Microsoft is raising prices for millions of its users. Microsoft 365 is a subscription service that unlocks access to some of the most iconic apps created by the Windows 10 firm, including Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Outlook and Teams. It was first released under the Office 365 brand over a decade ago, and now – for the first time since launch – Microsoft will be hiking the service’s price.
Microsoft 365 offers downloadable apps for the desktop operating system, as well as mobile and online versions. To continue accessing these apps, subscribers will need to pay a little more, starting next year.
The change, the first “substantive” pricing change since Microsoft 365 debuted, will impact commercial users – more than 300 million people.
The Microsoft 365 price rise will come into effect on March 1 2022, and will see increases of $1 to $4, depending on what plan a user is on. Microsoft said the price changes will impact users around the world, with “local market adjustments for certain regions”.
READ MORE: Millions to be blocked from Word, Outlook and Powerpoint today
The Windows 10 and Windows 11 makers also added there would be no changes to the pricing for education or consumer products “at this time”.
Announcing the news in a blog post, Jared Spataro – the corporate VP for Microsoft 365 – said: “We are announcing changes to our commercial pricing for Microsoft 365—the first substantive pricing update since we launched Office 365 a decade ago. This updated pricing reflects the increased value we have delivered to our customers over the past 10 years.”
Microsoft is giving customers six months notice to prepare for the inbound price changes. Here are full details on the price rises that will come into effect next March…
• Microsoft 365 Business Basic will go from $5 to $6 per user • Microsoft 365 Business Premium will increase from $20 to $22 • Office 365 E1 price will rise from $8 to $10 • Office 365 E3 will increase from $20 to $23 • Office 365 E5 price will rise from $35 to $38 • Microsoft 365 E3 will increase from $32 to $36
Spataro went on to add: “As leaders around the world look to empower their people for a more flexible, hybrid world of work, it’s clear that every organisation will need a new operating model across people, places, and processes. We’re committed to building on the value we’ve delivered over the past decade to continuously provide innovation that helps our customers succeed and thrive today and well into the future.”
At launch Microsoft’s 365 offering included Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Lync, Exchange and InfoPath. It has since been expanded to add 24 more apps including Teams, OneDrive, SharePoint, Lens and Access.
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