Octobits Blog – The way you present yourself online, especially through your email address, speaks volumes about your professionalism.
That’s why Microsoft 365 Email Essentials offers a solution that marries functionality with affordability. Now, the question on everyone’s mind is: how much is it going to cost?
However, the Microsoft 365 Email Essentials price is part of the Microsoft suite cost. So, let’s cut to the chase and get down to the nitty-gritty of the costs.
What is Microsoft 365 Email Essentials?
Microsoft 365 Email Essentials is the most basic email plan you can get with the Microsoft 365 suite.
This plan gives you access to Microsoft Outlook, a reliable and secure email service that’s fully integrated with other Microsoft 365 apps like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
Barclay Ballard says in his review for TechRadar you’ll find Microsoft 365 Email Essentials particularly useful if you’re already using Microsoft tools. It integrates seamlessly with existing tools.
The plan is aimed at organisations looking for a professional email service without all the extra features you get with the higher-tier Microsoft 365 plans.
It’s perfect for companies that want to focus on email and basic productivity tools. It lets them keep communication and document management simple and effective.
Does Microsoft 365 Email Essentials include Word?
Yes, you can get Microsoft 365 Email Essentials and use the web and mobile versions of Word, along with Excel and PowerPoint.
Just a heads-up: this access is limited to online use only.
This means users won’t be able to install the desktop versions of these apps on their computers with this plan.
If your business needs offline access to these apps, you’ll need to upgrade to a higher-tier plan like Microsoft 365 Business Standard or Business Premium.
Microsoft 365 Email Essentials Price Details
Microsoft 365 Email Essentials is priced to be affordable for small businesses. That’s why, we have brought the price of the Microsoft 365 Business Basic plan down to around $6.00 per user per month when billed annually, which is 16% less than the monthly price.
This price point makes the plan a great choice for businesses that need professional email services without the added expense of more comprehensive Microsoft 365 plans.
Businesses need to understand the cost structure, especially as the pricing can vary a little depending on exchange rates and local taxes.
You can also try it out for a month free of charge, so you can see if it’s right for you before you pay.
If you want to know how much Microsoft 365 costs, kindly read “Microsoft 365 Premium Price: Features, Details, & Comparison.”
Key Features Microsoft 365 Email Essentials
The best thing about this basic email plan is you can create your own custom business email address, like name@yourbusiness.com.
But there’s more. You’ll also get 50 GB of mailbox storage. This is more than enough space for most businesses, so employees can store lots of emails, attachments, and other important messages without worrying about running out of space.
Another great thing about Microsoft 365 Email Essentials is how it works with Microsoft 365 Apps.
While the integration is a bit limited to web and mobile versions, it’s still pretty useful because it lets users manage documents using familiar tools like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
Security is another big plus of the Microsoft 365 Email Essentials plan.
We know how important it is to keep your business communications safe, so the plan includes automatic spam and malware filtering.
These security features are there to keep your inbox safe from common threats. Over time, this security setup will help your business keep your messages safe and private.
Comparison with Other Microsoft 365 Email Plans
Let’s start with Microsoft 365 Business Basic. This plan is basically the same price as Email Essentials at $6.00 per user per month.
But Business Basic is more than just email. You also get a wider range of tools, including 1TB of OneDrive storage and access to Microsoft Teams.
These extra features make Business Basic a great choice for businesses that need more advanced collaboration tools.
Next up on the pricing ladder is Microsoft 365 Business Standard, which costs $12.50 per user per month.
This plan is a different kettle of fish, offering full desktop versions of Office apps, which can be a big plus for businesses that need comprehensive, offline productivity tools.
On top of all that, Business Standard also includes some pretty advanced collaboration tools, like Microsoft Loop for co-creating content and webinar hosting capabilities.
At the top of the range is Microsoft 365 Business Premium, which costs $22.00 per user per month.
This plan is perfect for businesses with more complex needs. It offers full desktop access to Office applications, as well as advanced security features and device management capabilities.
Plus, you get extra security features like advanced identity and access management, as well as enterprise-grade protection against cyber threats.
Also, you can read the review article on LinkedIn for another reference comparison point.
Factors Affecting Pricing
The cost of Microsoft 365 Email Essentials depends on a number of factors – as with many subscription-based services, it can have a big impact on how much businesses spend overall.
One of the main things affecting the price of Microsoft 365 Email Essentials is how long you sign up for.
If you go for an annual subscription, you’ll save a lot more than if you pay month by month. In particular, going for an annual subscription usually means you’ll save about 16% overall.
Another big factor is the number of people using the software in your company.
Microsoft 365 plans, including Email Essentials, are billed on a per-user basis. So, as the number of users goes up, so does the total cost.
For small businesses with a few employees, this per-user pricing is pretty easy to manage. However, for larger organisations, the total cost can mount up pretty quickly.
Also, the cost of Microsoft 365 Email Essentials can change depending on whether you choose to add on extras.
For instance, businesses might want to upgrade their plan with Microsoft’s AI tool, Copilot.
While this tool offers some pretty cool features like automated meeting summaries and inbox management, it does come at an extra cost.
For basic enterprise needs, kindly read “Don’t Let Microsoft 365 E5 Price Scare You Off! It’s Unicorn of Productivity.”
Cost Optimization Strategies
One of the best ways to go is to opt for annual billing. If you sign up for a year at a time, you’ll get 16% off the monthly rate.
This discount is a big saving, especially for companies that plan to use Microsoft 365 services long-term.
Another great strategy is making the most of trial periods. You can try Microsoft 365 for free for a month, including Email Essentials.
This trial period is a great chance for businesses to see what the plan has to offer and decide if it’s right for them without spending any money.
This gives companies a chance to see how well the plan works for them in terms of what it can do, how easy it is to use, and how well it fits in with the tools they already have.
Another way to manage costs is to choose which features you want to upgrade.
If you think about the different roles and needs of your employees, you can choose to upgrade only those users who need additional capabilities.
This selective approach means the company only pays for what it uses, which keeps costs down while still giving the right people the right tools.
The issue is how you can do those simple-looking tasks that end up being more complicated than you thought.
One new approach that could work well with these strategies is Octobits, a license management platform.
With Octobits, you can get Microsoft 365 licences in smaller, more manageable chunks rather than committing to full user licences upfront.
This model is great for startups and growing businesses that need to be able to scale up without overcommitting financially.
With Octobits, companies can start with a minimal subscription and then add more as the business grows.
That way, you can be sure that costs are always in line with actual usage. We don’t want to make too many promises — we like to keep our options open.
So, we’d love for you to try Octobits for yourself. And yes, you can explore Octobits for free until December 2024.
This approach helps you manage your budget and gives you the flexibility to scale up the service as your company grows.
If you use these strategies – annual billing, trial periods, selective upgrading, and potentially integrating an Octobits model – you can make sure you’re getting the best value for money.
In Closing
Microsoft 365 Email Essentials is a great option for small and medium-sized businesses. It’s got all the key email services and basic tools you need to get the job done.
It doesn’t have all the bells and whistles of the pricier plans, but it works well with other Microsoft products and has solid security.
So yes, the Microsoft 365 Email Essentials price structure is a nice option for businesses that want to communicate professionally with a tight budget.
