what are the 3 microsoft 365 for business plans called

Microsoft 365 Business Plans Compared

In April 2020 Microsoft changed the names of the Office 365 Business plans to Microsoft 365 Business. Before this name change, we had only Microsoft 365 Business, but now we have Business Basic, Business Standard, Business Premium, and Apps for Business.

Only the names have changed, the price and the features of the plans have stayed the same. In this article, we are going to take a look at the differences between the Microsoft 365 Business plans . We are going to start with a comparison table so you can quickly compare the most important details between the different plans.

Microsoft 365 for Business Plans Compared

In the table below you will find all the details of the Microsoft 365 business plans compared. You can find the prices for your country here at Microsoft.com . Keep in mind that all Business plans are limited to 300 users.

Note Microsoft added new plans without Teams wich are only available in the European Union. These plans are less expensive. Read everything about it in this article

Tip You can mix Microsoft 365 Business plans with Enterprise plans, so if you have more than 300 users, you buy Office 365 E3 plans for the other users.

Microsoft 365 Business Basic

The Microsoft 365 Business Basic plan, formerly known as Office 365 Business Essentials, is the perfect plan if you don’t work a lot in Word, Excel, or Outlook.

In the Business Basic plan, you don’t get the desktop apps , so you can’t install Word, Excel, Outlook, etc on your desktop. But you can use those applications online in your browser.

The browser versions of these apps work perfectly for light usage. Outlook Online is great to work with, it has all the important features just like the Outlook app. Word and Excel Online also work fine if you need to write an occasional letter or spreadsheet.

What makes the Business Basic plan so great is that you get Exchange Online with 50Gb mailboxes OneDrive and SharePoint. So you can use all the benefits of Office 365 (safely storing your data in the cloud, easily working together and sharing documents, etc.), for only $5 per month.

Microsoft 365 Business Standard

This is basically the default Microsoft 365 plan for small businesses ( hence the name 😉 ). Microsoft 365 Business Standard , formerly known as Office 365 Business Premium, contains everything a small business needs.

It comes with desktop apps so that you can install Outlook, Word, Excel, etc. on your desktops, and it comes with a lot of online business apps.

The desktop apps have of course a lot of advantages over the online versions, but the most important ones are that you can use add-ins (for your business applications for example) and macros . Something that is not possible with the online versions.

Business Standard comes with a couple of Online Business Applications that are only available in Standard and Premium.

• Outlook Customer Manager – a Lite CRM system based on Outlook
• Microsoft Teams Shifts – Built-in Microsoft Teams to plan shifts and tasks
• Microsoft Bookings
• Microsoft Invoicing

Microsoft 365 Business Premium

Business Premium is an original Microsoft 36 plan, it was formerly known as Microsoft 365 Business. It comes with everything that Business Standard has with the addition of a couple of security features/services and a Windows 10 Pro license.

Windows 10 Pro License

The Windows 10 Pro license is a pretty strange one compared to the other plans, so let me explain it a bit. Some of the advanced security features that come with Business Premium don’t work on older versions of Windows or on Windows 10 Home.

So to make full use of the security features, you get a Windows 10 Pro license. Now to be clear, you can only upgrade Windows 7 or 8 Pro to Windows 10 Pro. You can’t upgrade Windows 10 Home to Pro.

Advanced Security Features

The advanced security features help you to stay protected against cybersecurity threats. It protects you from phishing emails and ransomware.

Another important feature is the Azure Information Protection. If you are working with a lot of sensitive data, then you absolutely don’t want the data to be accidentally shared with others. With Information Protection you can classify, label, and encrypt data so it can’t be shared accidentally.

Keep in mind that settings up these features require some knowledge about Office 365, so it might be a good idea to get an IT/Office 365 Consultant to help you set it up correctly.

Microsoft Intune

The last important addition to this Premium Microsoft 365 Business plan is Intune. With Microsoft Intune, you can manage and protect your mobile devices. Keep in mind data mobile devices are easily getting lost or stolen, so you want to make sure that those are fully protected and easily can be wiped clean when lost.

Microsoft 365 Apps for Business

This plan doesn’t really belong here in this comparison, but I have put it in because of the name and the confusion it might cause. You should actually really compare this plan with just buying Office 2019 in my opinion.

Basically, Apps for Business is only the Office applications (Word, Excel, Outlook, etc.) with the advantage that you also get Online versions, continuous updates, and 1Tb OneDrive storage. But you don’t get SharePoint or Exchange Online.

So you will have to host your email somewhere else, store your files locally (or in OneDrive) and you won’t get any of the advantages of Office 365.

The Microsoft 365 Business Standard plan is for most businesses the best plan to choose. It comes with the Office apps, and all the cloud features and it’s reasonably priced. If you are still in doubt, you can always start with a trial of Business Standard .

Make sure you also check the following articles:

• Microsoft 365 Business Standard vs Office 365 E3
• Office 365 Branding
• Setup Multi-Factor Authentication in Office 365

You may also like the following articles

Exchange Online Message Recall Update

Creating an Asset Library in SharePoint

Getting Started with Microsoft Entra Internet Access

5 thoughts on “microsoft 365 business plans compared”.

M365 Business Premium comes with Windows 10 Business, not Pro. Win 10 Pro is a requirement for Business.

Hi Can M365BP be combine with M365Standard or basic after BP has exceed the 300 limit ?

So 300MBP and 50MBS and so on.

Yes, that is possible.

your statement on Win 10 pro is wrong. Premium CANNOT upgrade a home to pro. I asked microsoft directly to confirm.

“Windows 10 Pro License The Windows 10 Pro license is a pretty strange one compared to the other plans, so let me explain it a bit. Some of the advanced security features that come with Business Premium don’t work on Windows 10 Home. In small companies, you see more Windows 10 Home devices, because people are using a (former) personal device or buy the more affordable computers with Windows 10 Home on it.

So to make full use of the security features, you get a Windows 10 Pro license. Installing it is pretty simple, all you need to do is change the license key and your Windows 10 Home installation will be upgraded to Pro.”

You are correct. I have updated the article.

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Notify me of followup comments via e-mail. You can also subscribe without commenting.

So, about that AdBlocker... Will you consider disabling it?

Yes, ads can be annoying. But they allow me to keep writing content like this. You can also support me by Buying Me a Coffee ☕ or visit the shop to get some Tech-Inspired merchandise | Read more about disabling AdBlockers

Compare Microsoft 365 Business Plans

Microsoft 365 business plans comparison, microsoft 365 basic vs business standard vs business premium vs apps for business, 1] microsoft 365 business basics, 2] microsoft 365 business standard, 3] microsoft 365 business premium, microsoft 365 apps for business.

Microsoft 365 Business Basic is the right choice for you if you are getting started and don’t mind the limitations. But if the limitations bother you, the Premium version of it will offer you more advanced feature sets and better facilities than the other editions.

What is Microsoft 365? Here's what you need to know about the subscription service to Word, Excel, and other Microsoft programs

• Microsoft 365 is a subscription-based evolution of Microsoft Office, featuring familiar programs, like Word and Excel, but with additional features.
• There are different tiers of Microsoft 365 plans suited for different needs, like business, personal, and family plans.

You've likely heard of Microsoft Office , which consists of workplace applications, including the widely used Microsoft Word program.

What you may not realize is that Word and other Office programs — Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote — are also a part of Microsoft 365 .

Making a one-time purchase of Microsoft Office is still an option to anyone who wants access to the suite of programs. However, you might want to opt for Microsoft 365 instead, which is structured as a paid monthly subscription plan and features myriad perks not included with Office, including cloud-based productivity tools and artificial intelligence capabilities. 

Here's a little bit more about Microsoft 365, how it differs from its predecessor, and how you can sign up.

What to know about Microsoft 365

Some of Microsoft's subscription-based services were formerly known as Office 365.

In April 2020, Microsoft rebranded all of those services to Microsoft 365 to help differentiate its subscription service from the traditional Office-branded Microsoft program packages.

Microsoft 365 offers special additions to its classic Office apps as well as access to more programs, like OneDrive. Even a basic Microsoft 365 personal plan gives you access to premium versions of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, which Office doesn't offer.  

You also get access to advanced tools and features like Microsoft Editor to help edit your writing; the financial planning tool, Microsoft Money in Excel; and OneDrive, Microsoft's cloud storage that allows for ease of collaboration in real time.

There's also a slew of other smart perks in Microsoft 365: You can get focused help on your resume with Word's Resume Assistant, or help with your next presentation with the PowerPoint Presenter Coach.

Again, these are benefits you won't see with a basic Office purchase, and you can get them all with a Microsoft 365 plan for home, which has two tiers.

As the 365 plans move up in tiers, there are added security and business tools available. For instance, appointment manager Microsoft Bookings is available in the Standard and Premium versions of Microsoft 365, but not the Basic, and only the Premium tier of Microsoft 365 Business grants you access to mobile-device manager Intune and Azure Information Protection.

If you can't decide on a business plan, Microsoft can help you determine what plan best fits your business , and you can back out before the one-month free trial ends.

Related coverage from  Tech Reference :

How to get the microsoft office suite on your iphone and use certain apps for free, what is onenote how microsoft's note-taking app can help you organize your work, how to get all of the microsoft office suite apps on an android device for free or with a paid subscription, what is microsoft teams here's what you need to know about the workplace communication tool, what is microsoft authenticator here's what you need to know about the two-factor authentication app that can secure your online accounts.

• Main content

Office 365 vs. Microsoft 365: Name Changes Explained

There’s no getting around the importance of Office 365 for day-to-day business.

Or is it Microsoft 365 now?

Wait. What’s going on?

The confusion surrounding the recent changes with Office 365 and Microsoft 365 is completely understandable. The shift has a lot of people scratching their heads and wondering, “OK, so what’s the difference?”

But organizations that currently depend on Microsoft’s Office suite, Outlook, Teams, SharePoint, and other cloud apps and services to keep their remote workers connected and productive don’t need to worry.

Because although names might have changed for some of the business and enterprise subscriptions, the license features have pretty much been untouched.

Here’s a quick breakdown of what’s different and what’s stayed the same.

Office 365 vs. Microsoft 365

Why all the sudden confusion between Office 365 and Microsoft 365? Well, it really comes down to rebranding.

Microsoft announced  in late March that Office 365 would officially become Microsoft 365 effective April 21. And as part of that, Office 365  subscriptions for small- and medium-sized businesses , as well as the enterprise-level Office 365 ProPlus, would be renamed.

Those plans are now called:

• Microsoft 365 Business Basic  (formerly Office 365 Business Essentials)
• Microsoft 365 Business Standard  (formerly Office 365 Business Premium)
• Microsoft 365 Business Premium  (formerly Microsoft 365 Business)
• Microsoft 365 Apps for Business or Enterprise  (formerly Office 365 Business and Office 365 ProPlus)

But by any other name, those business licenses retain the same features and pricing. And Office 365 Enterprise subscriptions — as well as select Office 365 plans for education, government, and first-line workers — remain unchanged in name and details.

Microsoft 365, also known as M365, is a cloud-based, subscription suite that encompasses Office and other productivity apps, cloud services, device management, and security. It first emerged as an enterprise-level licensing bundle in 2017.

The branding shift is meant to better reflect the innovative cloud-based productivity tools offered in these plans, as well as the new  Microsoft 365 Personal and Family subscriptions , according to a blog post authored by Jared Spataro, Corporate Vice President for Microsoft 365. But the name changes should also help better differentiate between subscriptions, too.

And although no major subscription changes were made along with the rebranding, it’s almost guaranteed that Microsoft 365 will be introducing  added features  as newer versions are released. Meanwhile,  a later announcements  revealed a steady elimination of older Office versions and Office 365 services:

• Microsoft 365 Apps for Business of Enterprise (formerly Office 365 Business and Office 365 ProPlus), Office 2019, and Office 2016 are the only Office versions supported to connect to Office 365/Microsoft 365 services as of Oct. 13, 2020.
• Connecting to Office 365 via Office 2016 for Mac, as well as older versions of Project and Visio are no longer supported as of Oct. 13, 2020. (InfoPath 2013 and SharePoint Designer 2013 have extended support into 2026.)
• TLS 1.0 and 1.1 was retired on Oct. 15, 2020; TLS 1.2 is now required to connect to Office 365 services.
• Skype for Business Online will be retired on July 31, 2021.
• Versions of Office 2019 will be supported until October 2023.

“The Office you know and love will still be there,” according to Spataro’s March 30 blog post, “but we’re excited about the new apps and services we’ve added to our subscriptions over the last few years and about the new innovations we’ll be adding in the coming months.”

Comparing Business and Enterprise Plans

Name changes aside, the current business licenses Microsoft 365 has to offer should look fairly familiar.

For business plans — which support up to 300 users — web and mobile Office apps as well as cloud file storage come standard. Most of the subscriptions also include Teams, Outlook, Exchange, and SharePoint.

But some of the key differences among the business licenses lie desktop versions of Office apps, as well as advanced security and device management offered by the Premium plan, which includes Intune and Azure Information Protection.

Here’s a quick look at the main features of the newly renamed business subscriptions, directly from Microsoft:

*FKA = formerly known as

Enterprise licenses — available for an unlimited number of users — offer a broader variety of apps, cloud services, and device and security management.

On the lighter end of the subscription spectrum are Office 365 E1, E3, and E5, as well as the newly renamed Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise (formerly Office 365 ProPlus), all of which have different mixes of Office and productivity apps, device management, and even analytics. The more advanced protection, security, and compliance features, though, can be found with the Microsoft 365 E3 and E5 plans, which also include the Windows OS.

Here’s Microsoft’s general overview of what the enterprise licenses include:

Of course there are even more Microsoft 365 subscriptions — including personal/family,  first-line workforce ,  education , and  government  plans — not covered in this post. But in terms of licenses that can fulfill the needs of large-scale organizations, these business and enterprise plans are a great place to start.

It’s also worth taking a closer look at two popular enterprise plans, Office 365 E3 and Microsoft 365 E3, that are frequently compared in terms of features and value.

Differences Between Office 365 E3 and Microsoft 365 E3

For organizations weighing the benefits and costs of Microsoft’s enterprise licenses, two plans in particular often stand out: Office 365 E3 and Microsoft 365 E3.

At first glance, the two subscriptions have a lot in common. Both include Office suite apps (desktop, mobile, web), Outlook, Exchange, Teams, SharePoint, OneDrive, and more productivity apps. They also include some of the same services, such as Microsoft 365 admin center, Graph API, Mobile Device Management for Office 365, shared computer activation, on-premises Active Directory sync for single sign-on, and information protection.

But Microsoft 365 E3 has a bit more to offer, including device management options such as Microsoft Intune, Windows Autopilot, analytics, and a System Center Configuration Manager. It also features Windows Hello, Windows Credential Guard, DirectAccess, Azure Active Directory Premium, advanced threat and information protection measures, Microsoft Secure Score, and Microsoft Security and Compliance Center.

Microsoft 365 E3 also includes the  Windows 10 Enterprise OS , which might explain why the plan is $12/user/month higher than Office 365 E3.

So which subscription offers the best value? Well, that’s tough to say.

When it comes to choosing the best license, or even combination of licenses, organizations need to start by looking at their own users.

How to Choose the Right Licenses for Your Users

With so many different license tiers to pick from, finding the right fit can be a challenge.

Because while it’s important for organizations to provide all the apps and services employees need to stay productive, it’s just as important to avoid costly overprovisioning and unused software.

With a  digital experience monitoring  solution, such as  SysTrack , organizations can gain better visibility of their digital environments and end-user behavior by gathering data metrics — such as application usage and performance, storage needs, license info, etc. — directly from the endpoint.

IT teams can then use that information to start considering some critical questions:

• Where are licenses needed? Are there unused licenses that can be re-provisioned or removed?
• What does the usage data show over a 30-, 60-, or 90-day period?
• Are there edge cases where users can benefit from an upgrade? Or are there users who can be moved to a less expensive license without impact?

Backed by data-driven insights, organizations can rationalize necessary applications and services, and map out a more cost-efficient licensing plan.

Troubleshooting for Office 365 and Microsoft 365

Choosing the best licenses for end users isn’t the end of the process. Not by a long shot.

There’s still the matter of keeping everything running smoothly and maintaining a great  digital employee experience .

Although the SaaS model of Office 365 and Microsoft 365 make them ideal for many workspaces, their third-party infrastructure makes it tricky for IT admins to troubleshoot. And tools such as  Microsoft Support and Discovery Assistant  and the Admin Center’s  Microsoft 365 service health page  offer only basic help with mainly external factors.

For  deep root cause analysis and more effective troubleshooting  — especially with Office 365 Enterprise licenses — an internal monitoring solution such as SysTrack is invaluable for providing visibility into other areas, including:

• Operating system

Using SysTrack’s comprehensive analytics in combination with its  Office 365 Performance Monitoring Kit , which includes specially designed dashboards and reports, also gives IT teams greater insights into license usage and performance across their environment.

This high-level dashboard shows current and historical usage of Office 365 across your environment. Quickly understand whether your licenses are optimized for user needs. Identify unused and underused licenses and eliminate unnecessary spending. Perform data-driven image planning with OneDrive and mailbox sizing details.

In addition to summary information about usage and performance, the kit also helps IT teams track underused or unused licenses; location-based details; and performance and consumption info for specific users.

So when issues do arise, IT has the means to quickly identify, resolve, and even prevent problems before they impact end-user experience and productivity.

Subscribe to the Lakeside Newsletter

Receive platform tips, release updates, news and more

Related Posts

Thank You for Making Lakeside Software a DEX Leader in the Gartner® Magic Quadrant™

“Shifting Left”: The Business Value of Moving IT Incident Resolution from L3 to L1 Technicians 

Lakeside vs. the Competition: A Closer Look at Why Lakeside SysTrack Cannot Cause a BSOD Outage

'ZDNET Recommends': What exactly does it mean?

ZDNET's recommendations are based on many hours of testing, research, and comparison shopping. We gather data from the best available sources, including vendor and retailer listings as well as other relevant and independent reviews sites. And we pore over customer reviews to find out what matters to real people who already own and use the products and services we’re assessing.

When you click through from our site to a retailer and buy a product or service, we may earn affiliate commissions. This helps support our work, but does not affect what we cover or how, and it does not affect the price you pay. Neither ZDNET nor the author are compensated for these independent reviews. Indeed, we follow strict guidelines that ensure our editorial content is never influenced by advertisers.

ZDNET's editorial team writes on behalf of you, our reader. Our goal is to deliver the most accurate information and the most knowledgeable advice possible in order to help you make smarter buying decisions on tech gear and a wide array of products and services. Our editors thoroughly review and fact-check every article to ensure that our content meets the highest standards. If we have made an error or published misleading information, we will correct or clarify the article. If you see inaccuracies in our content, please report the mistake via this form .

What is ​Microsoft 365 (formerly Office 365)? Everything you need to know

What is Microsoft 365?

Zdnet recommends, the best windows laptops.

Here are ZDNET's top picks for a variety of use cases.

As a product line, Microsoft Office dates back nearly three decades, with early versions essentially combining Word, Excel, and PowerPoint into a discounted bundle. Microsoft 365 (previously known as Office 365) , which has been available since 2011, differs from that old-fashioned bundle in two respects: First, it's sold as a subscription (billed monthly or yearly), rather than as a perpetual license with a fixed one-time payment. Second, it combines a suite of online services, including business-class email, cloud file storage, and secure communication tools along with the traditional desktop apps.

Also:  Microsoft 365 Family and Personal subscriptions now available for purchase

Because it's a subscription offering, those desktop programs are updated automatically when a new version is available. If your subscription is current, you get the latest versions, with security releases monthly  and feature updates every six months, on the same calendar as Windows 10.

Microsoft 365 is available in Family and Personal editions (previously known as Office 365 Home and Personal, respectively) that are intended for use by families, students, and individuals for personal, non-commercial use.

Also:  7 ways you can (maybe) get Microsoft Office 365 for free

In this guide, we cover the multitude of Microsoft 365 Business and Enterprise editions, which offer a more advanced feature set than the Family and Personal editions, with collaborative applications and management tools that are designed for meeting enterprise security and compliance challenges.

Also:  Which apps are in Office 365?

Which online services are in Microsoft 365?

The exact mix of apps and services available with a Microsoft 365 subscription depends on which edition you've chosen. The following five services are common to all business and enterprise plans:

• Microsoft to bring multi-user virtualization to Office

Exchange Online

This business-class email offering gives every Microsoft 365 subscriber in your organization a mailbox with a maximum capacity of 50 GB or 100 GB, with the ability to access email through a web browser or using the Outlook app on Windows, on a Mac, or on mobile devices. Malware and spam filtering are built in, as are basic features like shared mailboxes and (for some Microsoft 365 subscriptions) advanced features like eDiscovery.

OneDrive for Business

Every Microsoft 365 business subscriber gets 1 TB of personal OneDrive for Business storage, with sync clients available for every desktop and mobile platform. The Windows 10 client uses the same sync client as the consumer OneDrive service, keeping data in a separate location. The Files on Demand feature allows users to view and manage cloud-based storage using File Explorer. Administrators of Enterprise plans can upgrade users to unlimited storage if a terabyte is not enough.

SharePoint Online

The SharePoint interface is now sleek where it was once clunky, allowing teams to share files and sync information in File Explorer using the same desktop client as in OneDrive for Business. Both SharePoint and Exchange Online include administrative controls to restrict users from sharing confidential information outside the organization.

Microsoft Teams

This collaborative platform replaces the older Skype for Business service, offering unified communications, HD video conferencing, and instant messaging for Microsoft 365 subscribers in an organization, along with a team-and-channel-based architecture that covers much of the same feature set as alternatives like Slack. The free version of Teams allows small businesses to use the service without having to pay any license fees. Usage of Microsoft Teams has expanded dramatically since early 2020, when pandemic-related shutdowns made it an ideal choice for remote-work scenarios. The developers behind Teams have been shipping new features monthly for desktop, mobile, and web-based apps. 

• Microsoft Teams: How to master remote work beyond the basics
• New Teams features: Video to show 9 people on screen with more coming soon

Additional services

Some Microsoft 365 plans include services targeted for specific audiences. The Microsoft 365 Business Standard and Business Premium plans, for example, include services for small and medium-sized businesses; these tools include Microsoft Bookings, which allows customers to schedule and manage appointments, and MileIQ, a mileage-tracking service. All Enterprise plans include the Yammer social networking service and a selection of business automation tools, including Microsoft Power Apps to build custom forms, Power Automate to streamline repetitive workflows, and Power BI Pro, an advanced business analytics tool.

Which desktop apps are available in Microsoft 365?

Every Microsoft 365 plan that includes desktop apps offers the following Office applications for all supported versions of Windows and for MacOS: Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote. On Windows PCs only, Access and Publisher are available. Microsoft recently announced plans to include a "lightweight" version of Visio with its business plans. These apps are updated automatically to the latest version, with monthly security updates and twice-annual feature updates.

Microsoft 365 subscriptions provide per-user licenses, which means that the apps can be installed and used on up to five phones, five tablets, and five PCs or Macs simultaneously. From their personal subscription portal, a user can sign in using their Microsoft 365 credentials and manage installs without having to enter product keys or worry about activation. By contrast, perpetual-license versions of Office are typically licensed for use on one device only and cannot be transferred.

Web-based versions of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint offer fairly robust tools that allow editing of files stored in OneDrive for Business. These tools work in any modern desktop browser without requiring additional software. Most business plans also offer Outlook on the web.

When you sign in with an active subscription on mobile devices (iOS and Android) , a new unified Office app offers a single place to create, view, and edit Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files. The Outlook app provides a unified view of business and personal email and calendar accounts. Mobile apps are also available for Microsoft 365 services, including OneDrive, Skype for Business, and Microsoft Teams.

Also:  A Windows 10 alternative: Microsoft should embrace, extend Linux on the desktop

Which Microsoft 365 edition is right for your business?

For small businesses, four Microsoft 365 plans support up to 300 users. All prices quoted below are current as of June 2021 and assume an annual commitment. (Monthly plans without a commitment typically cost about 25% more.)

Microsoft 365 Business Basic (previously Office 365 Business Essentials)

$5 per user per month.

Includes only the online services, including Exchange Online and OneDrive for Business, without access to Office desktop apps. This plan is appropriate for organizations that want to have managed email and cloud storage but have an existing investment in Office desktop programs.

Microsoft 365 Apps business (previously Office 365 Business)

$8.25 per user per month.

Includes only the Office desktop apps and OneDrive for Business cloud file storage. It does not include Exchange Online email or any other online services. It's a good choice for small businesses that want easy access to Office apps and cloud storage but don't want to switch their email to Microsoft's servers.

Microsoft 365 Business Standard (previously Office 365 Business Premium)

$12.50 per user per month.

Includes all of the online services and desktop apps.

Microsoft 365 Business Premium (previously Microsoft 365 Business)

$20 per user per month.

Includes all of the online services and desktop apps, plus advanced cyberthreat protection and Microsoft Intune device management. 

For larger organizations, Microsoft offers three  Microsoft 365 Enterprise plans that support an unlimited number of users. Unlike their Office 365 predecessors, these plans now include per-user Windows Enterprise licensing, access to the Microsoft 365 Admin Center, Microsoft Intune device management tools, Windows AutoPilot, and Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager.

Microsoft 365 F3

$8 per user per month.

Offers online services and online versions of the Office apps but does not include desktop apps. This plan is specifically targeted at organizations that want to offer email and cloud storage to frontline workers.

Microsoft 365 E3

$32 per user per month.

Combines the full assortment of online services and desktop apps and is the most popular plan for larger companies. It includes advanced email hold and discovery features for dealing with litigation issues. It lacks a few features, such as the ability to integrate Microsoft Teams with an organization's phone system, and it includes a subset of Azure Active Directory Premium features.

Microsoft 365 E5

$57 per user per month.

Includes some advanced eDiscovery features but justifies its higher price tag with enterprise-grade security features. For example, every Microsoft 365 E5 subscription is automatically an endpoint for Microsoft 365 Threat Analytics and can be integrated with Microsoft Defender Advanced Threat Protection.

Several legacy Office 365 Enterprise plans are still available:

Office 365 Enterprise E1

Offers online services and online versions of the Office apps, but does not include desktop apps. Organizations that want to stick with specific Office editions while moving email and cloud storage to Microsoft's servers will find this plan appropriate. 

Office 365 Enterprise E3

Includes the same set of online services and desktop apps as in Microsoft 365 E3.

Office 365 Enterprise E5

$35 per user per month.

 Includes the same lineup as in its Microsoft 365 counterpart, minus the Windows Enterprise license and associated features.

In addition to those preconfigured plans, individual Microsoft 365 services are available on an a la carte basis. Additional plans are available for nonprofit organizations, governmental agencies, and educational institutions.

• What is Microsoft 365? Microsoft's most important subscription bundle, explained
• Microsoft adds new Microsoft 365 versions, plus security and management features

Managing Microsoft 365 in an organization

Microsoft 365 includes a management dashboard that administrators can use to manage licenses, subscriptions, features, and security. That console can be overwhelming, and even then some features can only be managed through PowerShell commands .

Even in small organizations, it's crucial to have a skilled Office 365 administrator who can manage users and configure security options properly. Unless you have in-house staff with proper training, it's worth outsourcing this management task to a managed service provider.

• Labor Day weekend and sales are here. Here's what to know, and the best deals of the weekend
• Still have a Windows 10 PC? You have 5 options before support ends next year
• This Samsung phone is the one I recommend to most people (and it's not a flagship)
• Which programming languages are most popular now (and what does that even mean)?

At a minimum, every administrator should know the following entry points for Office 365 management:

Microsoft 365 portal Users can access web-based services here and also manage installations of Office desktop apps.

Microsoft 365 Admin Center For those users who have also been assigned administrator roles, this portal includes configuration options for managing users and groups, licenses, and billing. Options at the bottom of the navigation pane allow access to admin centers for specific services, such as Exchange Online and OneDrive for Business.

Azure Active Directory Admin Center Every Microsoft 365 business subscription also includes a free Azure Active Directory account. Administrators can manage users and devices from this portal and can also configure relationships with outside organizations and existing local servers. Note that some features require premium Azure AD subscriptions.

Securing accounts and content

Microsoft 365 services are designed to be secure by default. You can make several changes to default settings to strike the proper balance between security and convenience.

First, enable multi-factor authentication by signing into the Azure Active Directory portal as a global administrator. Each user needs to provide alternate means of contact, such as a phone number for receiving SMS messages. The Microsoft Authenticator app is especially useful as a primary means of generating one-time codes or receiving push notifications for signing in to Office 365 services.

Next, enable the self-service password reset. You'll find a link to this option in the Security & Privacy section of the Microsoft 365 Admin Portal.

MORE FROM ED BOTT:

OneDrive tips and tricks: How to master Microsoft's free cloud storage

If you haven't checked out OneDrive lately, you're missing out. Over the past two years, Microsoft has methodically added a raft of new features that can help you back up personal files and photos. In this post, I show you some of the most useful options for saving and sharing files and folders.

In latest Windows test builds, Microsoft discourages alternate browsers

In a new test build for an upcoming Windows 10 feature update, Microsoft appears to be testing a warning dialog box that will discourage users from installing third-party browsers. The feedback has been less than kind.

After Windows 10 upgrade, do these seven things immediately

You've just upgraded to the most recent version of Windows 10. Before you get back to work, use this checklist to ensure that your privacy and security settings are correct and that you've cut annoyances to a bare minimum.

Windows 10 Enterprise customers will now get Linux-like support

Bowing to pressure from enterprise administrators, Microsoft has extended its Windows 10 support cycle yet again. Today's announcements effectively create a Linux-like Long Term Support version for customers that pay for Enterprise upgrades.

Here's how you can still get a free Windows 10 upgrade

Microsoft's much-hyped free upgrade offer for Windows 10 ended in 2016, right? Not exactly. The GWX tool may be gone, but all the other upgrade tools still work. The result is an apparently valid digital license, and there's no evidence that the free upgrades will end any time soon.

Get this Microsoft Office Pro and Windows 11 Pro bundle for $50 - the lowest price of the year

Buy a microsoft office for windows license for $40 right now, microsoft teams launches as a single app for work, personal, and education.

• Manage your subscription
• Manage payment method
• Renew your subscription
• Turn recurring billing on or off
• Cancel Microsoft 365
• Get a refund on your subscription
• Manage subscriptions from a third party
• Share Microsoft 365 Family
• Stop sharing Microsoft 365 Family
• You received an invitation to share
• Problems sharing a subscription
• Switch between Microsoft 365 subscriptions
• Switch to a business subscription
• Transfer to a different Microsoft account
• About accounts
• Sign in to Microsoft 365
• Why you need to sign in
• Forgot account
• Get started at Microsoft 365.com
• Meet the Microsoft 365 app launcher
• Check version
• Microsoft 365 for home or business
• What business product do I have?
• Difference between Microsoft 365 and Office 2021
• Difference between home and business plans
• Difference between Microsoft 365 and free web apps
• Troubleshoot

What's the difference between a paid Microsoft 365 subscription and the free web apps?

If you signed in to  Microsoft365.com with your Microsoft account and you see a Free or Subscribed badge, you may wonder what that means.

A  Free badge means an active Microsoft 365 Family or Personal subscription isn't associated with the account you signed in with.

Try Word, Excel, and PowerPoint for free

A Subscribed badge means a Microsoft 365 subscription such as Microsoft 365 Family or Personal is already associated with your account and you can access many of your subscription benefits including installing the desktop apps.

Don't already have Microsoft 365, or you're looking for product details and prices?

Buy or try Microsoft 365

Tip:  See the comparison table below for more details.

Other subscription plans

Besides Microsoft 365 Family or Personal, there are other Microsoft 365 plans which include additional benefits and features designed specifically for  small and mid-size businesses , enterprises , schools , or non-profits . 

You also get 5 GB of OneDrive online cloud storage with your free Microsoft account so you can access your files from anywhere. Any documents you create with the free versions of apps like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint are automatically saved to OneDrive.

With a Microsoft 365 Personal or Family subscription, you'll always have the most up-to-date modern productivity tools from Microsoft all with the latest features, fixes, and security updates. You also get perennial tech support, and 1 TB of cloud storage to store your files and photos at no extra cost. And with Microsoft 365 Family you can add up to five additional people to your subscription.

If you don't think you'll need the full richness of the desktop apps right now, but want the extra cloud storage and email benefits that come with a Microsoft 365 Family or Personal plan, check out  Microsoft 365 Basic which comes with 100 GB of cloud storage.

Learn more about the differences between these Microsoft 365 plans in the table below .

Not sure what you have now?  See  What version of Office am I using?

Think you might need a business subscription? See  What's the difference between a Microsoft 365 subscription for personal and family and a subscription for business

Ready to install the desktop apps?  See  Install Microsoft 365 or Office on your PC or Mac .

Looking for product details and prices?

Compare the Microsoft 365 free web apps with Microsoft 365 Basic, Personal, or Family

The table below highlights subscription plans for home use. If you think you might need a business subscription, see  What's the difference between Microsoft 365 personal and business plans .

Frequently asked questions

What's the cost.

Choose an option below to get pricing info.

Can I buy a single app only, such as Word, Excel, or PowerPoint? What about Project or Visio?

Yes. You can buy standalone versions of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint for Mac or PC. Go to the Microsoft Store and search for the app you want.

You can purchase subscription or non-subscription versions of Visio or Project (desktop versions of these apps are for PCs only). Buy Visio or buy Project .

I have a Mac. What should I buy?

Most apps for Microsoft 365 Family or Personal subscriptions and Office 2021 apps can be installed on either Mac or PC.  Compare prices

Do I need to be connected to the internet to use Microsoft 365?

If you're using Microsoft 365 Family or Personal and after the desktop apps are installed on your devices, you don't need to be online to use Microsoft 365. However, you'll need internet access to do any of the following:

First time install (if apps weren't pre-installed on your device)

Initial activation of the Microsoft 365 desktop apps

Install updates or to reinstall the apps

Manage your subscription (for example, you need to update your payment method, renew, or share a Microsoft 365 Family subscription)

Access documents stored on OneDrive, unless you install the OneDrive desktop app to your device.

You should connect to the internet regularly to keep your version of Microsoft 365 up to date and benefit from automatic upgrades. If you don’t connect to the Internet at least every 39 days, your apps will go into reduced functionality mode, and you might see an unlicensed product error . To reactivate the Microsoft 365 apps, simply reconnect to the internet and sign in to Microsoft 365. Learn how to sign in . For help with renewing an expired subscription, see Renew Microsoft 365 .

I have more questions. Is there someone I can talk to?

Use Contact us at the bottom of this page.

Find out which Office is right for you

Install Office on your PC or Mac

Need more help?

Want more options.

Explore subscription benefits, browse training courses, learn how to secure your device, and more.

Microsoft 365 subscription benefits

Microsoft 365 training

Microsoft security

Accessibility center

Communities help you ask and answer questions, give feedback, and hear from experts with rich knowledge.

Ask the Microsoft Community

Microsoft Tech Community

Windows Insiders

Microsoft 365 Insiders

Find solutions to common problems or get help from a support agent.

Online support

Was this information helpful?

Thank you for your feedback.

• Starting a Business
• Growing a Business
• Small Business Guide
• Business News
• Science & Technology
• Money & Finance
• For Subscribers
• Write for Entrepreneur
• Tips White Papers
• Entrepreneur Store
• United States
• Asia Pacific
• Middle East
• United Kingdom
• South Africa

Copyright © 2024 Entrepreneur Media, LLC All rights reserved. Entrepreneur® and its related marks are registered trademarks of Entrepreneur Media LLC

Work Smarter with 12 Months of Microsoft 365 for Just $45 Equip your business with the latest tools, security features, and cloud storage.

By StackCommerce Edited by Jason Fell Sep 1, 2024

Disclosure: Our goal is to feature products and services that we think you'll find interesting and useful. If you purchase them, Entrepreneur may get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our commerce partners.

Running any business is demanding, but having the right tools can make all the difference. With a 12-month subscription to Microsoft 365 Personal for just $44.97, you can gain access to the latest and most powerful versions of Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, and OneNote .

Whether you're on a PC, Mac, iOS, or Android device, Microsoft 365 keeps you connected, productive, and secure. You even get access on up to five devices at a time. This means you can start a project on your desktop in the office, make edits on your tablet during your commute, and review your work on your smartphone while on the go.

Your Microsoft apps also give you design, writing, and speaking suggestions. You can also access an extended collection of royalty-free creative content, including templates, stock photos, icons, fonts, and more.

Microsoft 365 Personal comes with 1TB of OneDrive cloud storage, allowing you to store files, photos, and videos securely. Plus, with Microsoft Defender, you can manage your digital security, including identity theft monitoring , to help keep your business data safe. Outlook's built-in security features keep your emails free from ads and threats, allowing you to focus on your business.

One of the biggest advantages of a Microsoft 365 subscription is that you'll always have access to the latest features and updates as soon as they're released. This means your tools are always cutting-edge, giving you a competitive edge in your industry. And if you ever run into any issues, Microsoft's technical support is just a chat or phone call away, ready to assist with both Microsoft 365 and Windows 11.

From robust productivity tools to top-notch security features and seamless cross-device compatibility, Microsoft 365 is designed to help you succeed in every aspect of your business.

Get a 12-month subscription to Microsoft 365 Personal for just $44.97 (reg. $69) through September 3 at 11:59 p.m. PT.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

Entrepreneur Leadership Network® Contributor

Account Manager

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Editor's Pick Red Arrow

• Nick Offerman's Side Hustle as an Actor Helps Fund the Business He Started 23 Years Ago — and Still Works at Every Day
• Lock 8 Evening Routines With Surprising Effects on Your Ability to Get Things Done
• His Ex-Boss Issued Him a Cease-and-Desist Order . Neither Man Expected What Happened in a Parking Lot Next: 'I Bleed This Business. It's Cold-Blooded.'
• Lock I Sent My Role Model a DM, Never Imagining She'd Respond — Then This Happened
• Lock This Couple's Weekend Side Hustle Began With a $50 Facebook Marketplace Purchase — Now It Earns Millions of Dollars a Year: 'You Don't Need Money to Start'
• Walmart and Burger King's New Partnership Is Poised to Give a Boost to Franchise Traffic

Most Popular Red Arrow

Don't wait to fire that toxic client — it's vital for your business health.

Business owners aren't wired to push customers away, but some customers cause more trouble than they're worth. Here's how to maximize the return of value in the aftermath of cutting ties with a toxic customer or client.

3 Simple Tips to Unlearn Bad Self-Care Habits and Escape Burnout For Good

Overwhelm is the gateway to burnout, but as a culture we still accept it as the norm. If you're tired of the perpetual grind and ready to take self-care seriously, the first step is to detangle from unhealthy habits. Here are three hard-won tips to unlearn what's not working for you and kick overwhelm to the curb for good.

63 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2024

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2024.

Bigger Isn't Always Better — This Tiny Smartphone Does It All

Small in size but big on features, the NanoPhone is the ultimate portable smartphone.

Worried About AI Stealing Your Job? A New Report Calls These 10 Careers 'AI-Proof'

AI could automate a quarter of jobs across industries in the next six years, according to Goldman Sachs estimates. These are the positions least likely to be negatively affected.

The Reddit Co-Founders Faced a Transformative Rejection in College — Here's How They Bounced Back to Start a $6.5 Billion Business

Reddit started with a $12,000 check.

Successfully copied link

Money blog: Cheapest times for holidays this autumn - as Britons look at these 'under the radar' European cities

The Money blog is your place for consumer and personal finance news and tips. Today's posts include Expedia data showing the cheapest, and least busy, times to go on holiday this autumn. Listen to a Daily podcast on the Oasis ticket troubles as you scroll.

Tuesday 3 September 2024 06:45, UK

• Cheapest times for holidays this autumn revealed - as Britons look at these 'under the radar' European cities
• Millions to get cost of living payments this winter as scheme extended
• Oasis resale U-turn as Twickets lowers fee after criticism
• Listen to the Daily above and tap here to follow wherever you get your podcasts

Essential reads

• 'This job has saved lives': What's it like selling the Big Issue?
• Eyewatering rate hike awaiting anyone coming off a five-year fixed
• Best of the Money blog

Tips and advice

• Money Problem : 'My dog died but my insurance is still demanding whole year's policy payment'
• Young people doing 'big no-no' with holiday money - here are the golden rules

Summer may be edging towards the rear-view mirror, but that doesn't mean Britons are turning their back on sunshine. 

With many looking to sort an autumn holiday, Expedia has taken a look at the best times to fly and book hotels - with savings of up to £120 if you are savvy. 

Its data is based on average daily rates for lodging and flight prices between 22 September and 21 December this year.

When to book flights for

• Cheapest : 22, 23 or 24 September
• Least busy : 10 or 17 December
• Most expensive : 19, 20 or 21 December
• Busiest : 20 and 21 October

"For the best deals, travellers should look to book their flights 14 to 20 days before travel, saving them on average £120 compared to booking 91 days or more out, or saving £60 compared to booking 60-90 days out," Expedia says. 

"Target the 22-29 September for travel, when average ticket prices (ATPs) for flights are shaping up to be nearly £100 cheaper than the autumn average, and £50 cheaper than summer ATPs."

When to  book a hotel

• Cheapest : 20 November or 11 December
• Most expensive : 14 or 21 October
• Busiest : 23 October or 25 September

"For hotel stays, target the 3-9 November, when average daily rates are £15 cheaper per night than the seasonal average and summer stays," Expedia says. 

The holiday booking site says the most popular autumn destinations have remained largely the same as last year based on the largest number of hotel searches...

• New York, USA
• Paris, France
• Edinburgh, Scotland
• Amsterdam, Netherlands
• Manchester, UK
• Tenerife, Spain
• Birmingham, UK
• Rome, Italy

Despite this, Expedia says savvy Britons are searching out "under the radar" getaway spots.

"Flight searches have surged for Brits looking to discover new, under-the-radar European cities this autumn, such as Tirana (+95%) in Albania and Bucharest (+70%) in Romania, as Brits look to stretch their budgets further by looking outside the popular city break hotspots."

The top 10 destinations with the biggest search increases are:

• Saint Malo, France
• Didim, Turkey
• Syracuse, Italy
• Beijing, China 
• Palermo, Italy
• Tromso, Norway 
• Brescia, Italy 
• Poznan, Poland
• Tangier, Morocco
• Ischia, Italy

The Money blog will return shortly - meantime, why not scroll through some of our best and most popular features below...

Despite traditionally being an affordable staple of British cuisine, the average price for a portion of fish and chips has risen by more than 50% in the past five years to nearly £10, according to the Office for National Statistics.

Sonny and Shane "the codfather" Lee told Sky News of the challenges that owning J-Henry's Fish and Chip Shop brings and why prices have skyrocketed. 

"Potatoes, fish, utilities, cooking oil - so many things [are going up]," he said. 

Shane also said that he is used to one thing at a time increasing in price, but the outlook today sees multiple costs going up all at once.  

"Potatoes [were] priced right up to about £25 a bag - the previous year it was about £10 a bag," Sonny said, noting a bad harvest last year. 

He said the business had tried hake as a cheaper fish option, but that consumers continued to prefer the more traditional, but expensive, cod and haddock. 

"It's hard and we can we can absorb the cost to a certain extent, but some of it has to be passed on," Shane added. 

After a long Saturday for millions of Oasis fans in online queues, the culture secretary says surge pricing - which pushed the price of some tickets up by three times their original advertised value to nearly £400 - will be part of the government's review of the ticket market. 

On today's episode of the Daily podcast, host Niall Paterson speaks to secondary ticketing site Viagogo. While it wasn’t part of dynamic pricing, it has offered resale tickets for thousands of pounds since Saturday. 

Matt Drew from the company accepts the industry needs a full review, while Adam Webb, from the campaign group FanFair Alliance, explains the changes it would like to see.

We've covered the fallout of the Oasis sale extensively in the Money blog today - see the culture secretary's comments on the "utterly depressing" inflated pricing in our post at 6.37am, and Twickets, the official Oasis resale site, slammed by angry fans for its "ridiculous" added fees at 10.10am.

The growing backlash culminated in action from Twickets - the company said it would lower its charges after some fans had to pay more than £100 in extra fees for resale tickets (see post at 15.47).

Tap here to follow the Daily podcast - 20 minutes on the biggest stories every day

Last week we reported that employers will have to offer flexible working hours - including a four-day week - to all workers under new government plans.

To receive their full pay, employees would still have to work their full hours but compressed into a shorter working week - something some workplaces already do.

Currently, employees can request flexible hours as soon as they start at a company but employers are not legally obliged to agree.

The Labour government now wants to make it so employers have to offer flexible hours from day one, except where it is "not reasonably feasible".

You can read more of the details in this report by our politics team:

But what does the public think about this? We asked our followers on LinkedIn to give their thoughts in an unofficial poll.

It revealed that the overwhelming majority of people support the idea to compress the normal week's hours into fewer days - some 83% of followers said they'd choose this option over a standard five-day week.

But despite the poll showing a clear preference for a compressed week, our followers appeared divided in the comments.

"There's going to be a huge brain-drain as people move away from companies who refuse to adapt with the times and implement a 4 working week. This will be a HUGE carrot for many orgs," said Paul Burrows, principal software solutions manager at Reality Capture.

Louise McCudden, head of external affairs at MSI Reproductive Choices, said she wasn't surprised at the amount of people choosing longer hours over fewer days as "a lot of people" are working extra hours on a regular basis anyway.

But illustrator and administrative professional Leslie McGregor noted the plan wouldn't be possible in "quite a few industries and quite a few roles, especially jobs that are customer centric and require 'round the clock service' and are heavily reliant upon people in trades, maintenance, supply and transport". 

"Very wishful thinking," she said.

Paul Williamson had a similar view. He said: "I'd love to know how any customer first service business is going to manage this."

Twickets has announced it is lowering its charges after some Oasis fans had to pay more than £100 in extra fees to buy official resale tickets.

The site is where the band themselves is directing people to buy second-hand tickets for face value - having warned people against unofficial third party sellers like StubHub and Viagogo.

One person branded the extra fees "ridiculous" (see more in 10.10 post), after many people had already been left disappointed at the weekend when Ticketmaster's dynamic pricing pushed tickets up by three times the original advertised fee.

Twickets said earlier that it typically charged a fee of 10-15% of the face value of the tickets.

But it has since said it will lower the charge due to "exceptional demand" from Oasis fans - taking ownership of an issue in a way fans will hope others follow. 

Richard Davies, Twickets founder, told the Money blog: "Due to the exceptional demand for the Oasis tour in 2025, Twickets have taken the decision to lower our booking fee to 10% and a 1% transactional fee (to cover bank charges) for all buyers of their tickets on our platform. In addition we have introduced a fee cap of £25 per ticket for these shows. Sellers of tickets already sell free of any Twickets charge.

"This ensures that Twickets remains hugely competitive against the secondary market, including sites such as Viagogo, Gigsberg and StubHub.

"Not only do these platforms inflate ticket prices way beyond their original face value but they also charge excessive booking fees, usually in the region of 30-40%. Twickets by comparison charges an average fee of around 12.5%"

The fee cap, which the Money blog understands is being implemented today, will apply to anyone who has already bought resale tickets through the site.

Mr Davies said Twickets was a "fan first" resale site and a "safe and affordable place" for people to trade unwanted tickets.

"The face value of a ticket is the total amount it was first purchased for, including any booking fee. Twickets does not set the face value price, that is determined by the event and the original ticketing company. The price listed on our platform is set by the seller, however no one is permitted to sell above the face-value on Twickets, and every ticket is checked before listing that it complies with this policy," he said.

Meanwhile, hundreds of people have complained to the regulator about how Oasis tickets were advertised ahead of going on sale. 

The Advertising Standards Authority said it had received 450 complaints about Ticketmaster adverts for the gigs.

Some  expressed their anger on social media , as tickets worth £148 were being sold for £355 on the site within hours of release, due to the "dynamic pricing" systems.

A spokesperson from ASA said the complainants argue that the adverts made "misleading claims about availability and pricing".

They added: "We're carefully assessing these complaints and, as such, can't comment any further at this time.

"To emphasise, we are not currently investigating these ads."

Ticketmaster said it does not set prices and its website says this is down to the "event organiser" who "has priced these tickets according to their market value".

We reported earlier that anyone with O2 Priority will have their free weekly Greggs treats replaced by £1 monthly Greggs treats - see 6.21am post.

But did you know there are loads of other ways to get food from the nation's most popular takeaway for free or at a discount?

Downloading the Greggs app is a good place to start - as the bakery lists freebies, discounts and special offers there regularly. 

New users also get rewards just for signing up, so it's worth checking out. 

And there's a digital loyalty card which you can add virtual "stamps" to with each purchase to unlock discounts or other freebies.  

Vodafone rewards

Seriously begrudged Virgin Media O2 customers may want to consider switching providers. 

The Vodafone Rewards app, VeryMe, sometimes gives away free Greggs coffees, sausage rolls, sweet treats and more to customers.

Monzo bank account holders can grab a sausage roll (regular or vegan), regular sized hot drink, doughnut or muffin every week. 

Birthday cake

Again, you'll need the Greggs award app for this one - which will allow you to claim one free cupcake, cream cake or doughnut for your birthday each year.

Octopus customers

Octopus Energy customers with smart meters can claim one free drink each week, in-store from Greggs (or Caffè Nero).

The Greggs freebie must be a regular size hot drink.

Make new friends

If you're outgoing (and hungry), it may be worth befriending a Greggs staff member.

The staff discount at Greggs is 50% on own-produced goods and 25% off branded products. 

If you aren't already aware, Iceland offers four Greggs sausage rolls in a multi-pack for £3. 

That means, if you're happy to bake it yourself, you'll only be paying 74p per sausage roll. 

Millions of Britons could receive extra cash to help with the cost of living this winter after the government extended the Household Support Fund.

A £421m pot will be given to local councils in England to distribute, while £79m will go to the devolved administrations.

The fund will now be available until April 2025 having been due to run out this autumn.

Councils decide how to dish out their share of the fund but it's often via cash grants or vouchers.

Many councils also use the cash to work with local charities and community groups to provide residents with key appliances, school uniforms, cookery classes and items to improve energy efficiency in the home.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves said: "The £22bn blackhole inherited from the previous governments means we have to take tough decisions to fix the foundations of our economy.

"But extending the Household Support Fund is the right thing to do - provide targeted support for those who need it most as we head into the winter months."

The government has been criticised for withdrawing universal winter fuel payments for pensioners of up to £300 this winter - with people now needing to be in receipt of certain means-tested benefits to qualify.

People should contact their local council for details on how to apply for the Household Support Fund - they can find their council  here .

Lloyds Bank app appears to have gone down for many, with users unable to see their transactions. 

Down Detector, which monitors site outages, has seen more than 600 reports this morning.

It appears to be affecting online banking as well as the app.

There have been some suggestions the apparent issue could be due to an update.

Another disgruntled user said: "Absolutely disgusting!! I have an important payment to make and my banking is down. There was no warning given prior to this? Is it a regular maintenance? Impossible to get hold of someone to find out."

A Lloyds Bank spokesperson told Sky News: "We know some of our customers are having issues viewing their recent transactions and our app may be running slower than usual.

"We're sorry about this and we're working to have everything back to normal soon."

We had anger of unofficial resale prices, then Ticketmaster's dynamic pricing - and now fees on the official resale website are causing consternation among Oasis fans.

The band has encouraged anyone wanting resale tickets to buy them at face value from Ticketmaster or Twickets - after some appeared for £6,000 or more on other sites.

"Tickets appearing on other secondary ticketing sites are either counterfeit or will be cancelled by the promoters," Oasis said.

With that in mind, fans flocked to buy resale tickets from the sites mentioned above - only to find further fees are being added on. 

Mainly Oasis, a fan page, shared one image showing a Twickets fee for two tickets as high as £138.74. 

"Selling the in demand tickets completely goes against the whole point of their company too… never mind adding a ridiculous fee on top of that," the page shared. 

Fan Brad Mains shared a photo showing two tickets priced at £337.50 each (face value of around £150, but increased due to dynamic pricing on Saturday) - supplemented by a £101.24 Twickets fee. 

That left him with a grand total of £776.24 to pay for two tickets.

"Actually ridiculous this," he  said on X .

"Ticketmaster inflated price then sold for 'face value' on Twickets with a £100 fee. 2 x £150 face value tickets for £776, [this] should be illegal," he added. 

Twickets typically charges between 10-15% of the ticket value as its own fee. 

We have approached the company for comment.

Separately, the government is now looking at the practice of dynamic pricing - and we've had a response to that from the Competition and Markets Authority this morning.

It said: "We want fans to get a fair deal when they go to buy tickets on the secondary market and have already taken action against major resale websites to ensure consumer law is being followed properly. 

"But we think more protections are needed for consumers here, so it is positive that the government wants to address this. We now look forward to working with them to get the best outcomes for fans and fair-playing businesses."

Consumer protection law does not ban dynamic pricing and it is a widely used practice. However, the law also states that businesses should not mislead consumers about the price they must pay for a product, either by providing false or deceptive information or by leaving out important information or providing it too late.

Be the first to get Breaking News

Install the Sky News app for free

• Microsoft 365
• Small business

New Microsoft 365 offerings for small and medium-sized businesses

• Jared Spataro, Corporate Vice President, AI at Work

Today, we announced the  Microsoft 365 Personal and Family Subscriptions , the first consumer offerings from Microsoft 365. I’m pleased to follow up here to announce related changes to our Office 365 subscriptions for small and medium-sized businesses—and to Office 365 ProPlus. Going forward, all of these products will use the Microsoft 365 brand.

This is a natural evolution. Microsoft 365 began in 2017 as a licensing bundle for enterprise customers—a combination of Windows, Office, and Enterprise Mobility and Security (EMS). It has come a long way since then. Today, we call it “the world’s productivity cloud” and it represents our vision for the future of Microsoft productivity tools—an integrated set of apps and services that puts artificial intelligence (AI) and other cutting-edge innovations to work for you. And for small and medium-sized businesses, that includes new capabilities in Microsoft Teams to help you host rich meetings and events online; cloud file storage and sharing capabilities so you can collaborate from anywhere; and security and identity solutions to safeguard your business. At a moment when businesses are facing extraordinary health and economic challenges, we are pleased to bring our consumer and small and medium-sized business customers into this growing Microsoft 365 family.

New product names

The new product names go into effect on April 21, 2020. This is a change to the product name only, and there are no pricing or feature changes at this time.

• Office 365 Business Essentials will become  Microsoft 365 Business Basic .
• Office 365 Business Premium will become Microsoft 365 Business Standard .
• Microsoft 365 Business will become  Microsoft 365 Business Premium .
• Office 365 Business and  Office 365 ProPlus  will both become  Microsoft 365 Apps. Where necessary we will use the “for business” and “for enterprise” labels to distinguish between the two.

Note that   the changes to these products will all happen automatically.

Today, we’re simply announcing name changes. But these changes represent our ambition to continue to drive innovation in Microsoft 365 that goes well beyond what customers traditionally think of as Office. The Office you know and love will still be there, but we’re excited about the new apps and services we’ve added to our subscriptions over the last few years and about the new innovations we’ll be adding in the coming months. For questions, please refer the FAQs below and then head to the What is Microsoft 365 page for more details.

Frequently asked questions

Q. What Office 365 plan names aren’t changing? A. The following Office 365 plans will have no changes:

• Office 365 E1
• Office 365 E3
• Office 365 E5
• Office 365 F1
• Office 365 A1
• Office 365 A3
• Office 365 A5
• Office 365 G1
• Office 365 G3
• Office 365 G5

Q. Why are you making these changes? A. First, we want our products to reflect the range of features and benefits in the subscription. Microsoft 365 is an integrated set of apps and services that puts AI and other cutting-edge innovations to work for you. And for small and medium-sized businesses, that includes new capabilities in Microsoft Teams to help you host rich meetings and events online; cloud file storage and sharing capabilities so you can collaborate from anywhere; and security and identity solutions to safeguard your businesses. Second, we’re always looking for ways to simplify. This new approach to naming our products is designed to help you quickly find the plan you need and get back to your business.

Q. How does Office fit into Microsoft 365? Will I still be able to use Word, Excel, and PowerPoint? A. The Office suite is core to the Microsoft productivity experience, and that’s not changing. But over the last several years, our cloud productivity offering has grown well beyond what people traditionally think of as “Office.” Word, Excel, and PowerPoint are more important than ever before. But in Microsoft 365 we’re breathing new life into these apps with the help of the cloud and AI, and we’re adding new, born-in-the-cloud experiences like Teams, Stream, Forms, and Planner. All of this is underpinned by a set of common services that keep your data safe and secure. It’s Office and a whole lot more.

Q. Is there anything new or different in Microsoft 365 Apps for business or Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise plans that wasn’t in Office 365 Business or Office 365 ProPlus plans? Any new features? A. There are no price or feature changes to plans at this time.

Q. When will the Microsoft 365 Business and Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise plans be available? A. All plans will become available for customers on April 21, 2020.

Q. Are all   of the Office 365 plans going away? What isn’t changing? A. None of the plans are going away. The same plans are available, only with updated names. And in the case of Office 365 Enterprise, the name will remain the same and there will be no changes.

Q. I’m an existing SMB or ProPlus customer. Do I need to take any action? A. Customers with the Office 365 Business, Office 365 Business Essentials, Office 365 Business Premium, or Microsoft 365 Business plans do not need to take additional action. The above changes will happen automatically.

Q. My company uses Office 365 ProPlus, and I have questions about this change. Where can I learn more? A. Customers with the Office 365 ProPlus plan should consult  this site  for further details.