Microsoft’s New 365 Basic Plan: $2 a Month Includes 100GB OneDrive, Ad-Free Outlook
Microsoft will rebrand Office 365 to Microsoft 365 in October 2022. This is part of an effort to keep the long-standing “Office” brand out of the limelight. At the time, the company didn’t make any major changes to the subscription tiers or features it offered. to change.
Microsoft 365 Basic slot between Microsoft 365 (Free) and Microsoft 365 Personal ($6.99/month). This replaces the previous 100GB OneDrive storage subscription and adds a few perks. Microsoft says customers can expect these features at a new level.
- 100GB cloud storage
- Works on Windows, macOS, iOS and Android
- Web and mobile versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, OneDrive, etc.
- Ad-free Outlook web and mobile email and calendar with advanced security (data encryption, rooting for suspicious links, malware scanning of attachments)
- Microsoft technical support
The additional features seem like a nice upgrade for those who currently get by with just the 100GB OneDrive storage tier. “Better advanced security features” will be added later this year.
The inclusion of Office is welcome, but please note that this tier only includes basic, web-based versions of Microsoft’s popular productivity apps that are available for free. To access “premium” desktop versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote, you’ll need to step up to Microsoft 365 Personal.
Microsoft was quick to point out that January 29, 2023 will mark the 10th anniversary of Office 365. High-end Office 365 Home Premium subscriptions initially included only 20 GB of cloud storage. The Microsoft 365 Personal tier currently offers 1 TB of OneDrive storage. Additionally, the consumer flagship Microsoft 365 Family tier ($9.99/month) supports up to 6 people, each with 1 TB of OneDrive storage.
Microsoft 365 Basic will be available starting January 30th. Current 100 GB OneDrive subscribers will be automatically migrated to the new, more feature-rich tier.
