How Much Does Microsoft 365 Cost in 2026?

Microsoft 365 vs Google Workspace is a philosophical question. If your team lives in Outlook, Word, Excel desktop apps and Windows environments, Microsoft 365 is the right call. Business Basic at $6/user/mo annual is the cheapest entry in any major productivity suite — $1 less than Google Workspace Starter ($7) with 1TB OneDrive (3.3x Google's 30GB). Apps for Business at $8.25/user/mo annual is unusual — it gives you desktop Office apps but no email. Useful only if you have Gmail or another email provider already. Business Standard at $12.50/user/mo annual is the tier most SMBs pick: desktop Office + Teams + Outlook email + 1TB OneDrive. That's directly comparable to Google Workspace Business Standard at $14, and the right call is which ecosystem matches your existing tools. Business Premium at $22/user/mo annual adds Intune device management, advanced security, and compliance — required for regulated industries or teams with mixed device ownership. The 300-user cap on all Business tiers is strict — you jump to Enterprise E3 at $22/user/mo (equivalent pricing to Premium but removes the cap). Microsoft's Copilot AI is a $30/user/mo add-on — significantly more expensive than Google's Gemini which is included in Standard+ Workspace tiers. For anyone running a heavy AI-assisted team, Google wins on total cost.