Microsoft will raise the price of its 365 Suite to include AI capabilities

Microsoft is raising its Microsoft 365 subscription price. The company is testing a new Microsoft 365 consumer plan in Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, and Thailand that includes AI features at a higher subscription cost.

Previously, Microsoft introduced premium AI features for consumers through the Copilot Pro plan and enterprise and business users through the Microsoft 365 Copilot plan. Now, Microsoft is testing a new Microsoft 365 consumer plan that includes AI features at a higher price.

According to the latest reports, this plan is being tested in Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, and Thailand. In Australia, the new Microsoft 365 Family with AI subscription will cost $AU179/year, and the plan without AI features will cost $AU139/year.

Microsoft plans to migrate all current Microsoft 365 subscriptions to this more expensive one. Although the change will occur at the next renewal, some users might be annoyed.

The plan also provides Microsoft 365 Personal and Family users with 60 monthly AI credits, which can be used in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Forms, OneNote, Designer, Notepad, Photos, and Paint. Like Image Creator works in Microsoft Paint, each task will cost one credit. Credits cannot be shared among users and will reset monthly, regardless of usage.

Getting a Copilot Pro subscription erases the AI credits, allowing you to generate images and complete other tasks with AI without a limit.

It’s worth noting that even though this plan is currently being tested in certain regions, it might be extended to other areas, such as Europe or the US.

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