Microsoft Announces $1.99 ‘365 Basic’ Plan With 100GB Cloud Storage Space
Image via Microsoft
Good news if you use Microsoft’s Office apps on a daily basis: The company is introducing Microsoft 365 Basic, a personal-use subscription tier for productivity services and cloud storage that’s priced at only US$1.99 per month, or US$19.99 per year.
The latest tier to the Microsoft 365 plan (formerly Office 365) adds 100 GB of cloud storage on top of access to the web and mobile versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, OneDrive, and more, as well as an ad-free experience on Outlook and the calendar feature.
Microsoft 365 Basic replaces the 100 GB OneDrive standalone storage subscription and piles on productivity access. The company explains in a statement that it “wanted to make premium subscription benefits available to even more people at a great price.”
Moving forward, Microsoft says it will boost the 365 Basic plan with “even better advanced security features,” including password-protected shared links and ransomware recovery. Those are poised to roll in later this year.
It’s worth clarifying that the free version of Microsoft 365 will still be in place, giving users complimentary access to the web-based versions of Office tools but only 5 GB of cloud storage.
The option above Microsoft 365 Basic—Microsoft 365 Personal—promises a more premium Office desktop experience for US$6.99 per month or US$69.99 a year.
#Microsoft 365 Basic launches: 100 GB of storage, Outlook and more for $1.99/mo pic.twitter.com/llS6xkSOKF
— CK's Technology News (@CKsTechNews) January 11, 2023
If you’re already subscribed to the 100 GB OneDrive package, worry not, as you’ll be automatically transitioned to the feature-heavy Microsoft 365 Basic once it’s available.
Speaking of which, the all-new US$1.99 plan will debut on January 30.
[via Tom’s Hardware and TechCrunch, images via various sources]
