Octobits Blog – One thing people often talk about when it comes to Microsoft 365 Business Essentials is the price. It’s a hot topic, especially among small and medium-sized businesses around the globe.
This Microsoft 365 Business Essentials price plan is suitable for small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) looking for solid collaboration tools without the higher cost of more advanced plans.
However, the recent price hikes in Australia, including a 9% increase that kicks in from September 2023, have businesses rethinking their budgets.
So, let’s crack on with this together.
What are Microsoft 365 Business Essentials?
Microsoft 365 Business Essentials, now rebranded as Microsoft 365 Business Basic, is a cloud-based service package designed to help businesses of all sizes streamline their operations through Microsoft’s suite of productivity tools.
The package includes the usual Office apps like Word, Excel and PowerPoint, as well as cloud services like OneDrive, SharePoint and Microsoft Teams.
This plan is perfect for businesses looking for the essentials: email, file storage, and team collaboration.
It doesn’t have all the bells and whistles of the more advanced plans, and it doesn’t include the desktop versions of Office apps.
Microsoft 365 Business Essentials Price Details: Tiers & Plans
In Australia, the Microsoft 365 Business Essentials plan (now called Business Basic) is around AUD $9.00 per user per month, as of the latest update.
In the US, the Microsoft 365 Business Essentials price is $6.00 per user per month.
This price reflects the global trend of adjusting subscription costs to keep them in line with the US dollar, which has led to a 9% increase in Australia as of September 2023.
On top of that, businesses that go for the New Commerce Experience (NCE) model could see a big impact on their costs, depending on how they choose to be billed.
For example, if you choose to pay monthly without an annual commitment, you’ll be charged a 20% surcharge on your subscription fees.
This could add up with the recent price increases, potentially increasing your total costs by up to 29%.
You can also get a comparison of prices for different Microsoft 365 products for business use on the Microsoft price comparison page here.
How Much is Microsoft 365 Business Standard per Month?
The Microsoft 365 Business Standard plan, which includes extra features like desktop versions of Office apps and more advanced security, costs more than the Business Essentials plan.
The going rate for this plan in Australia is around AUD $18.70 per user per month.
Meanwhile, in the US, Microsoft 365 Business Standard is $12.50 per user per month with an annual subscription.
The Standard plan is perfect for businesses that need a wider range of tools, including desktop apps and advanced collaboration features.
For informative purposes, we recommend reading “Copilot for Microsoft 365 Price: Features & How Much Does It Cost?“
Features Included in Microsoft 365 Business Essentials
The features are chosen with companies operating in a hybrid or fully remote environment in mind. This makes it easier to manage tasks, communications and data storage without the hassle of maintaining physical infrastructure.
One of the best things about this plan is you can use web and mobile versions of Office apps like Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook.
These apps are a must-have for any business, letting users create, edit and share documents from anywhere with an internet connection.
Plus, you get 1 TB of OneDrive storage per user. This huge amount of cloud storage means that employees can safely store and access files from any device.
Plus, you can use Microsoft Teams to communicate and collaborate with other Microsoft tools.
Also, the plan includes Exchange email hosting with a 50 GB mailbox per user.
This business email service makes sure all your messages are managed easily and safely, with features like spam filtering and calendar management.
Finally, you also get SharePoint as a great tool for creating and managing intranet sites and document libraries, which helps with sharing internal information and project management.
For some insights, we highly recommend reading “Is Microsoft 365 A5 for Faculty Price Too High? Here’s the Real Story.”
Is There a Free Trial Available?
Yes, Microsoft offers a free trial for the Business Essentials plan, which lets businesses check out the features and benefits before they commit to a subscription.
This trial usually lasts for a month and gives you access to all the services included in the plan.
This is a great chance for SMEs to see if the plan is right for them without having to pay anything upfront.
How Octobits Helps You Manage Microsoft 365 Business Essentials Price
We’re all concerned about how quickly Microsoft 365 Business Essentials can rack up costs if we don’t keep an eye on them. It’s totally normal and something we all feel.
That’s why we’ve created Octobits. That’s why we’re offering Octobits for free until December 2024.
But what exactly is Octobits?
Octobits is a one-stop license management software solution to help you keep track of all the costs associated with the SaaS you use. How does Octobits work for you?
We’ve got a centralised dashboard where your IT managers and Managed Service Providers (MSPs) can keep an eye on and make the most of your Microsoft 365 subscriptions.
So, Octobits lets you keep an eye on your spending on Microsoft 365 by bringing all your bills together, so you can manage your costs better.
The reporting tools are really useful for spotting where you could save money. They help you make sure you’re not paying for services or licenses you don’t use.
Plus, Octobits works with Microsoft 365, so you can manage your subscriptions, devices, and user access from one place. This makes your operations easier and cuts down on admin work.
In Closing
The Microsoft 365 Business Essentials model is flexible and scalable, so you can pay for what you need and adjust your plan as your business grows.
The good news is we at Octobits can help you weigh up the cost against the included features and think about what you really need.
The goal is to help you make an informed decision about the Microsoft 365 Business Essentials price and give your team the tools they need to work efficiently and collaboratively.
