Australians are now paying up to 31% more for Microsoft 365 after the prices were quietly raised. A limited Copilot trial is now included.
Both the Microsoft 365 Personal (one person) and Family (six people) plans have risen in price.
Microsoft 365 Personal now AUD$159
Microsoft 365 Family now AUD$179
The 31% increase in the Personal plan is curious. It means there’s only a $20 or 11% difference between the one-person plan and the six-people plan. Other countries affected by these price rises have a similar steep increase in the Personal plan price.
According to Microsoft these large increases are:
“To continue evolving the benefits included with your subscription and ensure Microsoft customers are among the first to access powerful AI features in our apps, we’re adjusting our subscription prices.”
Source: Microsoft email to customers with an upcoming plan expiry.
All that Aussies are getting for the extra money is a limited trial of Copilot Pro and some vague integration of Designer.
This is the third price rise for Microsoft 365 in Australia. In 2017 there was an 11% increase then later another $10 rise in both plans.
The new increases are way above inflation and bear no relation to Aussie/US dollar exchange rates. The Copilot feature is so limited that it doesn’t justify price rises of 22% or more.
Australia is often used a test market by global companies so it’s possible we’ll see similar increases in other Western countries (US, Canada, UK, Europe etc).
Getting Microsoft 365 for the best price in Australia
The best ongoing price we’ve seen for Microsoft 365 in Australia is a $21 saving on the Family plan from Bing Lee. (no discount on the Personal plan)
That can be used for a new or renewal/extension of an existing Microsoft 365 Family plan.
The other major retailers, OfficeWorks, JB Hifi, Harvey Norman etc sell at full price or just a few bucks off.
Copilot comes to Microsoft 365 with many limits and a high price
Australian flag and more into Word, Excel or PowerPoint docs
