Hey there! If you're running a growing business, you've probably found yourself staring at email plans wondering which route to take. Should you stick with a basic email service that gets the job done, or jump into the Microsoft 365 ecosystem? It's one of those decisions that seems simple on the surface but can really impact how your team works together down the road.
We get this question a lot from our clients, and honestly, the answer isn't always straightforward. It depends on where your business is heading and how your team actually works. Let's break it all down in plain English so you can make the right call for your situation.
What You Get with Basic Email Plans
Basic email plans are exactly what they sound like: no frills, just the essentials. Think of services like Email Essentials from various providers. You'll get professional email with your custom domain name (huge for credibility), a calendar, and contact management. Most basic plans give you somewhere between 10-50 GB of email storage, which is plenty for most small teams.
The beauty of basic email is its simplicity. You set it up, your team starts using professional email addresses, and that's pretty much it. No learning curves, no extra features to confuse anyone. If your business is just you or a couple of people who mostly work independently, basic email might be all you need right now.
But here's where it gets limiting. Basic email plans stop at communication. Need to collaborate on a document? You're emailing files back and forth. Want to have a quick video call? That's a separate service. Looking for cloud storage to share files? Another monthly subscription.
The Microsoft 365 Advantage
Microsoft 365 takes a completely different approach. Instead of just handling your email, it's designed to be your entire digital workspace. Even the entry-level Business Basic plan at £6 per user per month gives you way more than just email.
You get that same professional email with 50 GB of storage, but then you also get Microsoft Teams for video calls and chat, 1 TB of OneDrive cloud storage per person, SharePoint for team collaboration, and web versions of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. That's a lot of capability for not much more money than premium email-only services.
The Business Standard plan bumps things up to £12.50 per user monthly and adds full desktop versions of all the Office apps, plus webinar hosting and some Windows-specific tools. For teams that do a lot of document creation and editing, this level makes a huge difference.
What really sets Microsoft 365 apart is how everything works together. Your files sync across devices, team members can collaborate on documents in real-time, and you can jump from an email conversation to a Teams call with one click. It's designed for teams that need to work together, even when they're not in the same place.
Breaking Down the Real Differences
Let's get specific about what you're actually getting with each option:
Basic Email Plans:
- Professional email with your domain
- Calendar and contacts
- 10-50 GB email storage
- Mobile sync
- That's it
Microsoft 365 Business Basic:
- Everything above, plus…
- 50 GB email storage
- Microsoft Teams for video calls and chat
- 1 TB cloud storage per person
- Web versions of Office apps
- SharePoint team sites
- Real-time collaboration tools
Microsoft 365 Business Standard:
- Everything from Basic, plus…
- Full desktop Office applications
- Offline access to files and apps
- Webinar hosting
- Advanced collaboration features
The pricing usually works out to around £4-6 monthly for basic email, £6 for Microsoft 365 Basic, and £12.50 for Standard (when paid annually).
When Basic Email Makes Sense
Don't get us wrong: basic email isn't always the wrong choice. It can be perfect if you're a solopreneur who mostly communicates with clients via email and phone. If you're just getting started and watching every penny, or if your team already has other tools they love for collaboration, basic email keeps things simple and affordable.
We've worked with plenty of businesses that started with basic email and were perfectly happy. The key is being honest about how your team actually works and what you'll need in the next year or two.
When Microsoft 365 Is Worth the Investment
For most growing businesses, Microsoft 365 quickly becomes essential. Here's why: as soon as you have more than one person who needs to work on documents together, share files regularly, or hop on video calls, you're looking at multiple separate services anyway.
Think about it: you'd need email, cloud storage, video conferencing, and document editing tools. By the time you add up separate subscriptions for each, you're often spending more than you would on Microsoft 365, and nothing talks to each other nicely.
We see this transformation happen with our clients all the time. They start thinking they just need email, but within six months they're asking about file sharing solutions and better ways to collaborate. Microsoft 365 grows with your business instead of forcing you to patch together different services later.
The collaboration features alone can be game-changing. When your team can edit documents together in real-time, share files instantly, and jump into video calls without switching platforms, work just flows better. Studies show businesses using integrated productivity suites like Microsoft 365 see about 22% better productivity compared to companies using disconnected tools.
Making the Right Choice for Your Business
Here's our honest recommendation: if you're truly a one-person operation with no plans to grow, basic email might be fine. But if there's any chance you'll hire employees, work with contractors, or need to collaborate with clients on documents, start with Microsoft 365 Business Basic.
The extra £2-3 per month over premium email plans gets you so much more capability that it's almost always worth it. You're not just buying email: you're investing in infrastructure that can support your business as it grows.
And here's a practical tip: even if you don't think you need all the collaboration features right now, having them available means you can adapt quickly when your business needs change. We've seen too many companies get stuck trying to migrate from basic email to more robust systems when they're already busy and growing fast.
The Bottom Line
Microsoft 365 Business Basic hits the sweet spot for most growing businesses. You get professional email plus a complete collaboration platform for about the same cost as premium email-only services. As your business grows, you can upgrade to Business Standard for full desktop apps, or even higher tiers for advanced security and compliance features.
The question isn't really whether you need these tools right now: it's whether you want to set your business up for smooth growth or deal with switching systems later when things get hectic.
If you're still not sure which direction makes sense for your specific situation, we'd be happy to chat about it. Every business is different, and sometimes it helps to talk through your plans with someone who's helped other companies navigate these decisions.
Byte Whispers provides honest, friendly IT consulting for growing businesses. We help you choose the right technology solutions without the pushy sales tactics: just straightforward advice to help your business thrive.