Microsoft 365 Business Basic vs Standard: Which Plan Should an SME Choose?

Criterion	Business Basic	Business Standard
Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook	Web and mobile	Desktop, web and mobile
Desktop app entitlement	Not included	Included, within license device limits
Offline work	Limited by web/mobile apps	Stronger through desktop apps
Custom-domain business email	Included	Included
Exchange Online mailbox	50 GB	50 GB
OneDrive	1 TB/user	1 TB/user
Teams	Depends on the selected with-Teams SKU	Depends on the selected with-Teams SKU
SharePoint, Planner, Forms and Bookings	Included according to the current plan description	Included according to the current plan description
Best fit	Email, collaboration and lighter cloud work	Advanced desktop document creation and processing
Business family limit	Up to 300 users across the Business plan family	Up to 300 users across the Business plan family

Features and packaging may vary by market, purchase date and with-Teams or without-Teams SKU. Confirm the exact SKU in the quotation rather than relying only on the words Basic or Standard.

Business Basic is not email-only. Users still receive business email, Teams when a with-Teams SKU is purchased, OneDrive, SharePoint and web/mobile versions of common applications. For groups that stay online, process straightforward files and collaborate in a browser, it can be sufficient and cost-efficient.

Business Standard creates value when desktop software supports revenue or operations: accountants working in large workbooks, HR teams using mail merge, managers editing documents on flights, marketing teams building complex presentations, or users relying on desktop Outlook and compatible add-ins. In those cases, compare the price difference with the cost of workarounds and lost time—not with the license price alone.

As referenced on 20 July 2026, Microsoft's Vietnam page lists Business Basic with Teams at USD 3.50/user/month on an annual commitment, excluding tax, and the without-Teams variant at USD 2.70. The same page currently emphasizes Business Standard bundled with Microsoft 365 Copilot Business rather than presenting a simple standalone Standard price. Microsoft's US page, meanwhile, lists standalone Standard at USD 12.50/user/month paid annually.

These figures are time-bound references, not final Vietnam sales quotations. CSP pricing, exchange rates, VAT, promotions, with-Teams or without-Teams packaging, Copilot and commitment terms can change the total. Require every quotation to state the exact SKU, quantity, commitment term, billing frequency, tax, promotional expiry and cancellation conditions.

Business Basic is a strong fit for business email, collaboration and cloud-first work. Business Standard fits users for whom desktop applications, offline work and advanced document processing are operational requirements. For many Vietnamese SMEs, the best design is a role-based mix of both plans, a common security baseline and a license review after real usage data becomes available.

Before purchasing, require a clear mapping between each user, their work requirements, the selected SKU, cost, risk and approver. That turns licensing from a fixed expense into a controlled operating decision.