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

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

A person working at a laptop.

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

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

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

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

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Microsoft 365 Family: what do you get?

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

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

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

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

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

Microsoft 365 Business: a better option?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Which should you use?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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microsoft office business plans

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COMPARISON OF OFFICE 365 BUSINESS PLANS AND PRICING

Office 365 plans.

Office 365 Business plans are suitable for businesses that have less than 300 users. There are three business plans: Office 365 Business Essentials, Office 365 Business, Office 365 Business Premium. They have been now renamed as Microsoft 365 Business Basic, Microsoft 365 Apps for business, and Microsoft 365 Business Standard respectively.

If you don’t need Microsoft Office applications, go with the most basic plan – Office 365 Business Essentials (now called as Microsoft 365 Business Basic). This plan is priced at only $6 user/month. At $8.25 user/month, Office 365 Business (now called as 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, Office 365 Business Premium (now called as Microsoft 365 Business Standard) has more advanced features priced at $12.50 user/month.

Business Plans without Teams

Business plans with teams.

$4.75
Based on Annual Commitment
$10.25
Based on Annual Commitment
$19.75
Based on Annual Commitment
$8.30
Based on Annual Commitment
Maximum number of users 300 300 300 300
24/7 Support for end users via phone, chat, and email
99.9% uptime guarantee
Licensed for commercial use

Latest desktop versions of Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint for Windows or Mac

(plus Access and Publisher for PC only)

Access to the document simultaneously by all users in real-time
Available on 5 phones, 5 tablets, 5 PC/Macs per user
Word Online, Excel Online and PowerPoint Online
Latest desktop versions of Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint for iOS, Android devices (upto 5 phones and 5 tablets)
Access to the document simultaneously by all users in real-time
50 GB mailbox for email hosting with custom email domain address
Microsoft Exchange – Business-class emails – Desktop and mobile versions
Schedule meetings and respond to invitations with ease using shared calendars
Set up new user emails, restore deleted accounts, and more from anywhere
1 TB OneDrive for Business file storage and sharing
Get OneDrive for Business and SharePoint synchronized across all devices for every work file saved
File sharing with people outside your organization
Control of permission and access rights for file sharing
Access and sync files on PC or Mac and mobile devices
Exchange Online Protection – from spam, malware, and other threats
Over 1,000 security and privacy controls meeting all globally accepted standards
Custom permission for accessing crucial business information
Password policy creation
Microsoft Bookings to schedule and manage appointments
Microsoft Invoicing to send invoices from anywhere
$4.75
Based on Annual Commitment
$10.25
Based on Annual Commitment
$19.75
Based on Annual Commitment
$8.30
Based on Annual Commitment
$6.00
Based on Annual Commitment
$12.50
Based on Annual Commitment
$22.00
Based on Annual Commitment
Maximum number of users 300 300 300
24/7 Support for end users via phone, chat, and email
99.9% uptime guarantee
Licensed for commercial use

Latest desktop versions of Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint for Windows or Mac

(plus Access and Publisher for PC only)

Access to the document simultaneously by all users in real-time
Available on 5 phones, 5 tablets, 5 PC/Macs per user
Word Online, Excel Online and PowerPoint Online
Latest desktop versions of Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint for iOS, Android devices (upto 5 phones and 5 tablets)
Access to the document simultaneously by all users in real-time
Online meetings and video conferencing up to 250 people with Microsoft Teams
Microsoft Teams – Desktop and mobile versions
Hub for connecting people to Microsoft Teams
SharePoint for team sites and intranet
50 GB mailbox for email hosting with custom email domain address
Microsoft Exchange – Business-class emails – Desktop and mobile versions
Schedule meetings and respond to invitations with ease using shared calendars
Set up new user emails, restore deleted accounts, and more from anywhere
1 TB OneDrive for Business file storage and sharing
Get OneDrive for Business and SharePoint synchronized across all devices for every work file saved
File sharing with people outside your organization
Control of permission and access rights for file sharing
Access and sync files on PC or Mac and mobile devices
Exchange Online Protection – from spam, malware, and other threats
Over 1,000 security and privacy controls meeting all globally accepted standards
Custom permission for accessing crucial business information
Password policy creation
Microsoft Teams to plan schedules and daily tasks
Microsoft Bookings to schedule and manage appointments
Microsoft Invoicing to send invoices from anywhere
$6.00
Based on Annual Commitment
$12.50
Based on Annual Commitment
$22.00
Based on Annual Commitment
  • ✓ Free consultation call
  • ✓ 24/7 expert support
  • ✓ Talk to Microsoft-certified experts

All Our Office 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, faq - your questions we got answers, how exactly will apps4rent help me with these plans.

As your Cloud Solution Provider for Office 365, we will provide free migration and 24 x 7 x 365 support to end-users for issues that take up your time, e.g., configuring email accounts, password resets, setting up aliases and contacts, creating groups, configuring Skype, synchronizing OneDrive, exploring search features, and optimizing browser settings. We will also help you with installing and configuring Office 2016 on your devices and handling DNS records.

What Office versions are compatible with Office 365 Business Essentials?

Office 365 Business Essentials is most compatible with the latest version of Office, Office 2013, and Office 2011 for Mac. Previous versions of Office, such as Office 2010 and Office 2007, may work with Office 365 but with reduced functionality.

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 Office 365?

Yes, you can add the domain name you own to your Office 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.

Is a desktop version of Office required to use Office 365 Business Essentials? 

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

Will by MS Office be automatically updates to the latest version if I have Office 365 plans?

Yes. MS Office apps are always up to date on Office 365. If you already have a subscription of Office 365 plans, you already have a version of Office that has all the functions of Office 2019.

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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 a Global or Billing admin 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 or global admin.

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?

The Microsoft Office logo over an image of a desk.

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.

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Microsoft Office

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

The Microsoft 365 logo over a white background.

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.

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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.

The logos for Outlook, Word, Excel, Powerpoint, and other Microsoft software.

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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  • Manage your Personal Tasks
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  • Advanced capabilities with Premium Plans

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Advanced capabilities with premium plans in Planner

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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Premium features

Goals view in Planner

Create custom work week calendars for each plan.

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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.

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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.

Use Yes/No fields to flag tasks that need follow up.

Use Number fields to manage details such as quantities.

Take short notes about status with Text fields.

Tip:  Hold the Windows key and tap semi-colon to open the emoji picker to add the colored circles.

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Master the entire Microsoft Office suite with a training bundle for just $40

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TL;DR: Prepare for your next job with beginner to advanced courses on Excel, Word, Access, Outlook, and PowerPoint with the Ultimate Microsoft Office 2021/265 Training Bundle on sale for just $40. 

Microsoft Bundle

Don't let that " proficient in Microsoft Office " on your resume be a lie. Knowing how to format a spreadsheet or compose a document in Word is just the beginning. The more advanced functions take a little more effort to learn, but you might be able to save time on tasks like data organization, formatting, and more when you study the Ultimate Microsoft Office 2021/365 Training Bundle. This pack of seven courses goes from beginner to intermediate lessons for Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Access, and it's on sale for just $39.99 (down from $449). 

Excel beginners welcome

If you don't know how to construct functional lookup formulas in Excel or use Excel tables to structure data in a way that's easy to update, have a seat. That's not even the advanced Excel course. Beginners can start with lessons on Excel keyboard shortcuts, basic formulas, and simple functions. Once you're ready for the intermediate course, that's where you can find tips to help you design better spreadsheets. 

The advanced Excel course is your chance to learn how to use new dynamic array functions, create flexible lookup formulas, and practice using statistical functions. In essence, it's where you learn the real data analysis tools, and it could save you a ton of time in any role that works with large data sets. 

Excel isn't the only star of the show. Word may feel like the simplest software in the set, but there's a ton of advanced features you might not be taking advantage of. The Word 2021 course shows you how to access document templates, customize your work interface, and polish your work to a professional shine. 

Don't know if a video course is the right fit for you? Preview some of the videos to get an idea of what's in store. Each course is video-led and packed with practice exercises to help you retain what you learn. You'll even get a certificate of completion when you finish the course. These certificates are different from an official certification, but they could still be useful if you want to show an employer you mean business.

Become an Office expert

Go beyond the basics and use Microsoft apps like a pro. 

Get the Ultimate Microsoft Office 2021/365 Training Bundle on sale for $39.99. 

StackSocial prices subject to change. 

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IMAGES

  1. Office 365 Plans Comparison Chart

    microsoft office business plans

  2. Compare All Microsoft Office 365 Plans and Pricing

    microsoft office business plans

  3. Benefits of Office 365 for Business

    microsoft office business plans

  4. Which Microsoft 365 Business Plan?

    microsoft office business plans

  5. M365 Business Standard vs. Premium

    microsoft office business plans

  6. What’s the Right Microsoft Office 365 Plan for My Business?

    microsoft office business plans

COMMENTS

  1. Compare All Microsoft 365 Plans

    Find the best Microsoft 365 plan for your business needs, whether you need email, cloud storage, Teams, or advanced security features. See the features, prices, and trial options for each plan and choose the one that suits you.

  2. Microsoft 365 for Business

    Compare and choose the Microsoft 365 plan that suits your business needs, from email and calendar to cloud storage and security. Find out the features, benefits, and costs of each plan and try them for free for one month.

  3. Compare Microsoft 365 Business Plans and Pricing

    Web and mobile versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook. Chat, call, and video conference with Microsoft Teams. 1 TB of cloud storage per employee. 10+ additional apps for your business needs (Microsoft Bookings, Planner, Forms, and others) Automatic spam and malware filtering. Anytime phone and web support.

  4. Find the right plan for your business

    Find the right plan for your business. Reimagine the way you work with the collaboration tools you need to grow your business. Take this two-minute assessment to see what plan works best for you. Start. Tell us a few things about your business. In just six short questions, we can recommend the best plan for your needs.

  5. Compare All Microsoft 365 Plans (Formerly Office 365)

    Use on PCs, Macs, phones, and tablets. Up to 6 TB of secure cloud storage. Apps with premium features and offline access. Identity, Footnote. 1 data, and device security. Ad-free secure email. Buy Now Or buy at $9.99/month Try free for 1 month. Save $13.89 with a yearly plan.

  6. Which Microsoft 365 plan is right for your business?

    Compare and choose the best Microsoft 365 plan for your business needs. Learn about the features, benefits, and prices of Business Standard and Business Premium plans, and how to change or add subscriptions.

  7. Microsoft 365 Business Standard

    Microsoft 365 Business Standard. Benefit from identity, access, and user management for up to 300 employees. Use desktop, web, and mobile versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook. Get custom business email ([email protected]) with Outlook. Book client meetings, host webinars, and collaborate with Teams.

  8. Buy Microsoft 365 for your small business

    Go to the Microsoft 365 business plans page, and select the For business tab. Choose the plan you want and select Buy now. Confirm the plan you're buying, choose the number of people this is for, and then choose if you want to pay monthly or yearly. Depending on what you choose, you'll see what the amount for Payment due today. Then select Next.

  9. Welcome to Microsoft 365 for business

    Learn how to sign up, set up, and use Microsoft 365 for business, a cloud-based productivity platform that offers email, calendar, word processing, spreadsheet, and presentation tools, as well as cloud storage and collaboration tools. Find support, learning, and insights resources to help you start, run, and grow your business with Microsoft 365.

  10. What's the difference between Microsoft 365 plans for home or business

    Microsoft 365 personal plans. What's different. Get a branded email address for your business or bring an existing one. Create branded templates in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Let customers schedule appointments with you online and share calendars across individuals. Use a central location for all work files.

  11. What is Microsoft 365 for business?

    Depending on your subscription plan, the benefits of your Microsoft 365 for business subscription may include: The latest versions of Office apps like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Email and calendars using Outlook and Exchange. Group chat, online meetings, and calling in Microsoft Teams. 1 TB of OneDrive storage.

  12. What is Microsoft 365 for business

    Check out all of our small business content on Small business help & learning. Microsoft 365 for business is a subscription service that lets you run your organization in the cloud while Microsoft takes care of the IT for you. It connects employees to the people, information, and content they need to do their best work, from any device.

  13. Microsoft 365 Business Premium overview

    Microsoft 365 Business Premium—with its world class productivity and cybersecurity capabilities—is a wise choice for small and medium-sized businesses. Designed for small and medium-sized businesses (up to 300 users), Microsoft 365 Business Premium helps safeguard your data, devices, and information. You are your organization's first and ...

  14. PDF Microsoft 365, Office 365, Enterprise Mobility + Security, and Windows

    Microsoft 365, Office 365, Enterprise Mobility + Security, and Windows 11 Subscriptions Connect, protect, and empower every employee, from the office to the frontline worker, with a subscription plan that enhances productivity and drives innovation.

  15. Microsoft 365 Family vs Microsoft 365 Business: which is ...

    There's no denying that Microsoft 365 Family offers great value. Pay $99.99 per year in the US or £79.99 in the UK and you get Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, Outlook and OneDrive. Users can ...

  16. Compare Office 365 Business Plans, Pricing, and Features

    This plan is priced at only $6 user/month. At $8.25 user/month, Office 365 Business (now called as 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, Office 365 Business Premium (now called as Microsoft 365 Business ...

  17. Compare Microsoft 365 Business Plans and Pricing

    Web and mobile versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook. 1 TB of cloud storage per employee. 10+ additional apps for your business needs (Microsoft Bookings, Planner, Forms, and others) Automatic spam and malware filtering. Anytime phone and web support. Copilot for Microsoft 365, available as an add-on 3.

  18. Microsoft 365 Business Premium frequently asked questions

    Microsoft 365 Business Premium is a comprehensive cloud productivity and security solution that was designed and built for small and medium-sized businesses (1-300 employees). Microsoft 365 Business Premium includes everything in Microsoft 365 Business Standard, plus Microsoft Defender for Business and Defender for Office 365 Plan 1. You get ...

  19. Try or buy a Microsoft 365 for business subscription

    On the product details page, in the Select a plan drop-down list, select the plan, and enter the number of licenses that you want to buy. Select a subscription length and billing frequency, then select Buy. In the Checkout pane, choose the billing profile that you want to use, or add a new one.

  20. Understand subscriptions and licenses in Microsoft 365 for business

    You can see what comes with each product on the Microsoft 365 for small and medium-sized businesses page. When you buy a subscription, you specify the number of licenses that you need, based on how many people you have in your organization. After you buy a subscription, you create accounts for people in your organization, and then assign a ...

  21. Upgrade or change to a different Microsoft 365 for business plan

    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.

  22. Free business plan templates

    Powerful business plan templates. Plan for the future, no matter what your business plans are or the size of your business with these designs and templates. Whether it's just one big project or an entire organization's worth of dreams, these templates will keep you and your company on track from ideation to completion. Category.

  23. Microsoft Office vs. Microsoft 365: Which One Should You Buy?

    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 ...

  24. Hi Everyone, I want to use Two Microsoft 365 Subscriptions (e.g; Basic

    To utilize Microsoft Loop across all 8 users on the plans you mentioned: Microsoft 365 Business Standard (2 Users): This plan includes desktop versions of Office apps like Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, and also includes Microsoft Teams. Microsoft Teams is where a lot of the collaboration features, including Microsoft Loop, are integrated.

  25. Microsoft 365 Business special offer

    Best-in-class Office applications such as Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and more to help you collaborate and communicate in real-time. ... Grow your business with plans that provide incredible value-now with more travel benefits than before. Business Unlimited Edge. $45 /mo. per line for 6+ lines, $270/mo. Plus taxes and fees.

  26. What's the difference between Microsoft 365 plans for home or business

    Microsoft 365 personal plans. What's different. Get a branded email address for your business or bring an existing one. Create branded templates in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Let customers schedule appointments with you online and share calendars across individuals. Use a central location for all work files.

  27. Advanced capabilities with premium plans in Planner

    Create rules on various plan fields to visually highlight patterns in the plan data. Summary and sub tasks. Create a hierarchy of tasks using summary and sub tasks. Using this you can track phases of your project, define large tasks in more detail, and organize your plan in a simple way.

  28. Sign in to your account

    Can't access your account? Terms of use Privacy & cookies... Privacy & cookies...

  29. Surface Pro for Business Essentials Bundle, Copilot+ PC

    Buy the Surface Pro for Business, 11th Edition, Copilot+ PC essentials bundle. Features a 13th screen and Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite or Plus processors with AI features, Surface Pro Keyboard with pen storage for Business and Microsoft Complete Protection Plan. Plus, enjoy 20% off additional accessories. Price includes free standard shipping and free returns.

  30. Get a $40 training bundle and master the entire Microsoft Office suite

    The Ultimate Microsoft Office 2021/265 Training Bundle gives you tips and guides to get more out of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Access.