1v1 Pricing Showdown
Microsoft 365 vs Proton Business
Side-by-side pricing breakdown for Workspace & Email Suites decision-makers
Prices in USD, verified from the United States. Regional pricing may vary.
When choosing between Microsoft 365 and Proton Business for your workspace & email suites stack, the right answer depends on three things: your budget, the specific features you actually use day-to-day, and your tolerance for renewal-price increases. Below we lay out the prices each vendor advertises today (verified against their live pricing pages), the plan limits that decide whether they'll fit your team, and the features that differ between them.
Microsoft 365 starts at $6/mo; Proton Business starts at $7.99/mo. The cheaper headline price isn't always the cheaper total cost — renewal pricing, per-user fees, and overage charges can shift the math. Use the plan-by-plan tables below to model your actual spend.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | | |
|---|---|---|
| microsoft teams | Basic+ tiers | — |
| outlook exchange email | Basic+ (50 GB per user) | — |
| onedrive | 1 TB per user Basic+ | — |
| sharepoint | Basic+ | — |
| word excel powerpoint | Web apps Basic / Desktop Standard+ | — |
| clipchamp video editor | Standard+ | — |
| webinars | Standard+ | — |
| intune mobile device management | Business Premium+ | — |
| defender security | Business Premium+ | — |
| azure information protection | Business Premium+ | — |
| conditional access | Business Premium+ | — |
| power bi pro | E3+ (included) | — |
| advanced compliance | E3+ | — |
| voice calling | E5 only | — |
| copilot ai | $30/user/month add-on | — |
| max users | 300 Business tiers / Unlimited Enterprise | — |
| excel desktop dominance | Most complete spreadsheet for power users | — |
| end to end encrypted email | — | All plans — zero-knowledge encryption |
| swiss jurisdiction | — | Switzerland-based — subject to Swiss privacy law |
| custom domain email | — | All plans |
| proton vpn | — | Business+ included |
| proton drive encrypted storage | — | Business+ included |
| proton pass password manager | — | Business+ included |
| proton calendar encrypted | — | All plans |
| open source audited | — | All Proton services are open-source + independently audited |
| zero knowledge architecture | — | Proton cannot access your content even under legal pressure |
| gdpr compliant | — | All plans |
| iso 27001 certified | — | Enterprise security standard |
| hipaa baa | — | Not signed — privacy-first but not HIPAA-compliant for US healthcare |
| no ai features | — | Unlike Google Gemini or Microsoft Copilot |
| 30 day money back | — | All plans |
Affiliate links — you pay the same price
Dive Deeper
Microsoft 365
Proton Business
About the workspace & email suites category
Business productivity suites in 2026 are duopoly-dominated (Google Workspace + Microsoft 365 combined 90%+ market share) with alternative positioning for privacy (Proton Business), cost-efficient alternatives (Zoho Workplace), and email-focused workflows (Fastmail). Google Workspace $6-21.60/user/month annual: Gmail + Drive + Docs/Sheets/Slides + Meet + Calendar + Gemini AI. Microsoft 365 $6-57/user/month annual: Teams + Outlook + Word/Excel/PowerPoint + OneDrive + SharePoint + security at higher tiers. Zoho Workplace $3-6/user/month annual: Mail + Office Suite + WorkDrive + Cliq + Meeting at 50-70% discount vs Google/Microsoft. Proton Business $7.99-22.99/user/month annual: end-to-end encrypted email + VPN + Drive + Pass + Calendar positioning as Swiss-based privacy alternative. Fastmail $3-9/user/month annual: email-first (no productivity apps) with privacy + standards (JMAP, IMAP, CalDAV) focus. Google Workspace Gemini AI integration (all paid tiers) + Microsoft 365 Copilot (+$30/user/month add-on) reshape the AI productivity landscape. Zoho Workplace's lifetime free plan (5 users, 5 GB storage) is unique in category. Proton's Switzerland-based jurisdiction + zero-knowledge encryption appeals to healthcare, legal, finance regulated industries. Fastmail's standards-based approach (JMAP open protocol) appeals to power users wanting provider portability without Google/Microsoft lock-in.
How to choose between workspace & email suites options
First: what's your team's primary workflow? Gmail/Drive/Docs native: Google Workspace. Outlook/Excel/Teams/SharePoint native: Microsoft 365. Email-heavy with privacy: Proton Business or Fastmail. Mixed usage with cost optimization: Zoho Workplace. Second: team size and budget? 1-25 employees, budget-conscious: Zoho Standard $3/user/month ($36/user/year). 25-100 employees, Google ecosystem: Google Workspace Business Standard $12/user/month ($144/user/year) or Business Starter $6/user/month ($72/user/year) if 30 GB sufficient. 25-100 employees, Microsoft ecosystem: Microsoft 365 Business Basic $6/user/month ($72/user/year) or Business Standard $12.50/user/month ($150/user/year) if desktop apps required. Privacy-focused: Proton Business $12.99/user/month ($155.88/user/year). 100+ employees with regulated compliance needs: Microsoft 365 Enterprise E3 $36/user/month ($432/user/year) or E5 $57/user/month ($684/user/year) for security stack + Copilot eligibility. Third: AI features critical? Google Workspace Business Standard+ includes Gemini integration (saves ~$24/user/month Gemini for Workspace add-on on cheaper tiers). Microsoft 365 Copilot is $30/user/month add-on requires Business Basic+ or Enterprise. Proton/Fastmail/Zoho don't have native AI at comparable quality. Fourth: storage needs? Business Starter (Google) 30 GB per user tight for heavy attachment workflows. Business Standard 2 TB adequate. Microsoft 365 Basic 1 TB typical. Proton Business 500 GB per user. Fifth: compliance/regulatory (HIPAA, GDPR, FedRAMP)? Microsoft 365 Enterprise + Business Premium offer HIPAA via BAA. Google Workspace Business Plus+ offers Vault + eDiscovery + HIPAA BAA. Proton's Swiss jurisdiction + zero-knowledge by design is strong for privacy compliance but lacks HIPAA BAA for US healthcare. Sixth: Microsoft-exclusive features (Excel power users, SharePoint, Dynamics, Power BI)? Microsoft 365 wins — no competitor matches desktop Excel depth. Seventh: Google-exclusive features (Classroom, Looker Studio integration)? Google Workspace wins — Classroom for education, Looker Studio Pro requires Workspace.
Building Your Business Stack?
Decision-makers comparing tools often need more than one category. Here are related comparisons:
Frequently Asked Questions
- Is Microsoft 365 cheaper than Proton Business?
- Microsoft 365 is cheaper starting at $6/mo. Microsoft 365 starts at $6/mo and Proton Business at $7.99/mo.
- Which is better, Microsoft 365 or Proton Business?
- Microsoft 365 scores 9.3/10 compared to Proton Business's 8.6/10 in our analysis. Microsoft 365 ranks higher on features and value, but Proton Business may suit specific use cases — see the feature comparison above.
- Is Microsoft 365 cheaper than Proton Business for a team of 5?
- For a team of 5, Microsoft 365 costs $6/mo (flat rate) and Proton Business costs $7.99/mo (flat rate). Microsoft 365 is the cheaper option at this team size.
- Are there other workspace & email suites alternatives besides Microsoft 365 and Proton Business?
- Yes. Our [Workspace & Email Suites pricing comparison](/pricing/workspace-suites/) page covers all major providers with daily-verified prices. You can also see the [cheapest workspace & email suites](/pricing/workspace-suites/cheapest/) for budget-focused options.