Microsoft today announced a new plan for Office 365 that’s geared to individuals who want to subscribe to its suite of productivity applications. For $6.99/month (or $69/year), you will be able to get a single license for Office 365 that you can use on one PC or Mac and one tablet. This new plan will launch later this spring.
Just like Microsoft’s other Office 365 subscriptions, the plan will include 60 minutes of Skype calling per month and 20GB of additional OneDrive storage. Microsoft isn’t saying which applications are included in this subscription, but chances are, it will include all of the access to the core Office apps (Word, PowerPoint, Excel, OneNote, Outlook, Publisher and Access).
Until now, the most basic paid option for Office 365 was the Home Premium subscription. Starting at $9.99 month, that version offers a license for using Office on up to five PCs or Macs. Not everybody needs five licenses, though, and this new plan acknowledges that.
“We recognize that there are households of all shapes and sizes and we’re committed to delivering the right Office for everyone – whether that be one person or an entire household,” Microsoft writes in today’s announcement. Chances are, this version will be quite popular with college students, for example.
Once the personal plan goes live, Microsoft will rename Office 365 Home Premium to Office 365 Home.