Microsoft has decided to separate Teams and Office globally, Reuters reported today. The company did the same thing for the EU market about half a year ago, when it hoped to avoid potential antitrust fines from the bloc.
Now, it’s going global, so Teams will no longer be bundled with Microsoft 365 and Office 365, of which Teams has been a part since 2017. A Microsoft spokesperson said:
To ensure clarity for customers, we are extending the steps we took last year to unbundle Teams for M365 and O365 in the European Economic Area and Switzerland to customers globally. Doing so would also address feedback from the European Commission, providing multinationals with greater flexibility when they want to standardize sourcing across regions.
So, starting today, Microsoft is making Teams available as a standalone product for $5.25 per user per month – but keep in mind that enterprise-level pricing varies widely based on country, currency, and other factors. Currently, Office without Teams costs between $7.75 and $54.75, depending on the specific plan you purchase.
Current customers can choose to continue their current license agreement, renew, update or switch to a new offer if they wish.
Microsoft’s rivals have long claimed that this bundling of products and services gives the company an unfair advantage, so we’ll see if they can compete better now.