Business Basic, Standard, Premium, E3, E5... Which Microsoft 365 license does your organization need? Here's an overview of the main business plans and what's in them, without prices (they change regularly and differ by country).
For small and medium businesses (up to 300 users)
| Plan | Main contents |
|---|---|
| Business Basic | Email (Exchange), OneDrive and SharePoint, Teams, and Word, Excel and PowerPoint in the browser and on mobile |
| Business Standard | Everything in Basic, plus the Office desktop apps, webinars and Bookings |
| Business Premium | Everything in Standard, plus Intune, Entra ID P1 (Conditional Access) and Defender for Business |
For large organizations
| Plan | Main contents |
|---|---|
| Microsoft 365 E3 | Office apps, Exchange, SharePoint, Intune, Entra ID P1, Windows Enterprise and baseline security and compliance |
| Microsoft 365 E5 | Everything in E3, plus the Defender products, Entra ID P2, advanced Purview features, Power BI Pro and Teams Phone |
| Frontline F1/F3 | For staff in shops, healthcare or production. Read F1 and F3 |
Extras
- Microsoft 365 Copilot is a separate add-on license on top of a Microsoft 365 plan.
- Teams Phone, Teams Premium and audio conferencing are bought separately unless your plan includes them.
- In many countries, suites are now also sold without Teams; you then buy Teams separately. Check current terms with Microsoft or your partner.
How to choose
- Only email and collaboration in the browser? Business Basic.
- Need desktop apps? Business Standard.
- Device management and solid security? Business Premium. The best choice for most SMBs.
- More than 300 users or stricter compliance? E3 or E5.
Also see why Business Premium?, E3 vs E5 and check which license you have.
Read also
Five reasons to start with Microsoft 365 Business Premium
Microsoft 365 E3 or E5: what's the difference and which to choose?
Which Microsoft 365 licence do I have? How to check
Nederlandstalige versie: Microsoft 365-licenties vergeleken: welke heb je nodig?
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