How Much Does Microsoft 365 Cost in 2026? Complete Pricing Guide for SMBs

Business Basic (€6/u/month): Exchange, Teams, OneDrive, SharePoint Online, web versions only, no desktop Office apps. Ideal for occasional users. Business Standard (€12.50/u/month): adds desktop Office apps (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook). The best-selling plan to SMBs. Business Premium (€22.40/u/month): adds advanced security (Defender for Business, Intune, Entra ID P1, AIP). The plan Helion Cloud recommends to 90% of SMB clients as it includes cyber. Apps for Business (€8.80/u/month): just Office apps, no Exchange or Teams. Niche.

Microsoft 365 E3 (€33.75/u/month) becomes necessary above 300 users (Business limit) or if you need Power BI Pro included, larger SharePoint storage limits, advanced compliance (Purview), or Azure Information Protection P2. E5 (€54.80/u/month) adds Defender for Office 365 P2, Defender for Identity, Power BI Pro, Teams Phone Standard, Audio Conferencing, for mid-market with strong cybersecurity requirements.

Take a 30-user SMB on Business Premium: licenses = €672/month (€8,064/year). Add initial integration (audit + migration + training): €3,500 to €6,000 one-shot. If you add managed services: €35/seat/month or €1,050/month (€12,600/year). Year 1 total: ~€25,000. Subsequent years: ~€20,600. That's ~€57/seat/month all-inclusive.

Mistake #1: Taking Business Standard and adding Defender at €1.80/u/month, Premium is more profitable as soon as security is added. Mistake #2: Forgetting Teams Phone (telephony) is extra (€7.50/u). With a Direct Routing operator like Dstny, expect +€15/u/month for full telephony vs ~€30/u via Microsoft Calling Plan. To negotiate: annual commitment = -16% on monthly rate; CSP via partner (Helion Cloud) = simplified billing and advice included.