What is Microsoft 365 (formerly Office 365)?

In 2017, Microsoft started to offer a new line of subscription services called Microsoft 365. At the same time, it also had Office 365 subscription plans available. However, later on, the company decided to abandon the Office 365 naming and only keep the Microsoft 365 branding. What is Microsoft 365, and how is it different from Office 365? What do you use Microsoft 365 for? In this article, we’re going to answer these questions, so if you’re curious to find out more about Microsoft 365, read on: What is Microsoft 365 (formerly known as Office 365)? Microsoft 365 is the (relatively) new name of Microsoft’s Office 365 subscription-based service. It includes widely popular applications such as Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, as well as cloud services like OneDrive or communication tools like Microsoft Teams. The switch from the old naming of Office 365 to the new Microsoft 365 took place in April 2020. Microsoft 365 is Office 365 plus added benefits There are different plans for Microsoft 365 that you can subscribe to, depending on what software and services you need, as well as for how many users and devices. They cover all audiences, from personal and home users to small to mid-size businesses and large enterprises. Microsoft 365 for home All the Office apps included are permanently updated and receive the newest features available for as long as you hold a valid subscription. Also, to buy and use Microsoft 365, you must have a Microsoft account (for home users), a school account (for educational institutions), or a work account (for business users). You need it to log in and download the apps, as well as to access the other services bundled with Microsoft 365. Microsoft 365 plans and pricing When writing this article, Microsoft offers three different categories of Microsoft 365 subscriptions: Microsoft 365 for home Home users can subscribe to Microsoft 365 Family or Microsoft 365 Personal: Microsoft 365 Family and Personal Microsoft 365 Family is a monthly or annual subscription plan for up to 6 users and includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, Outlook, OneDrive, Teams, and the Microsoft Family Safety app. In addition, each of the users that are part of the Microsoft 365 Family subscription gets 1 TB of cloud storage space in OneDrive. You can use the apps and services on multiple PCs, Macs, tablets, and smartphones, that run on Windows, macOS, iOS, or Android. When we published this article, a Microsoft 365 Family subscription was $99.99 per year or $9.99 per month. Microsoft 365 Personal includes all the apps and services found in the Microsoft 365 Family plan, except for the Microsoft Family Safety app, and it’s designed for only one user. Microsoft 365 Personal costs $69.99 per year or $6.99 per month. For more details on the home plans, visit this webpage: Microsoft 365 for home. Microsoft 365 for business There are four different plans for small and mid-sized businesses: Microsoft 365 Business Basic, Microsoft 365 Apps for business, Microsoft 365 Business Standard, and Microsoft 365 Business Premium. Microsoft 365 for business Microsoft 365 Business Basic (formerly known as Office 365 Business Essentials) is a subscription plan that includes the following web and mobile apps and services: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams (up to 300 attendees to a chat, call, or meet up), Outlook, Exchange, OneDrive (1 TB of cloud storage), and SharePoint. This plan doesn’t include the Office desktop apps, and the price for each user is $6.00 per month. Microsoft 365 Apps for business (formerly known as Office 365 Business) offers your employees these desktop, web, and mobile services: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneDrive (1 TB of cloud storage), Access, and Publisher. The price per user is $8.25 per month. Microsoft 365 Business Standard (formerly known as Office 365 Business Premium) includes everything in Business Basic, plus desktop versions of the Office apps, webinars hosting tools, attendee registration & reporting tools, and easy ways of managing customer appointments. The price for Microsoft 365 Business Standard is $12.50 per user/month. Microsoft 365 Business Premium (formerly known as Microsoft 365 Business) has all the apps and services included in Business Standard but also comes with advanced security, access and data control, and cyber threat protection. You can read more about everything offered here: Microsoft 365 for business. Microsoft 365 for enterprise, government, and schools Microsoft 365 Enterprise and Microsoft 365 Government are the company’s offers for large companies and institutions, usually with over 300 users. Similarly, Microsoft 365 Education for Schools is addressed to schools and universities that have a lot of teachers and students. Microsoft 365 for enterprise, government, and schools There are many different plans available for each, and everything is highly customizable in terms of apps and services included so that your company, institution, or school can choose in detail what it needs. Accordingly, the price per user varies and is likely negotiable. Here’s where to contact Microsoft Sales for further information: Microsoft 365 team. Do you intend to subscribe to Microsoft 365? Now you know what Microsoft 365 is and what it offers. You know what you get from it if you buy a subscription to one of its home plans, and you know what the business plans include. Is Microsoft 365 a good choice for you? Will you buy it for your home or business? Which plan interests you? Tell us more in the comments section below.