Microsoft's school email bill gives rivals something to smile about
Collabora and Nextcloud pitch alternatives as education customers weigh the cost of losing free services
Microsoft's announcement of changes to its education-focused email and collaboration services has left competitors with something to smile about as institutions consider the implications of higher costs. The free student email and collaboration services are being retired, and storage entitlements are changing. These modifications apply to institutions at their first renewal or extension on or after January 1, 2028.
The UK's Department for Education expressed disappointment at the news, but the government has a history of favoring deals from Microsoft and other tech giants. Exact pricing for educational institutions remains unclear, but estimates suggest annual costs ranging from $2 to $6 per student, depending on the service tier. The new "free" tier, Microsoft 365 Education A0, lacks critical features like Exchange Online, SharePoint Online, and Teams, making it an inadequate replacement for the previous Office 365 A1.
While some institutions may view the additional few dollars per student as insignificant, the cumulative impact could be substantial. Microsoft has given educational institutions a year to plan for the changes, which may be enough time to migrate to alternative solutions. Competitors such as Nextcloud and Collabora Productivity emphasize the importance of interoperability, sovereignty, and the potential drawbacks of vendor lock-in.
Written by urgent.news from The Register Science's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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