Microsoft 365 - 45% price increase

[Zellephant]

Holy moly…. Anyone else just get the increase email from Microsoft for the 365 package.

“Effective March 18, 2025, the price for Microsoft 365 Personal subscriptions will increase from ZAR 109.00* per month to ZAR 159.00* per month. To continue with the new price, no action is needed—your payment method on file will be automatically charged. To make changes to your subscription plan or turn off recurring billing, visit your Microsoft account at least two days before your next billing date.”

Maybe time to seriously consider libreoffice of apples native productivity suite…. What is the interoperability like these days? My primary use is excel, specifically collaborating on spreadsheets with teams spread all across the globe…. And similar on word….

 

[FiestaST]

Some mixed opinions on Twitter/x/xHamster re: price increase.

Context however:

Microsoft is adding artificial intelligence tools to its consumer Microsoft 365 bundle, and bumping up the price for the first time since introducing subscriptions 12 years ago.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1879985650641809917

https://www.cnbc.com/2025/01/16/microsoft-raises-price-of-consumer-microsoft-365-first-time-since-2013.html?taid=678968b2e9f8500001c2cb51&utm_campaign=trueanthem&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter%7Cmain

https://twitter.com/x/status/1879956101107769784

Microsoft bundles Office AI features into Microsoft 365 and raises prices

Microsoft bundles AI into Office for consumers.

www.theverge.com

 

[Tun@]

Google Sheets doesn't cut it?

 

[deathduedecay]

Buy it from Rory on this forum.

 

[Zellephant]

Some mixed opinions on Twitter/x/xHamster re: price increase.

Context however:

https://twitter.com/x/status/1879985650641809917

https://www.cnbc.com/2025/01/16/microsoft-raises-price-of-consumer-microsoft-365-first-time-since-2013.html?taid=678968b2e9f8500001c2cb51&utm_campaign=trueanthem&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter%7Cmain

https://twitter.com/x/status/1879956101107769784

Microsoft bundles Office AI features into Microsoft 365 and raises prices

Microsoft bundles AI into Office for consumers.

www.theverge.com

Well, I am pretty sure no one actually asked for AI in office… and we all do just fine without it. I get they haven’t increased pricing in over a decade…. But it was pretty expensive all things considered as it stood, especially considering what the original “non-subscription” versions of office cost… I recall something like R799.00 or so, and then you had office for as long as your PC lasted.

I enjoy 365, and having access to everything across all my devices - but apple and google have pretty much the same services available free of charge. So one has to wonder how confident Microsoft is that everyone will stick with it just because it’s what they always used.

Google Sheets doesn't cut it?

I’m sure it will, but the issue is getting everyone to switch to it. That’s the thing with office/microsoft 365, everyone is familiar with it, so it just stays the go to.

I must say I do find word far superior to pages or google docs.

 

[deathduedecay]

Tom Warren (@tomwarren.co.uk)

Microsoft is bundling its AI-powered Office features into Microsoft 365 Personal and Family subscriptions worldwide today. It's also increasing prices by $3 per month, but you can switch to a Classic plan without AI and price increases. Details 👇...

bsky.app

 

[Arthur]

The Family subscription has been an absolute bargain since it was introduced more than a decade ago. Still is. Share with 6 PCs/accounts, each with 1TB of cloud, an hour of skype-to-phone calls per month. My R0.02.

 

[Zellephant]

Tom Warren (@tomwarren.co.uk)

Microsoft is bundling its AI-powered Office features into Microsoft 365 Personal and Family subscriptions worldwide today. It's also increasing prices by $3 per month, but you can switch to a Classic plan without AI and price increases. Details 👇...

bsky.app

Interesting…. The email I was sent doesn’t say anything about a “classic” option or being able to opt out of the AI.

Pretty sure they are going to cut a lot of other “standard” features out of the classic option too

 

[Arthur]

Oh, the % increase sounds big, but it works out to around $2 a month increase. Insignificant.

 

[deathduedecay]

The Family subscription has been an absolute bargain since it was introduced more than a decade ago. Still is. Share with 6 PCs/accounts, each with 1TB of cloud, an hour of skype-to-phone calls per month. My R0.02.

Didn’t they kill off Skype credits late last year?

 

[Tun@]

Pretty sure they are going to cut a lot of other “standard” features out of the classic option too

Explained in that Verge article

“We’ve created two new plans that are really only going to be available for the next year, Personal Classic and Family Classic,” explains Oystryk. “They’ll be available as folks go through the renewal cycle. If they go to cancel they’ll have the opportunity to pick one of these Personal Classic or Family Classic plans.”


These plans will only be available to existing Microsoft 365 subscribers, and new subscribers will get AI-powered Office features by default with the new pricing changes. It sounds like the classic plans won’t get any of Microsoft’s big new features, though. “They’ll continue to get security updates and minor feature updates, but any new additional innovations that we deliver in the future won’t be included in those plans,” says Oystryk.

 

[KleinBoontjie]

Hey man, let me hook a brother up : LINKY

 

[Willy Strong]

Oh, the % increase sounds big, but it works out to around $2 a month increase. Insignificant.

Freedom currency phttttsek... just PM i-Tech on this here forums brother.

 

[Zellephant]

Hey man, let me hook a brother up : LINKY

Unfortunately I need access to documents on MacBook and on iPad/phone. I can’t seem to make out if I will still have cross platform/device editing access to documents if I use one of these versions.

So, I will probably end up paying the new price for 365 (or seriously look into the “classic” options, cos I really don’t see the need for annoying AI in my spreadsheets). Or migrating towards the google or apple suites

 

[KleinBoontjie]

Unfortunately I need access to documents on MacBook and on iPad/phone. I can’t seem to make out if I will still have cross platform/device editing access to documents if I use one of these versions.

So, I will probably end up paying the new price for 365 (or seriously look into the “classic” options, cos I really don’t see the need for annoying AI in my spreadsheets). Or migrating towards the google or apple suites

Then you can throw your Libreoffice idea out the window.
You can still use Office 2019, just use Apple or Google to sync your documents folder, between devices.

 

[TribbleZA]

The company I am chatting to has a teams alternative with a built-in AI and all sorts of other functionalities,

https://www.dialpad.com/

They are doing a demo for me next week if anyone would like the link to join.

 

[TheMightyQuin]

Holy moly…. Anyone else just get the increase email from Microsoft for the 365 package.

“Effective March 18, 2025, the price for Microsoft 365 Personal subscriptions will increase from ZAR 109.00* per month to ZAR 159.00* per month. To continue with the new price, no action is needed—your payment method on file will be automatically charged. To make changes to your subscription plan or turn off recurring billing, visit your Microsoft account at least two days before your next billing date.”

Maybe time to seriously consider libreoffice of apples native productivity suite…. What is the interoperability like these days? My primary use is excel, specifically collaborating on spreadsheets with teams spread all across the globe…. And similar on word….

Clickbait thread title.

 

[HAL 9000]

I just had these 2 updates downloaded for the Microsoft Store apps on Windows 11...

 

[Zellephant]

Clickbait thread title.

What’s click bait in the thread title? The price increase is in fact 45.46%

 

[Bad Ballie]

The exact reason I only buy stand alone versions of Office. In fact office 365 isn't worth the money, never was and is unlikely to ever be viable on a ROI basis EVER!