E1, E3, E5, F1, F3, F5, G1, G3, G5, Business Basic, Standard, Premium, Google Workspace Starter, Standard, Plus, Enterprise, Frontline: Microsoft and Google sell the same thing in twenty boxes, and most companies pay for the wrong one. This free tool asks about your business, your people and what you need, then recommends the exact licence mix per group of users, explains why, and lets you buy it directly through ITSecOps as a Microsoft Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) and Google Workspace partner, or get the quote by email, or talk to a consultant.
Updated September 4, 2026. Microsoft’s July 1, 2026 price increase is now in effect: Business Basic went from $6 to $7, Business Standard from $12.50 to $14, E3 from $36 to $39, E5 from $57 to $60, F1 from $2.25 to $3 and F3 from $8 to $10 per user per month, while Business Premium and E1 stayed at $22 and $10. Right-sizing licences is now worth real money: a 50-person company paying E3 for people who only need Business Standard overpays by $15,000 a year.
Skip the licensing maze and the vendor sales cycle
ITSecOps is a Microsoft CSP and Google Workspace partner. We provision the licences, migrate you, secure the tenant and support your users under one monthly invoice, at partner pricing, without a Microsoft or Google sales process. Use the tool below or compare the security add-ons side by side.
Which platform are you looking at?
Where should we send the recommendation and quote?
Your licence plan is generated instantly on the next screen. We keep a copy so a consultant can turn it into an exact partner-price quote.
Tell us about your business
What you get from ITSecOps as your CSP
- Same or lower price than buying direct: CSP list prices match Microsoft and Google, and our partner margin funds your onboarding and support instead of a vendor call centre.
- Tenant hardening on day one: MFA, conditional access, anti-phishing policies, backup and audit logging configured, not left at defaults.
- Migration included: from Google, GoDaddy, IONOS, on-prem Exchange or personal accounts, with zero mail loss.
- Monthly or annual billing, mixed licences per user group, and changes handled by us.
- Add security at partner pricing: see the cybersecurity price comparison and the Security Stack Recommender.
Microsoft 365 Business Basic vs Standard vs Premium (up to 300 users)
| Plan | Price (from July 2026) | Includes | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Business Basic | $7 / user / month | Exchange 50 GB mailbox, Teams, SharePoint, 1 TB OneDrive, web and mobile Office apps only | Email-only staff, shared mailboxes, frontline with a mailbox need |
| Business Standard | $14 / user / month | Everything in Basic plus desktop Office apps (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook), webinars, Bookings, Loop | Office workers without device management or advanced security |
| Business Premium | $22 / user / month (unchanged) | Everything in Standard plus Intune, Entra ID P1 conditional access, Defender for Business (EDR), Defender for Office 365 P1, Purview Information Protection, Azure Virtual Desktop rights | Any company that handles customer data or needs cyber insurance: the best-value licence Microsoft sells |
Microsoft 365 E1 vs E3 vs E5 (300+ users or enterprise features)
| Plan | Price (from July 2026) | Includes | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Office 365 E1 | $10 | Web and mobile apps, Exchange 50 GB, Teams, SharePoint, 1 TB OneDrive | Large organisations with email-only or web-only workers |
| Microsoft 365 E3 | $39 (was $36) | Desktop apps, 100 GB mailbox, Windows Enterprise, Intune, Entra ID P1, Defender for Office 365 P1 (new in 2026), Purview basics | The enterprise baseline for knowledge workers |
| Microsoft 365 E5 | $60 (was $57) | Everything in E3 plus Defender for Endpoint P2, Defender for Office 365 P2, Entra ID P2 (PIM, identity protection), Purview eDiscovery Premium and insider risk, Power BI Pro, Teams Phone, Security Copilot allocation | Regulated, high-risk or security-mature organisations; often cheaper than E3 plus the add-ons |
| E5 Security add-on | $12 on top of E3 | The E5 security stack without Power BI, Phone and compliance | E3 tenants that need EDR P2 and Entra P2 only |
Microsoft 365 F1 vs F3 vs F5 (frontline workers)
| Plan | Price (from July 2026) | Includes | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| F1 | $3 (was $2.25) | Teams, SharePoint read, Viva Connections, Intune, Entra P1; no mailbox, no Office apps | Shift workers who only need Teams, schedules and company news |
| F3 | $10 (was $8) | Everything in F1 plus 2 GB mailbox, web and mobile Office apps, Windows Enterprise E3 rights, Power Apps | Frontline staff who need email and forms on shared devices or phones |
| F5 | F3 plus F5 Security, Compliance or both add-ons | Defender for Endpoint P2, Entra P2, Purview for frontline | Regulated frontline (healthcare, defense, finance) |
Microsoft 365 G1, G3, G5 (US government)
G plans are the GCC (Government Community Cloud) equivalents of E1, E3 and E5 for US federal, state, local and tribal government and for some contractors. Feature sets match the E plans; prices mirror commercial pricing and moved with the July 2026 increase. GCC High and DoD are separate environments required for CMMC Level 2 with ITAR or export-controlled data; see CMMC compliance for when GCC High is mandatory and when commercial with Business Premium or E5 is enough.
Google Workspace plans
| Plan | Price (annual) | Includes | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Business Starter | $7 / user / month | Gmail, 30 GB per user, Meet 100 participants, Docs, basic Gemini | Small teams, email and documents |
| Business Standard | $14 | 2 TB per user, Meet recording and 150 participants, shared drives, Gemini in Gmail, Docs and Meet, appointment booking | Most SMBs: the default recommendation |
| Business Plus | $22 | 5 TB per user, Vault eDiscovery and retention, advanced endpoint management, enhanced security, Meet 500 participants | Companies with compliance or device-management needs (up to 300 users) |
| Enterprise Standard / Plus | From about $27 / $35, quoted | Unlimited storage, DLP, S/MIME, BeyondCorp context-aware access, data regions, Enterprise Plus adds AppSheet Core, client-side encryption and advanced Vault | 300+ users or regulated data |
| Frontline Starter / Standard | From about $2 to $5 | Gmail 5 GB, Meet, mobile-first, Frontline Standard adds Vault and endpoint management | Shift and field workers |
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Microsoft 365 E3 and E5?
E5 adds the advanced security and compliance stack: Defender for Endpoint P2, Defender for Office 365 P2, Entra ID P2 with Privileged Identity Management, Purview eDiscovery Premium and insider risk, plus Power BI Pro and Teams Phone. From July 2026 the gap is $21 per user per month; if you would buy Entra P2 ($9), Defender for Endpoint P2 ($5.20) and Power BI Pro ($10) separately, E5 is already cheaper.
Business Premium or E3?
Under 300 users, Business Premium at $22 gives you Intune, Entra P1, Defender for Business and desktop apps for $17 less than E3. Choose E3 only when you pass 300 users, need Windows Enterprise, 100 GB mailboxes or unlimited archive.
What is the difference between F1 and F3?
F1 has no mailbox and no Office apps; it is a Teams and SharePoint licence for shift workers. F3 adds a 2 GB mailbox, web and mobile Office apps and Windows Enterprise rights.
What are G1, G3 and G5?
The US Government Community Cloud versions of E1, E3 and E5, with the same features, screened support staff and US data residency. Contractors handling CUI under CMMC often need GCC High rather than GCC.
Google Workspace Business Standard or Business Plus?
Standard is enough for most companies. Move to Plus when you need Vault retention for legal or compliance, advanced endpoint management, or 5 TB per user.
Can I mix licences across staff?
Yes, and you should. A typical 60-person company runs Business Premium for 40 office users, F3 for 15 frontline staff and Business Basic for shared mailboxes, instead of one licence for everyone.
Is it cheaper to buy from a CSP than from Microsoft or Google directly?
List prices are the same or lower. Through ITSecOps as a CSP you also get monthly billing options, mixed licences, tenant security configuration, migration and support included, which Microsoft and Google direct do not provide.
Do the July 2026 Microsoft price increases apply to existing subscriptions?
Yes, at your next renewal. Locking an annual term before renewal and right-sizing plans per user group are the two ways to offset the increase.