Business Basic vs Standard: the short answer
Choose Microsoft 365 Business Basic if your staff work mainly in the browser and on their phones and need professional email, Teams and cloud storage. Choose Business Standard if they need the full desktop versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook, or you want to host webinars in Teams. Both plans cover up to 300 users and give each person the same mailbox and storage.
The price gap between the two pays for the desktop apps and a set of extra business apps. Nothing else changes. For many Kenyan organisations the best answer is a mix: Business Standard for the people who build spreadsheets, reports and proposals all day, and Business Basic for staff who mostly read email, join meetings and share files.
| Plan | Priori price (KES) | Priori price (USD) |
|---|---|---|
| Microsoft 365 Business Basic | KES 865 | USD 6.65 |
| Microsoft 365 Business Standard | KES 1,729 | USD 13.30 |
Per user per month, annual commitment. Excludes VAT (16%). Converted at KES 130 to the US dollar. Prices checked 3 October 2026.
No obligation. Our team in Karen, Nairobi answers you directly.
Prices are per user per month on an annual commitment, excluding VAT, and 5% below the standard price. You can see every plan side by side on our Microsoft 365 pricing page in KES, or read how ordering, invoicing and activation work on buying Microsoft 365 in Kenya.
Business Basic vs Business Standard, feature by feature
The core difference is the apps: Business Basic has web and mobile versions only, while Business Standard adds the desktop versions on up to five PCs or Macs, five tablets and five phones per user.
| Feature | Business Basic | Business Standard |
|---|---|---|
| Maximum users | 300 | 300 |
| Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook | Web and mobile versions only | Desktop, web and mobile versions |
| Desktop app installs per user | None | Up to 5 PCs or Macs, 5 tablets and 5 phones |
| Business email on your own domain | Yes, Exchange Plan 1 | Yes, Exchange Plan 1 |
| Mailbox size | 100 GB primary, 50 GB archive | 100 GB primary, 50 GB archive |
| Cloud storage (OneDrive) | 1 TB per user | 1 TB per user |
| Microsoft Teams | Chat, calls and meetings | Chat, calls, meetings and webinars |
| 10+ additional apps (Loop, Clipchamp, Bookings, Planner, Forms) | Not listed for this plan | Yes |
| Identity and access | Core, Microsoft Entra ID free version | Core, Microsoft Entra ID free version |
| Email protection | Spam and malware filtering, Defender for Office 365 time-of-click link checks | Spam and malware filtering, Defender for Office 365 time-of-click link checks |
| Copilot Chat | Included | Included |
| Device management (Intune) | No | No |
Everything else that matters day to day is the same. Both plans give each user a 100 GB mailbox on your own domain with a 50 GB archive, 1 TB of OneDrive storage and Microsoft Teams. Both include Copilot Chat for secure AI chat at no extra cost, and both stop at 300 users. Features are as Microsoft lists them for each plan, checked on 3 October 2026. New to the entry plan? Our page on what Microsoft 365 Business Basic is and includes covers it in full.
Web apps or desktop apps: what changes day to day
Web apps run in the browser, so they suit quick edits and shared documents; desktop apps are installed on each computer and suit long, complex work. Microsoft lists the desktop client apps for Business Standard and not for Business Basic (Microsoft 365 and Office 365 plan options, Microsoft Learn, checked 4 October 2026).
- Your connection. Browser apps depend on the internet. If your office has patchy connectivity or frequent power cuts that drop the router, staff on installed apps can keep working on files saved on their laptop.
- Heavy files. Finance models, long tender documents and board packs are easier in desktop Excel, Word and PowerPoint, which is why accounts and proposal teams usually need Business Standard.
- Outlook. Staff with busy inboxes often prefer Outlook installed on their laptop. Business Basic users read and send mail in Outlook on the web and the mobile app.
- Phones. Both plans include the mobile apps, so field and sales staff who work mostly from a phone get the same experience on either plan.
Which plan fits your team?
The deciding question is whether your people need Office installed on their computers, or whether the browser and phone versions do the job.
Choose Business Basic if…
- Your staff read and write email, join Teams meetings and share files, but rarely build complex documents.
- Many people work from phones or shared computers, such as field officers, shop staff, drivers or teachers between classes.
- Word, Excel and PowerPoint in the browser cover letters, short reports and simple spreadsheets.
- You want email on your own domain, Teams and 1 TB of storage per user at the lowest cost.
Choose Business Standard if…
- Finance, reporting or proposal staff spend their day in Excel, Word and PowerPoint and want the full desktop apps.
- Staff manage busy inboxes and want Outlook installed on their laptops.
- You run webinars for clients, members or donors and want to host them in Teams.
- You want Bookings for client appointments, Planner and Forms for team work, or Clipchamp for short videos.
What Business Basic leaves out
Business Basic leaves out the desktop Office apps, Teams webinar hosting and the extra apps Microsoft lists for Business Standard. It does not leave out email capacity, storage or the email protection that comes with Standard.
- No desktop apps. Staff use Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook in a browser or the mobile apps. For heavy spreadsheet and document work, that can slow people down.
- No webinar hosting. Teams chat, calls and meetings are included, but Microsoft lists hosting webinars as a Business Standard feature.
- Fewer listed extras. Microsoft lists 10+ additional apps, including Loop, Clipchamp, Bookings, Planner and Forms, as part of Business Standard.
Be clear about what Business Standard does not add, either. Neither plan includes device management, endpoint protection, conditional access or data loss prevention. Those start at Microsoft 365 Business Premium. If you hold client, patient, member or payroll data that the Data Protection Act 2019 expects you to protect, read our comparison of Business Standard vs Business Premium before you decide.
If your team already owns desktop Office and only needs email and Teams, Business Basic may be all you need. If you want desktop apps but no email at all, Microsoft 365 Apps for business is another option.
Can you mix Business Basic and Business Standard?
Yes: Microsoft 365 business plans are licensed per user, so you can pay for desktop apps only for the people who use them. Everyone shares the same email domain, Teams and SharePoint sites, so a Basic user and a Standard user work together as normal.
For example, a SACCO with 40 staff might put its finance and credit team on Business Standard for desktop Excel, and give member-service staff Business Basic for email, Teams and shared files. A school might do the same for its bursar’s office and its teaching staff. When someone’s role changes, we move their licence.
One rule to plan around: the 300-user limit counts across all your Business plans together, not per plan. If 250 people are on Business Standard, you can add only 50 more Business licences of any kind (Microsoft 365 and Office 365 plan options, Microsoft Learn, checked 4 October 2026).
Upgrading from Business Basic to Business Standard later
Starting on Business Basic doesn’t lock you in. Microsoft lets you move from Business Basic to Business Standard within the same plan family, either for everyone or only for the people who need desktop apps. When the whole subscription changes plan, users keep working during the change, and mailboxes and SharePoint documents are kept (Upgrade or change to a different Microsoft 365 for business plan, Microsoft Learn, checked 4 October 2026). When you buy through us, we make the change for you and line it up with your invoice in KES or USD.
How Priori helps you choose and set up
We look at how each person in your organisation works, then recommend the mix that does the job without paying for apps nobody opens. As your Microsoft partner, we stay with you after the purchase, so the licences you pay for are set up properly and actually used.
- Licence review. We go through your users, the apps they use each day and the devices they work on, and show which people need desktop apps.
- Recommendation in KES. You get a Basic and Standard mix priced in KES or USD, with no licences you won’t use. See how it fits the wider range on Microsoft 365 for small and medium businesses.
- Setup and migration. We set up your tenant, deploy desktop apps to Standard users and move email and files from Google Workspace, Zimbra, cPanel or another tenant. How Microsoft 365 migration works.
- Training. Short sessions on Teams, OneDrive, SharePoint and the apps each group uses. Microsoft 365 training and advisory.
- Check-in before renewal. Our Nairobi team looks at how people use their apps, so you can move staff between plans as roles change.
Questions
Business Basic vs Standard questions
Cost, apps, mailbox size and webinars: what separates the two plans.
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How much is Business Basic vs Business Standard in Kenya?
Through Priori, Business Basic is KES 865 (USD 6.65) and Business Standard is KES 1,729 (USD 13.30) per user per month on an annual commitment, excluding VAT.
Both are 5% below the standard price, and you only pay the Standard price for staff who need desktop apps. See the Microsoft 365 pricing page for every plan.
Will you install the desktop Office apps for our Business Standard users?
Yes, we deploy Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook to your Business Standard users as part of setup.
Each Standard user can install the apps on up to five PCs or Macs, five tablets and five phones. We also move existing email and files across. How migration works.
Is Business Standard more secure than Business Basic?
No, both plans have the same security: automatic spam and malware filtering and Defender for Office 365 time-of-click link checks.
Device management, endpoint protection, conditional access and data loss prevention come with Business Premium. Microsoft 365 security.
Does Business Basic include Word and Excel?
Yes, but only the web and mobile versions; the desktop apps need Business Standard or higher.
Basic includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook in the browser and on phones and tablets. Microsoft 365 Business Basic.
Do Business Basic and Business Standard have the same mailbox size?
Yes, both give each user a 100 GB mailbox and a 50 GB archive on Exchange Plan 1.
Business Premium keeps the 100 GB mailbox and raises the archive to 1.5 TB. Microsoft 365 Business Premium.
Can Business Basic host webinars in Teams?
No, Microsoft lists webinar hosting as a Teams feature of Business Standard, not Business Basic.
Business Basic includes Teams chat, calls and meetings. Microsoft 365 Business Standard.
Is Copilot Chat included in Business Basic and Business Standard?
Yes, Copilot Chat is included in both plans at no extra cost.
It gives secure AI chat with web grounding and writing help; agents are metered separately. Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat.
Can I upgrade from Microsoft 365 Business Basic to Business Standard?
Yes, Microsoft lets you move from Business Basic to Business Standard, for all your staff or only the people who need desktop apps.
Mailboxes and files stay where they are, and users keep working during the change. We handle the switch and adjust your invoice. Microsoft 365 Business Standard.
Get a quote in KES today
Tell us how many users you have and what you use now. We reply with a recommendation and a price.
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