Which Microsoft 365 Plan Do You Actually Need?
Microsoft 365 comes in several tiers with unhelpful names. Here is a plain-English guide to which plan actually fits your team, without overpaying for extras.
Microsoft 365 comes in a stack of tiers with names that do a great job of hiding what they mean. Here is the plain-English version, so you can pick the plan that fits your team instead of the one someone wants to sell you.
Match the plan to how your team works
- Just need proper email on your domain? The entry tier (around $6 per user) gives you a big mailbox, calendar, and spam protection, and nothing you will not use. If your team writes in Google Docs or does not need Office apps, stop here.
- Want Teams, cloud storage, and the web Office apps? The next tier up (around $11) is the sweet spot for most mid-size teams: chat and calls, a terabyte of storage, and Word, Excel, and PowerPoint in the browser.
- Live in the installed desktop Office apps? Step up (around $19) for real desktop Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook, plus webinars. Worth it for spreadsheet-heavy teams.
- Need serious security? The top tier (around $30) adds single sign-on, device management, and advanced threat protection, for teams that need to lock things down.
The honest advice
Most businesses do not need the top plan. Buy for how your team actually works today, not for a feature list that looks impressive on a slide. You can always move up a tier later without drama.
Where we help
Not sure which line you fall on? That is exactly the kind of thing worth asking a human before you commit. We will put you in the plan that fits, not the priciest one, set it up for you, and you pay the same license price as buying from Microsoft directly. (The prices above are starting points and can shift, so we will confirm the current numbers with you.)