In a move likely aimed at appeasing antitrust regulators worldwide, Microsoft is now selling Teams as a standalone product separate from Office 365 and Microsoft 365 subscriptions. This follows a similar decision implemented in the European Economic Area and Switzerland last year.
Previously bundled with these productivity suites since 2017, Teams will now require a separate purchase at $5.25 per user per month (with Enterprise pricing varying). Existing Office licensing options will continue, but without Teams included. Prices for these standalone Office plans now range from $7.75 to $54.75 depending on the chosen package.
Customers can choose to keep their current bundles or switch to the new structure as needed. This change comes after long-standing criticism from competitors who argued Microsoft’s bundling practices created an unfair advantage. With Teams decoupled, it will be interesting to see if the playing field becomes more level for competitors in the communication and collaboration space.
