lab01, to test out Office 365.

There are a couple of trails available, Microsoft 365 Business Standard and Premium and Office 365 Enterprise E3 and E5 . If you have a small company, with less than 50 employees I recommend starting with a Microsoft 365 Business Premium trial. The business plans give you some nice features like Invoicing and Outlook Customer Manager which can be really useful in smaller companies.

If you have more than 50 employees I would recommend going for the Enterprise solution. It’s more expensive, but the Compliance and Information Protection services will help you protect your data and make it easier for you to comply with Business regulations and industry standards.

Comparing the plans side-by-side

I have written multiple in-depth articles about the differences between specific plans. These articles will help you when you can’t choose between E3 and E5 for example.

Microsoft 365 F1 vs Office 365 E1

I got a lot of questions on what the differences are between the Microsoft 365 F1 plan and the existing Office E1 plan. I worked out the details between them, you can read more about it in the in-depth article Microsoft 365 F1 vs Office 365 E1

Office 365 E1 vs E3

Do you want to know when Office 365 E1 is sufficient and what the differences are with Office 365 E3? Check out this article where we go into the differences between the two.

Microsoft 365 Business Premium vs Office E3

They look almost the same, but there is a huge price difference between these two plans. Want to know what these differences are and if E3 is worth the extra money? You can read all the details here in this article .

Microsoft 365 Business Plans

Are you a small business and do you want to know which Microsoft 365 Business Plan is the best fit for you? Then you should check out this article with all the details you need to know about the Business Plans.

Microsoft 365 Plans

Interested in Microsoft 365 as well? Take a look at this article where I explain the differences between Office 365 and Microsoft 365

Wrapping Up

Microsoft offers a lot of different plans, but in general, they offer you a lot of flexibility and can really help your business to grow. I hope this article helped you to compare Office 365 plans. If you have any questions, then just drop a comment below.

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The best Microsoft Office and Microsoft 365 deals in September 2024

Where to get Microsoft's Office software for the cheapest price

• Microsoft 365 Personal / Family
• Microsoft 365 Business
• Microsoft Home & Student 2021

We've searched the web to bring you all of this month's best Microsoft Office deals. Even with the rise of Google Workspace and other free office software , there are still those who prefer to use Microsoft's suite of programs for work tasks. If that's you, then we're here to help you save money with a roundup of the cheapest prices for both the subscription-based Microsoft 365 and the full Microsoft Office 2021 package.

At the basic level, you can get Word , Excel and PowerPoint as part of Microsoft 365 Personal or in the Microsoft Office 2021 Home and Student/Home and Business packages. Deals on those products are the ones we're focusing on right here as they're the cheapest, most useful and most widely used. 

It gets more complicated beyond that, with different subscription tiers including Family, Business and Enterprise that have more specific use cases and different programs - though these are all relatively self-explanatory. Services bundled in include Outlook , OneDrive , Defender , Teams , Editor, Clipchamp , OneNote , Access , Publisher and much more. Microsoft 365 is the ultimate productivity kitchen sink.

You could buy an Office subscription from Microsoft directly, but it's possible to get a better deal from a reliable third-party retailer. The software is on sale at various times throughout the year, too, such as the back-to-school sales that will be coming to a close very soon.

If you need a device as well, check out today's best laptop deals as many of these include a limited-time subscription for free.

Buy Microsoft 365 Personal or Family

If you're looking to buy Microsoft 365, you should know that this is a subscription-based service. The prices below are for your first year for one user to use on one PC, along with a tablet or mobile too (for the Personal one) or up to six users (on the Family bundle).

The advantages of using Microsoft 365 include having access to all the latest versions of programs in the Microsoft Office suite and having 1TB of online storage, courtesy of one of the best cloud storage providers on the market, OneDrive .

The latter is particularly useful for editing documents on the go. So you could go from writing on the laptop/desktop to making a few changes or crucial last-minute updates on your mobile or tablet.

If the online cloud storage and device switching won't be useful, we'd recommend scrolling further down this page and buying Microsoft Office Home and Student 2021 instead for a one-off fee.

Buy Microsoft 365 Business

There are four different Microsoft 365 business plans as of today. Microsoft says that it changed the name to "to be more reflective of the range of features and benefits in the subscription. Microsoft 365 includes everything you know in Office 365, including best-in-class Office apps, intelligent cloud services, and advanced security."

• Microsoft 365 Business Basic (formerly Office 365 Business Essentials)
• Microsoft 365 Business Standard (formerly Office 365 Business Premium)
• Microsoft 365 Business Premium (formerly Microsoft 365 Business)
• Microsoft 365 Apps for business (formerly Office 365 Business)

Buy Microsoft Home & Student 2021

Microsoft certainly took its time to give us a new standalone Office package as it's moved its focus to the Microsoft 365 subscription service nowadays. But if you want a modern version of Office with just a simple one-time fee, this is the way to go. 

You don't get the fancier cloud-based features and multi-device support that you do with Microsoft 365, but this can work out much cheaper in the long run. 

As is usually the case, the cheapest option for Office 2021 is the "Home & Student" Edition, which comes with a single-user license, allowing you to install the Office suite of apps on one device. It still comes with all the essential Office apps that are suitable for most users' needs: Word , Excel , PowerPoint , Outlook , Access , Publisher , and OneNote.

You might also want to check out how to download and use Microsoft Word for free if you'd rather not hand over any cash.

For other devices, do take a look at the best MacBook deals going right now for the cheapest prices on Apple devices today. You can use Office on your tablet, too, so why not shop the best tablet deals and iPad deals available right now?

Check out our Microsoft promo codes to get the best deal on your next purchase.

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James Pickard is a Deals Editor at TechRadar. After many years of scouring the net for the cheapest games and tech for his personal use, he decided to make it his job to share all the best bargains and coupon codes with you. James also has almost a decade of experience covering some of the biggest sales events of the year at Eurogamer and VG247, including Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Amazon Prime Day. When not deals hunting or stacking coupon codes to get the biggest savings, James can be found on the PS5, watching a classic film noir or cheering on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

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Plan your setup of Microsoft 365 for business

• 15 contributors

Check out all of our small business content on Small business help & learning .

Check out Microsoft 365 small business help on YouTube.

This article is for people who have subscribed to a Microsoft 365 for business plan.

Before moving your organization to Microsoft 365, there are requirements you need to meet, info you need to have on hand, and decisions you have to make.

Choosing the right business subscription

When signing up for Microsoft 365 Business Standard, Microsoft 365 Business Basic, Microsoft Apps for Business or the trial versions, you have two options for how to get started. Evaluate three key factors to choose which best meets your needs:

Which apps and services do you want to use straight away?

How much technical skill do you have?

Do you need Microsoft to act as a processor for your data?

The table below outlines each choice.

Use these three factors to determine which of the two options is best for your business needs. For more info see:

Sign up for a Microsoft 365 Business Standard subscription

Sign up for Microsoft 365 Business Basic

Sign up for Microsoft 365 Apps for business

Overview of Microsoft 365 for business setup

Check out this video and others on our YouTube channel .

Congratulations on your decision to move your business to the cloud with Microsoft 365! Whether you have one person in your business or 20, doing a little planning will help you get the most out of Microsoft 365 for business.

Info to have on hand before you run the setup wizard

When you're ready to run the setup wizard and move your domain to Microsoft 365, here's the info you'll need to have on hand:

List of people you want to add to Microsoft 365. Even if you've already added them to Microsoft 365, if you're updating your domain information, you need to enter their names here.

How you're going to notify your employees of their user ID and password so they can sign in. Are you going to call them with the info? Or send it to their personal email address? They won't have access to their email, so you can't use that.

If you have a domain name for your organization (such as contoso.com) and you plan on using Microsoft email, you'll need to know where your domain is registered and have sign-in information.

What happens when you run the Microsoft 365 setup wizard

The setup wizard walks you through installing the apps in Microsoft 365 on your computer, adding and verifying your domain, adding users and assigning licenses to them, and connecting your domain.

If you need to Assign admin roles in Microsoft 365 for business to the users you add in the wizard, you can do that later on the Users page.

If you don't complete the setup wizard, you can complete setup tasks at any time from admin center > Setup . From here you can migrate email and contacts from another email service, change the domain of your admin account, manage your billing information, add or remove users, reset passwords, and do other business functions. For more information about the differences between the setup wizard and the Setup page, see Differences between the Microsoft 365 setup wizard and the Setup page .

If you get stuck at any point, call us. We're here to help! .

When not to use the setup wizard: Active Directory synchronization and hybrid environments

There are a couple of scenarios that include either migrating data or users from on-premises environments or setting up a hybrid system that includes directory synchronization. If you're in either category, follow the instructions in these articles:

To set up directory synchronization with your on-premises Active Directory, see Set up directory synchronization for Microsoft 365 , and to understand the different identity models in Microsoft 365, read Deploy your identity infrastructure for Microsoft 365 .

To set up an Exchange hybrid, the full set of instructions that guide you through all the different ways of setting up a hybrid exchange (including setting up DNS records) can be found here: Exchange Server Deployment Assistant

To set up a SharePoint hybrid, particularly hybrid search and site features, see Hybrid Search in SharePoint .

Move to Microsoft 365 all at once or in stages

Do you want to move your organization to Microsoft 365 all at once? If so, then plan to move your domain to Microsoft 365 right away. Start by running the Microsoft 365 setup wizard; it will prompt you to set up your domain.

Do you want to move to Microsoft 365 gradually? If you want to move to Microsoft 365 in stages, then skip running the Microsoft 365 setup wizard and consider adopting Microsoft 365 features in the following order:

Add your employees to Microsoft 365 so they can download and install the apps.

Download and install the Microsoft 365 productivity apps to use Word, Excel, and PowerPoint on your computer and devices.

Set up Microsoft Teams to use for your meetings.

Move your content to Microsoft 365 cloud storage (OneDrive or SharePoint team sites).

When you're ready, in the admin center , select Setup in the left navigation pane, and use the Setup page to move your domain and email .

Check that your devices meet system requirements

Each person in your organization can install the Microsoft 365 productivity apps (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and so on) on up to five PCs and Macs. See the operating system and computer requirements for installing Microsoft 365 for business.

Mobile apps can be installed on iOS, Android, and Windows devices. You can find information on mobile device and browser support in System requirements for Microsoft 365 .

Plan for email

If you're planning to move from an existing email service to Microsoft 365, it usually takes two days to make the switch.

Plan for email downtime

If you're going to use Microsoft 365 for your email:

To move your business email address (such as [email protected] ) from another email service to Microsoft 365, you need to direct your mail to be delivered to your new Microsoft 365 mailbox. You do this by selecting Migrate your users' data on the Setup page, where we guide you through the updates you need to make at your domain host, step by step.

After you update your domain host, the changes typically take effect in just an hour or two. But be aware that it can sometimes take up to 72 hours for the changes to update across the internet.

Because you might have email downtime, we recommend you plan to switch to Microsoft email during an evening or weekend when you receive fewer emails.

Plan to move your existing email, contacts, and calendar

If you're going to use Microsoft 365 for your email account, you can bring your existing email, contacts, and calendar with you. The Setup page helps you move your existing email and contacts for most scenarios. We also have step-by-step guides to move one or many mailboxes.

Plan for file storage and migration

Microsoft 365 provides cloud storage for individuals, small organizations, and enterprises. For guidance about what to store where, see Where you can store documents in Microsoft 365 .

You can move hundreds of files to OneDrive or to a SharePoint team site . You can upload 100 files at a time. Avoid uploading files larger than 2 GB, which is the maximum file size by default.

If you want to move several thousand files to Microsoft 365 storage, review the SharePoint in Microsoft 365 Limits . We recommend that you use a migration tool or consider hiring a partner to help you with the migration. For information about how to migrate a large number of files, see SharePoint in Microsoft 365 and OneDrive Migration User Guide .

Plan for Teams

You can use Microsoft Teams to make calls to other people in your organization who are on your subscription. For example, if your organization has 10 people, you can call and IM each other using Teams without any special setup. For more information, see Get started with Microsoft Teams .

For larger organizations or if you're starting from Skype for Business, on-premises, or hybrid deployments, see How to roll out Microsoft Teams .

Plan for integration with Active Directory or other software

Do you want to integrate with your on-premises Active Directory? You can integrate your on-premises Active Directory with Microsoft 365 by using Microsoft Entra Connect. For instructions, see Set up directory synchronization for Microsoft 365 .

Do you want to integrate Microsoft 365 with software made by other companies? If you need to integrate Microsoft 365 with other software in your organization, we recommend you consider hiring a partner to help you with your deployment.

Do you want someone to help you set up Microsoft 365?

If you have fewer than 50 employees:

• Ask for help and we'll call you . After you buy Microsoft 365, you can access the admin center (you don't need to run setup to get to it). At the bottom of the admin center, select Need help? Describe your problem, and we'll call you.
• Call Microsoft 365 for Business Support with your questions . We're here to help!
• Consider hiring a Microsoft partner . If you're short on time, or have advanced requirements (like moving thousands of files to Microsoft 365 cloud storage or integrating with other software), an experienced partner can be a big help.

If you have more than 50 employees , the FastTrack Onboarding Center is available to help you with your deployment.

Secure your business data with Microsoft 365 for business

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