Exchange Online Plan 1 vs. Plan 2
Exchange Online Plan 1 $4.00/user/mo
Exchange Online Plan 2 $8.00/user/mo
Feature comparison
| Feature | Exchange Online Plan 1 | Exchange Online Plan 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Mailbox size | 50 GB | 100 GB |
| Exchange Online Protection | ✓ | ✓ |
| Outlook web app | ✓ | ✓ |
| Shared mailboxes | ✓ | ✓ |
| Unlimited archiving | — | ✓ |
| In-Place Hold | — | ✓ |
| Litigation Hold | — | ✓ |
| Data Loss Prevention (DLP) | — | ✓ |
| Annual price per user/month | $4.00 | $8.00 |
Which plan is right for your organization?
Organizations with regulatory retention requirements, litigation risk, or mailboxes that approach capacity limits should select Exchange Online Plan 2. Plan 1 is appropriate for organizations with standard email needs and no compliance-driven archiving or hold requirements.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the mailbox size difference between Exchange Online Plan 1 and Plan 2?
- Exchange Online Plan 1 provides a 50 GB mailbox per user. Exchange Online Plan 2 provides a 100 GB mailbox per user, plus unlimited archiving through the auto-expanding archive feature.
- Do I need Exchange Online Plan 2 for legal hold?
- Yes. In-Place Hold and Litigation Hold are only available in Exchange Online Plan 2. These features are required when an organization needs to preserve email content for regulatory compliance, legal proceedings, or internal investigations.
- Can I mix Plan 1 and Plan 2 in the same organization?
- Yes. You can assign different Exchange Online plans to different users within the same Microsoft 365 tenant. Users who require archiving or hold capabilities can be assigned Plan 2, while standard users remain on Plan 1.