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 recent decision to retire free student email and collaboration services, along with altering storage entitlements, has caught institutions off guard. These changes are set to impact institutions on or after January 1, 2028, during their first renewal or extension of their contracts. The new plans have been met with disappointment, especially from the UK's Department for Education.
Microsoft's pricing for educational institutions remains unclear, but estimates suggest student tiers could cost around $2-$6 per year, with faculty licenses being considerably more expensive. The new student tier, A0, is a significant downgrade compared to the previous free tier, as it excludes essential services like Exchange Online, SharePoint Online, and Teams.
Microsoft's move has given its rivals an opportunity to showcase their alternatives, such as Nextcloud, which has already migrated 39,500 students, teachers, and researchers along with 585 terabytes of data. The shift towards these alternatives could be driven by factors such as data sovereignty, as educational institutions seek to reduce their dependence on a single vendor.
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