Microsoft 365 Main launches with 100 GB of storage, Outlook and extra for $1.99 month-to-month

Microsoft will introduce a mannequin new, lower-cost tier of Microsoft 365, its product household of productiveness software program program program, collaboration and cloud-based suppliers, beginning on January 30. Referred to as Microsoft 365 Main and priced at $1.99 month-to-month or $19.99 per yr, the plan will initially embody 100 GB of storage, Outlook electronic mail correspondence and entry to assist consultants for assist with Microsoft 365 and Dwelling dwelling home windows 11.

Present OneDrive 100 GB subscribers is maybe transitioned to Microsoft 365 Main starting January 30 as accurately, Microsoft says. And inside the approaching months, Microsoft 365 Main plan members will get “superior security measures” like ransomware restoration and password-protected sharing hyperlinks in OneDrive.

Importantly, Microsoft 365 Main is not altering the free Microsoft 365 tier. That’s correct proper right here to remain, together with the same advantages it affords correct this second, together with entry to the web-based variations of Phrase, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, Outlook, OneDrive, Clipchamp and extra, and 5 GB of cloud storage. Microsoft 365 Private, throughout the meantime, will preserve $6.99 month-to-month or $69.99 per yr.

Microsoft 365 Main compares favorably via pricing to rival Google Workspace, whose Particular explicit individual plan begins at $9.99 month-to-month for 1 TB of storage, professional assist and Google’s customary productiveness software program program program (e.g. Google Drive, Calendar, Meet and Gmail). It’s furthermore cheaper than Zoho’s Customary Office plan, which prices $3 per shopper month-to-month billed yearly and tops out at 10 GB of storage.

To coincide with the introduction of the mannequin new tier, Microsoft correct this second launched the final availability of the Microsoft 365 app, which replaces the Microsoft Workplace app with a mannequin new design and new decisions. As previewed earlier this yr all by way of Microsoft’s Ignite convention, the Microsoft 365 app — now live on the internet — affords fast entry to apps together with Phrase, Excel and PowerPoint along with file templates, “good” options, to-do file effectivity and syncing all by way of completely fully totally different gadgets.

The Microsoft 365 app will launch on Dwelling dwelling home windows, Android and iOS later this month, Microsoft says.

Rounding out the raft of newest apps and suppliers, Microsoft 365 shoppers will shortly be succesful to view, take care of and improve cloud storage all by way of gadgets by a mannequin new “simplified view,” says the corporate. Beginning February 1 from a Microsoft account, Dwelling dwelling home windows settings or app settings, subscribers can mange and improve their cloud file and film storage.

The funding in Microsoft 365 is sensible. It’s a rising income merchandise for Microsoft, which has guess an entire lot of its future on the cloud and, by extension, cloud-driven subscriptions. In its This fall 2022 earnings establish, Microsoft reported that Microsoft 365 Shopper subscribers grew 15% to 59.7 million, driving income contained in the company’s Workplace Shopper merchandise and cloud suppliers half to $136 million — a 9% year-over-year enhance.

In a doable niggle, licensed downside could also be brewing over Microsoft 365 contained in the European Union, my colleague Natasha Lomas reports, the place a gift evaluation by a working group of German knowledge safety regulators discovered that Microsoft nonetheless hasn’t in a position to resolve any of the compliance factors they’ve raised with it. The working group’s substitute may crank up the stress on Microsoft 365 prospects in Germany and elsewhere contained in the European Union to reassess utilization of Microsoft’s software program program program and/or hunt down lots a lot much less compliance-challenged alternate decisions.