Microsoft to now offer ‘Basic’ subscription plan for Microsoft 365

Microsoft is rolling out Microsoft 365 Basic, a new affordable subscription plan. It is a consumer tier to the existing Microsoft 365 subscription offerings, and will cater to existing OneDrive subscribers and to those who want more features for their Outlook inboxes without full desktop versions of Word, Excel, or PowerPoint. 

It is priced at $1.99 per month and will replace the 100GB OneDrive storage option. Microsoft already has a $6.99 per month personal subscription plan in place. The main difference between the personal subscription and the basic plan is that the latter will not include access to the desktop versions of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint apps; subscribers will have to use the web or mobile versions.

As per The Verge, Microsoft 365 Basic will be available worldwide on January 30 with 100GB of cloud storage and Outlook web and mobile (without ads). It will also provide enhanced security features like data encryption for Outlook mailbox, virus scanning for attachments, and suspicious link check. Customers already using OneDrive 100GB storage will be automatically updated to the Microsoft 365 Basic at the same price rate.

At the Microsoft Ignite Conference 2022, the company announced that Microsoft 365, with added features and a new look, will replace Office.com, Office mobile app, and the Office app for Windows. Microsoft also added that the Office brand will not be discontinued instantly. 

Notably, January 2023 marks the 10th year since the introduction of consumer subscription for Microsoft Office, then known as Office 365 Home Premium. This plan included access to the Office desktop apps and offered 20GB of cloud storage.