You've been emailing with a Gmail or Hotmail address for years. It works, it costs nothing, and your customers find you just fine. Until a prospect finds your quote in his spam folder. Or until a new employee starts and you realize you have no shared calendar, no shared mailbox, and no overview. Then comes the question: what does professional email actually cost, and which package do I need?
Short answer: business email via Microsoft 365 starts at around 6 euros per user per month (excl. VAT). For most SMEs, Business Basic or Business Standard is sufficient. Additionally, budget for a domain name and some one-time effort for the transition.
Why your own domain name is more than just a nice address
An address like [email protected] seems like a detail, but it says something about your business. It shows that you take it seriously and that you'll still be around in five years. A free address does the opposite: it looks temporary, and some customers trust it less.
There's also a practical side. With your own domain, the address belongs to you, not to an employee or a free service. If someone leaves, their mailbox stays with the company. If you switch to another provider, you simply take your addresses with you.
What you get with business email
Business email is more than an inbox. You get:
your own domain name for each address
shared calendars, so you see when colleagues are available
shared mailboxes, such as info@ or billing@, that multiple people manage
protection against spam, phishing, and malware
backup and recovery of deleted emails
support if something goes wrong
Microsoft 365: more than email
Many entrepreneurs think of Word and Excel when they think of Microsoft 365. In reality, it's a complete workplace in the cloud. It bundles:
Outlook for email and calendar
Teams for chat, calling, and meetings
OneDrive for your personal files
SharePoint for your team's shared files
Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, online or on your computer, depending on the package
Compare it to a renovation: you can just have a new front door installed (email only), or have the whole house renovated at once (full Microsoft 365). Microsoft also offers an email-only subscription, Exchange Online. That's cheaper, but without Teams, shared files, or Office apps. For a sole proprietor who really only needs email, that might be enough. As soon as you work with multiple people, you almost always end up with a full package.
Comparing packages for SMEs
Microsoft has three packages for businesses with up to 300 users. Prices per user per month, excl. VAT, on an annual subscription, according to Microsoft's Belgian price list as of October 22, 2026.
Business Basic | Business Standard | Business Premium | |
|---|---|---|---|
Price | € 6.07 | € 20.36 | € 27.73 |
Business email and calendar | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Teams | Yes | Yes | Yes |
1 TB storage per user | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Word, Excel, PowerPoint | Web and mobile only | Also on your computer | Also on your computer |
Copilot in Office apps | No | Yes | Yes |
Advanced security and device management | No | No | Yes |
Microsoft also offers variants without Teams that are slightly cheaper. Note: Microsoft regularly adjusts prices and package names. So always check the current price before you decide.
What about the alternatives?
Google Workspace is the best-known competitor. It works well if your team is already used to Gmail and Google Docs. Those who work a lot with Word and Excel files from customers or suppliers are usually better off with Microsoft.
Email from your hosting provider is often the cheapest. The disadvantage: you usually only get a mailbox, without shared calendars, collaboration, or extensive security. For a small business that wants to grow, that's often an intermediate step you'll have to redo later anyway.
What does it really cost?
The license price is only part of the story. If you only compare that price with a free address, every package seems expensive. Also budget for:
Domain name: a small annual cost, if you don't already have one
Migration: transferring existing emails, contacts, and calendars
Management: adding and removing users, setting permissions, troubleshooting
Extra security: for example, properly setting up two-factor authentication or a backup outside Microsoft
This is offset by what you get in return: less time wasted searching, less risk of a hacked mailbox, and a more professional image to your customers.
Which package fits your business?
Type of business | Our advice |
|---|---|
Self-employed person who mainly emails and works in the browser | Business Basic |
Office with 10 people who work in Word and Excel daily | Business Standard |
Team with many remote workers or sensitive customer data | Business Premium |
You don't have to give everyone the same package. A warehouse employee who only emails can get Business Basic, while accounting uses Business Standard.
What happens during the transition?
Switching sounds bigger than it is. Your existing emails, contacts, and calendars come along. For a small business, the actual transition usually takes an evening or a weekend, so you barely notice it during the day. The biggest risk is in the preparation: a forgotten mailbox, an incorrect DNS setting, or employees who don't know how to log in again. With good planning and a clear checklist, you can avoid that.
In summary
Your own domain name makes you more professional and keeps your addresses in your own hands.
Microsoft 365 is more than email: it's a complete workplace for your team.
Business Basic is enough for those who mainly email, Business Standard for those who work with Office daily, Business Premium for those who need extra security.
Look at the total cost, not just the license price.
Unsure which package fits you?
XVE.IT looks at how your team works with you and which package fits that. We arrange the transition so you can simply continue working on Monday. Schedule a no-obligation consultation and you'll know immediately where you stand.
