Comparison

Microsoft 365 Business Basic vs Standard vs Premium (2026)

Compare Business Basic, Standard, and Premium: features, THB/SGD pricing, desktop Office, security, and which plan fits your team.

March 2026 · 7 min read · Published by the M365 Deals Editorial Team

Microsoft 365 Business Basic vs Standard vs Premium (2026)

Introduction

Most small and mid-size teams choose one of three Microsoft 365 Business plans: Basic, Standard, or Premium. They share the same Microsoft 365 tenant experience — Exchange Online, Teams, OneDrive — but differ on desktop Office, security tooling, and price.

This guide uses the same per-user monthly pricing we publish on our pricing page so you can compare plans without hunting for numbers.

Quick comparison (per user / month)

PlanThailand (THB)Best for
Business Basic฿580Browser-first teams, email + Teams
Business Standard฿1,200Daily Word/Excel/PowerPoint on desktop
Business Premium฿1,600Security, Intune, Defender for Business

Prices are indicative per-user monthly; annual billing often saves ~20%. See our compare tool for a full feature matrix.

Business Basic — when web apps are enough

Includes: Exchange mailbox on your domain, Teams, SharePoint, 1 TB OneDrive, web and mobile Office apps.

Does not include: Full desktop Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Users work in the browser or on mobile.

Choose Basic if: Your team lives in Outlook and Teams, edits documents occasionally in the browser, and does not rely on desktop macros or advanced Excel.

Skip Basic if: Anyone needs offline desktop Office, complex spreadsheets, or heavy PowerPoint — you will hear complaints within weeks.

Business Standard — the default for office workers

Adds: Desktop Office apps (Windows, Mac) with the same apps your team already knows, plus everything in Basic.

Choose Standard if: This is the most common fit for 5–300 person offices in Thailand and Singapore — hybrid work, desktop Office, and Teams in one bill.

Skip Standard if: You need device management (Intune), endpoint threat protection bundled for PCs, or advanced identity policies — that is Premium territory.

Business Premium — security and device control

Adds on top of Standard:

  • Microsoft Defender for Business — endpoint protection for Windows (and Mac where supported)
  • Microsoft Intune — manage and secure company phones and laptops
  • Entra ID P1 capabilities — stronger identity and access controls for growing IT teams

Choose Premium if: You handle customer data, lost laptops are a real risk, or compliance asks for managed devices and MFA policies beyond the basics.

Skip Premium if: You are a 5-person team with no IT admin — you may pay for controls you never configure. Standard plus good habits often suffices.

Decision flow (30 seconds)

  1. Need desktop Office? No → Basic. Yes → continue.
  2. Need Intune / Defender for Business / advanced identity? Yes → Premium. No → Standard.

Still unsure? Use our plan finder on the compare page or contact us with your headcount and how people work.

Licensing notes for TH & SG buyers

  • Licenses are per user, not per device — one person, one license.
  • Mixing plans in one tenant is allowed (e.g. desk staff on Standard, warehouse tablets on Frontline F1) but should be planned — we help map roles.
  • VAT (Thailand) and GST (Singapore) apply on invoices; we issue local tax documentation.

Next steps

Ready to make the switch?

If you've decided Microsoft 365 is the right fit — or you're still weighing options — we'll help you pick the right plan for your team.