Office 365 for Enterprise

Introduction

Office 365 Enterprise is Microsoft's productivity and collaboration suite built for organizations of any size — from growing companies to large global enterprises. It brings together the classic Office apps, business email, cloud storage, and communication tools into one subscription, with security and compliance features that scale as an organization grows.

Like the Business plans, Office 365 Enterprise plans are now offered in two versions of each tier — with Microsoft Teams included, or without Teams — so organizations that use a different chat and meeting platform aren't forced to pay for one they don't need.


Apps and Tools Included

Depending on the plan, Office 365 Enterprise includes:

  • Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote – Core productivity apps, available on web and mobile in every plan, and as full desktop installs in the higher tiers.
  • Outlook and Exchange – Business-class email with a custom company domain, spam and malware filtering.
  • Microsoft Teams (in the "with Teams" versions) – Chat, meetings, calling, and collaborative channels.
  • OneDrive and SharePoint – Cloud storage and team sites for sharing files and resources.
  • Microsoft Planner, Forms, Lists, and To Do – Everyday tools for task management, surveys, and organization.
  • Power BI Pro (top tier) – Business analytics and reporting.
  • Microsoft Defender and Purview – Threat protection, data loss prevention, and compliance tools that expand at higher tiers.
  • Copilot Chat – Built-in AI chat included across all tiers, with the full Microsoft 365 Copilot available as a paid add-on.

The Three Office 365 Enterprise Plans

1. Office 365 E1

E1 is the lightweight, web-first plan, designed for organizations that mainly need cloud-based apps and communication rather than installed desktop software.

What it typically includes:

  • Web and mobile versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook
  • 1 TB of cloud storage per user
  • Business email through Exchange (Plan 1)
  • 10+ additional apps, including Planner, Forms, Lists, and To Do
  • Basic email phishing and ransomware protection
  • Copilot Chat for AI-assisted writing and information lookup

Pricing: $10.00 per user/month (with Teams) · $6.79 per user/month (without Teams), paid yearly.

Best for: Organizations that are primarily browser- and mobile-based and don't need installed Office apps on every device.

2. Office 365 E3

E3 is the most popular Enterprise plan, adding fully installed desktop apps along with stronger storage, security, and compliance capabilities.

What it typically includes:

  • Everything in E1, plus desktop versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, and Access (Windows only)
  • 1 to 5+ TB of cloud storage per user, with 100 GB mailbox storage plus 1.5 TB of archive
  • Exchange (Plan 2) and SharePoint (Plan 2)
  • Microsoft Defender for Office 365 (Plan 1) for cyberthreat protection
  • Data loss prevention for emails and files
  • Standard-tier Purview Audit and eDiscovery for compliance needs

Pricing: $26.00 per user/month (with Teams) · $17.45 per user/month (without Teams), paid yearly.

Best for: Most mid-sized to large organizations that want the full desktop Office experience along with dependable security and compliance basics.

3. Office 365 E5

E5 is the most advanced plan, built for organizations that want best-in-class AI features along with deeper security, compliance, and analytics.

What it typically includes:

  • Everything in E3, plus core identity and access management
  • Microsoft Teams Phone, a cloud-based phone system for calls outside the organization (with-Teams version)
  • Power BI Pro for scalable business analytics
  • Microsoft Defender for Office 365 (Plan 2) for advanced threat protection
  • Premium-tier Purview Audit and eDiscovery for higher-risk data and regulatory needs
  • Copilot Chat with the latest web information, writing assistance, and data analysis

Pricing: $41.00 per user/month (with Teams) · $32.45 per user/month (without Teams), paid yearly.

Best for: Large or regulated organizations that need the highest level of security, compliance, and analytics built into their productivity suite.

Also Available: Microsoft 365 Apps for Enterprise

Outside the E1/E3/E5 lineup, Microsoft also offers Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise at $14.00 per user/month — desktop versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook with 1 TB of storage, but without email hosting, Teams, or the security/compliance features found in E-series plans. It suits organizations that just need the desktop apps without the rest of the suite.

With Teams vs. Without Teams

  • With Teams bundles Microsoft Teams — chat, meetings, calling, and channels — directly into the subscription.
  • Without Teams delivers the identical apps, storage, email, and security features at a lower price, for organizations already using another communication platform (like Slack or Zoom).

The feature set is otherwise the same between the two versions of each plan; only the presence of Teams and its price change.

Choosing the Right Plan

  • E1 suits organizations that are primarily web/mobile-based and want lower-cost access to core tools.
  • E3 suits most businesses needing the full desktop Office suite with solid security and compliance.
  • E5 suits large or regulated organizations that need advanced security, compliance, and analytics.
  • Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise suits organizations that only need the desktop apps, without email or Teams.