WhichM365Independent Microsoft 365 decision guide

Microsoft 365 Business Standard

The most popular small-business plan. Everything in Business Basic plus the installed desktop Office apps, webinars, and Bookings. The default for office staff who build real documents.

Short answer: Business Standard gives you email, Teams, 1 TB of OneDrive, and the full installed Office apps (Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint), at about $12.50 per user per month. It adds webinars, Bookings, and Clipchamp over Basic. It does not include the advanced security suite; that is Business Premium.

What's included

What it does not include: the advanced security layer. Defender for Business, Intune device management, and Entra ID P1 come with Business Premium.

Price

Business Standard lists at about $12.50 per user per month on an annual commitment, and is capped at 300 users like all Business plans.

List prices are estimates in USD on an annual commitment and change over time. Confirm current pricing with your Microsoft partner.

Who it's for

Office staff who build documents: heavy Excel work, large PowerPoint decks, mail merges, and offline editing all want the installed apps. Most small and mid-sized business teams land here. You can mix it with Basic for browser-only staff in the same tenant.

When to move up

Move to Business Premium when protecting company data on laptops and phones matters: it adds Defender for Business, Intune, and Entra ID P1. Cross 300 users and you move to Enterprise (E3 or E5).

Get a recommendation for your situationAnswer four questions. Real prices and when to move up.

Common questions

What is the difference between Business Basic and Business Standard?

Standard adds the installed desktop Office apps plus webinars, Bookings, and Clipchamp. The email, Teams, and 1 TB of OneDrive are the same on both.

How much is Microsoft 365 Business Standard?

About $12.50 per user per month on an annual commitment. Confirm current pricing with your Microsoft partner.

Does Business Standard include security like Defender and Intune?

No. Those come with Business Premium. Standard has the apps and productivity tools but not the advanced security layer.

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