-->
A Microsoft 365 global admin must complete the following steps to activate and set up Basic Mobility and Security. For detailed steps, follow the guidance in Set up Basic Mobility and Security. Here's a summary of the steps. Microsoft 365 Family subscription unlocks location alerts and driving safety features in mobile app. Location permissions must be active to receive alerts. Drive safety only available in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia. Now available for Android. Coming soon for iOS.
Microsoft 365 Business Basic supports a maximum of 300 users. If you have more than 300 users or think you will soon, take a look at our other plan options. What forms of payment can I use? You can pay with all major credit cards, and your subscription.
Microsoft 365 Business Premium is the Microsoft best-in-class offering for small and medium-sized business (SMB) customers. Microsoft 365 Business Premium is an integrated solution that brings together the productivity of Microsoft 365 with advanced security and device management.
This article compares licensing options for SMBs, with a special emphasis on Microsoft 365 Business Premium.
Feature comparison: Microsoft 365 Business Standard and Microsoft 365 Business Premium
| Service area | Feature | Microsoft 365 Business Standard | Microsoft 365 Business Premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| Licenses available | Maximum number of users | 300 | 300 |
| Office apps | Install Office on up to 5 PCs/Macs + 5 tablets + 5 smartphones per user (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, Access), Office Online | Business | Business |
| Email & calendar | Outlook, Exchange Online | 50 GB | 50 GB |
| Hub for teamwork | Chat-based workspace, online meetings, and more in Microsoft Teams | Yes | Yes |
| File storage | OneDrive for Business | 1 TB per user | 1 TB per user |
| Social, video, sites | Stream, Yammer, Planner, SharePoint Online, PowerApps, Power Automate | Yes | Yes |
| Business apps | Scheduling apps – Bookings1 | Yes | Yes |
| Business apps – MileIQ1 | Yes | Yes | |
| Threat protection | Microsoft Defender for Office 365 | No | Yes |
| Windows Exploit Guard enforcement | No | Yes | |
| Identity management | Self-service password reset for hybrid Azure Active Directory accounts | No | Yes |
| Azure Multi-Factor Authentication, conditional access policies | No | Yes | |
| Device & app management | Microsoft Intune | No | Yes |
| Shared computer activation | No | Yes | |
| Windows AutoPilot, Windows Pro management | No | Yes | |
| Upgrade rights to Windows 10 Pro for Win 7/8.1 Pro licenses | No | Yes | |
| Windows Virtual Desktop | No | Yes | |
| Information Protection | Microsoft data loss prevention | No | Yes |
| Azure Information Protection Plan 1, BitLocker enforcement | No | Yes | |
| Compliance | Unlimited email archiving2 | No | Yes |
Notes
1 Available in US, UK, Canada.
2 Unlimited archiving when auto-expansion is turned on.
Feature comparison: Microsoft 365 Business Premium and Office 365 E3
| Service area | Feature | Office 365 E3 | Microsoft 365 Business Premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| Licenses available | Maximum number of users | Unlimited | 300 |
| Office apps | Install Office on up to 5 PCs/Macs + 5 tablets + 5 smartphones per user (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, Access), Office Online | ProPlus | Business |
| Email & calendar | Outlook, Exchange Online | 100 GB | 50 GB |
| Hub for teamwork | Chat-based workspace, online meetings, and more in Microsoft Teams | Yes | Yes |
| File storage | OneDrive for Business | Unlimited | 1 TB per user |
| Social, video, sites | Stream, Yammer, Planner, SharePoint Online1, PowerApps1, Power Automate1 | Yes | Yes |
| Business apps | Scheduling apps – Bookings2 | Yes | Yes |
| Business apps – MileIQ2 | No | Yes | |
| Threat protection | Microsoft Defender for Office 365 | No | Yes |
| Windows Exploit Guard enforcement | No | Yes | |
| Identity management | Self-service password reset for hybrid Azure Active Directory accounts | No | Yes |
| Azure Multi-Factor Authentication, conditional access policies | No | Yes | |
| Device & app management | Microsoft Intune, Windows AutoPilot, Windows Pro management | No | Yes |
| Shared computer activation | Yes | Yes | |
| Upgrade rights to Windows 10 Pro for Win 7/8.1 Pro | No | Yes | |
| Windows Virtual Desktop | No | Yes | |
| Information protection | Microsoft data loss prevention | Yes | Yes |
| Azure Information Protection Plan 1, BitLocker enforcement | No | Yes | |
| On-premises CAL rights | ECAL Suite (Exchange, SharePoint, Skype) | Yes | No |
| Compliance | Unlimited email archiving3 | Yes | Yes |
Notes
1 Indicates Microsoft 365 Business Standard has Plan 1 of the functionality and Office 365 E3 has Plan 2.
Microsoft 365 Business Basic
2 Available in US, UK, Canada.
3 Unlimited archiving when auto-expansion is turned on.
Feature comparison: Microsoft 365 Business Standard, Microsoft 365 Business Premium, and Office 365 E3
| Service area | Feature | Microsoft 365 Business Standard | Microsoft 365 Business Premium | Office 365 E3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Licenses available | Maximum number of users | 300 | 300 | Unlimited |
| Office apps | Install Office on up to 5 PCs/Macs + 5 tablets + 5 smartphones per user (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, Access), Office Online | Business | Business | ProPlus |
| Email & calendar | Outlook, Exchange Online | 50 GB | 50 GB | 100 GB |
| Hub for teamwork | Chat-based workspace, online meetings, and more in Microsoft Teams | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| File storage | OneDrive for Business | 1 TB per user | 1 TB per user | Unlimited |
| Social, video, sites | Stream, Yammer, Planner, SharePoint Online1, PowerApps1, Power Automate1 | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Business apps | Scheduling apps – Bookings2 | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Business apps – MileIQ2 | Yes | Yes | No | |
| Threat protection | Microsoft Defender for Office 365 | No | Yes | No |
| Windows Exploit Guard enforcement | No | Yes | No | |
| Identity management | Self-service password reset for hybrid Azure Active Directory accounts | No | Yes | No |
| Azure Multi-Factor Authentication, conditional access policies | No | Yes | No | |
| Device & app management | Microsoft Intune, Windows AutoPilot, Windows Pro Management | No | Yes | No |
| Shared computer activation | No | Yes | Yes | |
| Upgrade rights to Windows 10 Pro for Win 7/8.1 Pro licenses | No | Yes | No | |
| Windows Virtual Desktop | No | Yes | No | |
| Information protection | Microsoft data loss prevention | No | Yes | Yes |
| Azure Information Protection Plan 1, BitLocker enforcement | No | Yes | No | |
| On-premises CAL rights | ECAL Suite (Exchange, SharePoint, Skype) | No | No | Yes |
| Compliance | Unlimited email archiving3 | No | Yes | Yes |
Notes
1 Indicates Microsoft 365 Business Standard has Plan 1 of the functionality and Office 365 E3 has Plan 2.
Microsoft 365 Basic Plan
2 Available in US, UK, Canada.
3 Unlimited archiving when auto-expansion is turned on.
Feature comparison: Microsoft 365 Business Standard and Microsoft 365 for business plans
| Service area | Feature | Microsoft 365 Business Standard | Microsoft 365 Business Premium | Microsoft 365 E3 | Microsoft 365 E5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Licenses available | Maximum number of users | 300 | 300 | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Office apps | Install Office on up to 5 PCs/Macs + 5 tablets + 5 smartphones per user (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, Access), Office Online | Business | Business | ProPlus | ProPlus |
| Email & calendar | Outlook, Exchange Online | 50 GB | 50 GB | unlimited | unlimited |
| Hub for teamwork | Chat-based workspace, online meetings, and more in Microsoft Teams | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| File storage | OneDrive for Business | 1 TB per user | 1 TB per user | unlimited | unlimited |
| Social, video, sites | Yammer, SharePoint Online, Planner | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Stream | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||
| Business apps | Scheduling apps – Bookings1 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Business apps – MileIQ1 | Yes | Yes | No | No | |
| Threat protection | Microsoft Advanced Threat Analytics, Device Guard, Credential Guard, AppLocker, Enterprise Data Protection | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Microsoft Defender for Office 365 | No | Yes | No | Yes | |
| Microsoft Defender for Endpoint | No | No | No | Yes | |
| Office 365 Threat Intelligence | No | No | No | Yes | |
| Identity management | Self-service password reset for hybrid Azure Active Directory accounts, Azure MFA, Conditional Access | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Azure AD: Cloud App Discovery, Azure AD Connect Health, SSO for more than 10 apps | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Azure Active Directory Plan 2 | No | No | No | Yes | |
| Device & app management | Microsoft Intune, Windows AutoPilot | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Shared computer activation, Windows Virtual Desktop | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack, VDA | No | No | Yes | Yes | |
| Information protection | Microsoft data loss prevention, Azure Information Protection Plan 1 | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Azure Information Protection Plan 2, Microsoft Cloud App Security, Office 365 Cloud App Security | No | No | No | Yes | |
| On-premises CAL rights | ECAL Suite (Exchange, SharePoint, Skype, Windows, Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager, Windows Rights Management) | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Compliance | Unlimited email archiving2 | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Advanced eDiscovery, Customer Lockbox, Advanced Data Governance | No | No | No | Yes | |
| Analytics | Power BI Pro, MyAnalytics | No | No | No | Yes |
| Insights by MyAnalytics | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Assistance | Briefing email | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Voice | PSTN conferencing, Cloud PBX | No | No | No | Yes |
Notes
1 Available in US, UK, Canada.
2 Unlimited archiving when auto-expansion is turned on.
Office client commercial plans
| Applications | Microsoft 365 Apps for business | Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise |
|---|---|---|
| Word | Yes | Yes |
| Excel | Yes | Yes |
| PowerPoint | Yes | Yes |
| OneNote | Yes | Yes |
| Outlook | Yes | Yes |
| Publisher | Yes | Yes |
| Access | Yes | Yes |
| Microsoft Teams | Yes | Yes |
| Premium value | Microsoft 365 Apps for business | Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise |
| Volume activation | No | No |
| Group policy1 | No | Yes |
| Shared computer activation | Yes7 | Yes |
| App telemetry | No | Yes |
| Update controls2 | No | Yes |
| Apply personal retention policies3 | Yes | Yes5 |
| Access site mailboxes3 | Yes | Yes5 |
| Access in-place archive folder3,4 | Yes | Yes5 |
| Spreadsheet compare & inquire | No | Yes5 |
| Business intelligence | No | Yes5 |
| Create IRM3 | Yes7 | Yes |
| Data loss prevention3 | Yes7 | Yes5 |
| Cloud value | Microsoft 365 Apps for business | Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise |
| Groups | Yes | Yes |
| Office Deployment Tool | Yes | Yes |
| Roaming documents & settings | Yes | Yes |
| 1 TB OneDrive for Business | Yes | Yes |
| Licensing | Microsoft 365 Apps for business | Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise |
| Licensing model | Per user | Per user |
| License type | Subscription | Subscription |
| PC/Mac installs6 | 5 | 5 |
| iOS/Android smartphone installs6 | 5 | 5 |
| Tablet installs6 | 5 | 5 |
| Office RT commercial rights | Yes | Yes |
| Office Online/web apps | Yes | Yes |
| Commercial use rights | Yes | Yes |
Notes
Microsoft 365 Business Premium includes the Microsoft 365 Apps for business client, which has some differences from Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise.
1 Allows the organization to push certain configuration settings (security settings, app settings, Active Directory roaming, and so on) for Office to machines logging on to the corporate network.
2 With Office Standard 2016 and Office Professional Plus 2016, IT has full control of updates using the MSI model. With Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise and Microsoft 365 Apps for business, installation and updates are managed via Click-to-Run.
3 The suites provide different levels of integration with business productivity servers.
4 Archive email from Outlook—no .pst files needed—and set retention policies that automatically archive or delete email. IT admins can centrally manage the In-Place Archive.
5 Requires additional online service(s).
6 Permits local installation via click-to-run of the licensed Microsoft 365 apps included with the service. Does not include rights to install Office 2016 on-premises versions. Office supports PCs and Windows tablets running Windows 7 or higher, and Macs running MAC OS X 10.6 or higher. Office for iPad can be installed on iPads running version 7 or higher.
Microsoft 365 Basic Teams
7 This premium feature is included in Microsoft 365 Business Premium, but not in other Microsoft 365 Apps for business offerings.