Product Overview and Comparison
Office 365 Enterprise plans — E1, E3, and E5 — provide organizations with productivity applications, email, and collaboration tools at enterprise scale, with no limit on the number of users. Unlike Microsoft 365 Enterprise plans, Office 365 plans focus on applications and services and do not include Windows or device management licensing. Each plan builds on the one before it. Below is an overview of what each plan includes and the value it delivers.
Office 365 E1
Designed for: Organizations that need enterprise-grade collaboration and communication tools through the browser and mobile devices.
What's Included
- Web and mobile versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and OneNote
- Exchange Online business email
- Microsoft Teams for chat, meetings, and calls
- SharePoint and OneDrive for content sharing and cloud storage
- Visio for the web
- Microsoft Bookings and other business apps
- Basic security features, including multifactor authentication
- Protection against known malicious website links
- An AI chat assistant with web grounding and writing support
Why It Matters for Your Business
Office 365 E1 gives organizations a complete, cloud-based collaboration environment without the cost of installed desktop software. It is well suited to teams that work primarily online, distributed workforces, or organizations standardizing on cloud-first tools. Running fully in the browser also simplifies device management, since there is no local software to install, update, or troubleshoot, while still delivering the professional email, file storage, and meeting tools a modern enterprise depends on.
Office 365 E3
Designed for: Organizations that need the full desktop Office experience along with core data protection and compliance tools.
What's Included
- Everything in Office 365 E1, plus:
- Full desktop versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote, and Access
- Expanded mailbox storage
- Advanced email threat protection, including safe links and safe attachments
- Data loss prevention tools to help safeguard sensitive information
- eDiscovery and legal hold capabilities
- Information governance and record-keeping tools
Why It Matters for Your Business
Office 365 E3 delivers the complete, familiar Office application experience that most enterprise employees rely on for daily work, while adding the data protection and compliance foundation that growing organizations need. Built-in safeguards against email-based threats and tools to manage sensitive information reduce reliance on separate, standalone security products. For organizations with legal, regulatory, or governance obligations, integrated eDiscovery and record-keeping tools simplify the process of locating and retaining information when it's needed.
Office 365 E5
Designed for: Organizations that require the highest level of security, compliance, and communication capabilities.
What's Included
- Everything in Office 365 E3, plus:
- Advanced threat protection across email and collaboration tools
- Advanced compliance capabilities, including insider risk management and premium eDiscovery
- Power BI Pro for enterprise-wide business intelligence and data visualization
- Microsoft Teams Phone System for cloud-based business calling
- Audio conferencing for meetings
Why It Matters for Your Business
Office 365 E5 brings together the highest tier of threat protection, compliance oversight, and communication tools available in the Office 365 family. It is designed for organizations facing elevated regulatory scrutiny or security risk, where deeper insight into data handling and user activity is essential. Built-in calling and conferencing capabilities also allow organizations to consolidate business communication needs, while integrated analytics through Power BI Pro gives leadership richer visibility into organizational data — all within a single, unified subscription.
Summary
- Office 365 E1 — web and mobile productivity, professional email, and cloud collaboration for enterprise-scale teams.
- Office 365 E3 — full desktop applications plus core data protection, compliance, and information governance tools.
- Office 365 E5 — the full E3 experience plus advanced security, compliance, business intelligence, and calling capabilities.
All Office 365 Enterprise plans are built on the same platform, supporting unlimited users and a smooth transition between plans as organizational needs evolve.
Have Questions? We're Here to Help.
Our team can help you identify the plan that best matches your organization's needs and guide you through setup.