Microsoft offers a huge range of software and applications, including Microsoft 365.
But what is Microsoft 365 and why is it important? We’ve explained everything you need to know below.
What is Microsoft 365?
Microsoft 365 is the new version of Office 365 and is a subscription service to all Microsoft applications, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Microsoft Teams, Outlook and OneDrive.
The subscription can come in different forms, but mainly you can choose between a business plan, a family plan or an enterprise plan, with the pricing dependent on which plan you choose.
This service is available on any device that supports Microsoft Office applications, meaning that it can be used on a Windows PC, Mac or even Android and iOS tablets.
What happens if I had an Office 365 membership?
According to the company, most Office 365 subscriptions will turn into Microsoft 365 subscriptions automatically with no action needed from the user. The only plans that do not change over to a Microsoft 365 account are as follows:
- Office 365 E1
- Office 365 E3
- Office 365 E5
How much is Microsoft 365?
You can see the breakdown in prices for the different Microsoft 365 services listed below:
Home Plans:
- Microsoft 365 Family: £79.99 per year / £7.99 per month
- Microsoft 365 Personal: £59.99 per year / £5.99 a month
Business Plans:
- Microsoft 365 Business Basic: £4.50 per month
- Microsoft 365 Apps for business: £7.90 per month
- Microsoft 365 Business Standard: £9.40 per month
- Microsoft 365 Business Premium: £16.60 per month
Enterprise Plans:
- Microsoft 365 E3: £31.70 per user per month
- Microsoft 365 E5: £48.10 per user per month
- Microsoft 365 F3: £6.00 per user per month
How does Office 365 differ from Microsoft 365?
Microsoft 365 is designed to help people in business, school and life, with more features available that can help users improve their writing. This makes it a broader service that can be used outside of businesses.
Microsoft claims that the name change came about to better reflect the range of features and benefits that the subscription provides, edging away from the idea that you only need it for a business.
Some of the new features of Microsoft 365 include Microsoft Teams, which is an instant messaging service. It has been expanded to also include Teams for friends and family, so you can plan out trips or events.
There is also Microsoft Safety, which is an app supported on both Android and iOS. It helps users to manage family screen time over services like Microsoft, Windows, Android and Xbox, also including location-sharing services so you can see where your friends or family members are on a map.
Microsoft Editor has also been introduced, which is the Microsoft version of services like Grammarly which can detect and highlight spelling/grammar mistakes. This can work anywhere on the web and aims to improve people’s writing; powered by AI it can be used in over 20 languages and is available as a web extension for both Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge.
Ultimately, Microsoft 365 is the upgraded version of Office 365 that has more emphasis on personal use, coming with the same services as before but with more features added in.
