Microsoft 365 Business Standard vs Office 365 E3
25 of 72 features differ. Differences are shown first, grouped by product area.
- Microsoft 365 Business Standard
- Office 365 E3
Prices are US list prices per user/month with an annual commitment, verified November 1, 2026. Sources: Microsoft 365 Business Standard (opens in a new tab), Office 365 E3 (opens in a new tab).
Key differences
- 25 of 72 features differ, most in Data protection & compliance (6), Threat protection (5) and Teams, meetings & calling (4).
- Office 365 E3 costs $12.00 more per user/month than Microsoft 365 Business Standard: $26.00 per user/month against $14.00 per user/month.
- Office 365 E3 includes 16 features Microsoft 365 Business Standard does not, such as Defender for Office 365 Plan 1, Data loss prevention (DLP) and Advanced webinars and town halls.
- Every feature Microsoft 365 Business Standard includes is also included in Office 365 E3.
- 8 features are in both at a different level, such as Exchange Online: Plan 1 (100 GB) in Microsoft 365 Business Standard, Plan 2 (100 GB) in Office 365 E3.
- 1 more feature differs only in how it is listed: partial, announced, an add-on or to verify.
- Microsoft 365 Business Standard is sold for up to 300 users.
- 16 included only in Office 365 E3
- Included
- Included at that level
- Add-on
- Partial or announced
- Unclear in the sources; verify before buying
- Not included
| Feature | Microsoft 365 Business Standard, $14.00 per user/month | Office 365 E3, $26.00 per user/month |
|---|---|---|
| Suite editions, 1 difference | ||
| Office apps and services edition | Business Standard | E3 |
| Apps & productivity, 1 difference | ||
| Microsoft 365 Apps | Business, no shared computer activation | Enterprise |
| Email & calendar, 2 differences | ||
| Exchange Online | Plan 1 (100 GB) | Plan 2 (100 GB) |
| Exchange Online Archiving | 50 GB | 1.5 TB |
| Files & intranet, 2 differences | ||
| OneDrive for Business | Plan 1 (1 TB) | Plan 2 (1 TB+) |
| SharePoint Online | Plan 1 | Plan 2 |
| Teams, meetings & calling, 4 differences | ||
| Teams live events | Not included | ~ No new events; scheduled ones run until Feb 28, 2027 |
| Teams town halls | Foundational events | Included |
| Teams webinars | Foundational events | Included |
| Advanced webinars and town halls | Not included | Included |
| Identity & access, 3 differences | ||
| Entra ID for Office 365 | Not included | Included |
| Customized sign-in page | Not included | Included |
| Self-service activity reports | Not included | Included |
| Threat protection, 5 differences | ||
| Defender for Office 365 Plan 1 | Not included | Included |
| Advanced anti-phishing | Not included | Included |
| Real-time reports | Not included | Included |
| Safe Attachments | Not included | Included |
| Safe Links | Not included | Included |
| Data protection & compliance, 6 differences | ||
| Data loss prevention (DLP) | Not included | Included |
| eDiscovery (Standard) | Not included | Included |
| Information protection in Office 365 apps | Not included | Included |
| Message encryption | Not included | Included |
| Retention labels | Not included | Included |
| Retention policies | Not included | Included |
| Licensing rights & services, 1 difference | ||
| Productivity Server client access license (CAL) | Not included | Included |