sysop@hub:~/tools/license-comparison$
license-comparison
What's actually included in each Microsoft 365 tier, side by side. Based on publicly documented service plans — always confirm against the current Microsoft licensing terms before purchasing, since Microsoft changes these regularly.
| Feature | Business Basic | Business Standard | Business Premium | E3 | E5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Core apps | |||||
| Exchange Online (email) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| SharePoint & OneDrive | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Teams | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Desktop Office apps (Word, Excel, PowerPoint installed) | — | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Web & mobile Office apps only | ✓ | — | — | — | — |
| Identity | |||||
| Entra ID P1 (Conditional Access, group-based licensing) | — | — | ✓ | — | — |
| Entra ID P2 (Identity Protection, PIM) | — | — | — | — | ✓ |
| Self-service password reset | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Device management | |||||
| Intune (MDM/MAM) | — | — | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Autopilot | — | — | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Windows 10/11 Enterprise upgrade rights | — | — | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Security | |||||
| Microsoft Defender for Office 365 Plan 1 (Safe Links/Attachments) | — | — | ✓ | — | ✓ |
| Microsoft Defender for Office 365 Plan 2 (automated investigation) | — | — | — | — | ✓ |
| Microsoft Defender for Endpoint Plan 1 | — | — | ✓ | — | — |
| Microsoft Defender for Endpoint Plan 2 | — | — | — | — | ✓ |
| Microsoft Defender for Identity | — | — | — | — | ✓ |
| Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps (CASB) | — | — | — | — | ✓ |
| Compliance | |||||
| Data Loss Prevention (DLP) | — | — | Office apps only | ✓ | ✓ |
| eDiscovery (core) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| eDiscovery (advanced) | — | — | — | — | ✓ |
| Retention policies & labels | — | — | basic | ✓ | ✓ |
| Insider Risk Management | — | — | — | — | ✓ |
| Analytics | |||||
| Power BI Pro | — | — | — | — | ✓ |
| MyAnalytics / Viva Insights (basic) | — | — | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| Limits | |||||
| Max seats | 300 | 300 | 300 | unlimited | unlimited |
✓ = included, — = not included, other text = partial or conditional inclusion. "Max seats" is a procurement limit, not a technical one. Prices change often and are deliberately left out — check the Microsoft 365 pricing page for current numbers.