Microsoft 365 Licensing

3 answers from our senior SharePoint consultants.

Which Microsoft 365 plan includes SharePoint Online?

SharePoint Online is included in all Microsoft 365 business and enterprise plans: Business Basic ($6/user/month), Business Standard ($12.50/user/month), Business Premium ($22/user/month), E3 ($36/user/month), and E5 ($57/user/month). The feature depth varies — E3 and E5 include advanced compliance, eDiscovery, and DLP capabilities that Business plans lack. SharePoint Premium (AI document processing, eSignature) and Microsoft 365 Copilot ($30/user/month) are available as add-ons. See our [Microsoft 365 SharePoint licensing guide](/blog/microsoft-365-sharepoint-licensing-complete-guide-2026) for a full comparison.

Do I need Microsoft 365 E5 or is E3 sufficient for SharePoint compliance?

For most organizations, Microsoft 365 E3 provides sufficient SharePoint compliance capabilities including sensitivity labels, basic DLP, eDiscovery Standard, and audit logging. E5 is necessary when you require: advanced eDiscovery with AI-assisted review, extended audit log retention, customer-managed encryption keys, communication compliance for SEC/FINRA requirements, or insider risk management. Financial services, healthcare covered entities with high-volume eDiscovery needs, and government agencies with CUI/ITAR requirements should evaluate E5. If in doubt, start with E3 and upgrade only if compliance gaps emerge.

Is Microsoft 365 Copilot for SharePoint worth the $30/user/month?

Research consistently shows Microsoft 365 Copilot saves knowledge workers 30-45 minutes per day — well above the $1 daily cost. The SharePoint-specific value: natural language search across all organizational content ("find the Q4 compliance report"), one-click document summaries, AI-assisted content creation, and Copilot Studio for building custom AI agents grounded in your SharePoint data. We recommend starting with a 50-user pilot among high-document-volume knowledge workers (legal, finance, HR, project managers) and measuring actual time savings before full deployment.

Other FAQ topics

General SharePoint Questions

5 answers

SharePoint Migration

9 answers

SharePoint Support & Managed Services

4 answers

Pricing & Investment

5 answers

Security & Compliance

3 answers

Microsoft Copilot & AI

3 answers

Working With Us

5 answers

SharePoint vs Alternatives

5 answers

Microsoft Teams & SharePoint

5 answers

SharePoint Permissions & Security

3 answers

SharePoint Governance & Administration

4 answers

SharePoint Intranet & Employee Experience

3 answers

SharePoint Migration Services

4 answers

SharePoint Records & Compliance

4 answers

Ready to Get Started?

Schedule a free consultation with our SharePoint experts.

  • Free 30-minute consultation
  • Response within 4 business hours
  • No obligation or commitment

By submitting, you agree to our Privacy Policy.