https://systechitsolutions.co.uk/_next/static/chunks/pages/blog/microsoft-365-e7-vs-e5-059e0a5a7c752316.js

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Each addition can also be bought separately, so compare it with E5 plus the add-ons you would use.",wide:{src:"/_next/static/media/blog-microsoft-365-e7-vs-e5-stack.2adf5423.webp",height:826,width:1760,blurDataURL:"data:image/webp;base64,UklGRjYAAABXRUJQVlA4ICoAAACQAQCdASoIAAQAAkA4JaQAAudP5GAA/vo8HXIDxe2VoMgxFVhkS2NkAAA=",blurWidth:8,blurHeight:4},narrow:{src:"/_next/static/media/blog-microsoft-365-e7-vs-e5-stack-narrow.8d25a2af.webp",height:1016,width:1e3,blurDataURL:"data:image/webp;base64,UklGRkYAAABXRUJQVlA4IDoAAACwAQCdASoIAAgAAkA4JZQCw7EOuwSAAP79e2PHvkfSpU//kHKAYkgeXih7+cRt6FGxo8r8wT57AAAA",blurWidth:8,blurHeight:8}},quote:{id:"quote",section:"How to compare the cost",kind:"vignette",alt:"Illustration of an E7 quote checked line by line: whether Copilot is for most users, whether agents are planned, whether the Entra Suite additions would be deployed, with Security Copilot already in E5.",caption:"Capability you pay for and never switch on is cost without value, whichever tier it sits in.",wide:{src:"/_next/static/media/blog-microsoft-365-e7-vs-e5-quote.3c79329b.webp",height:992,width:1760,blurDataURL:"data:image/webp;base64,UklGRjwAAABXRUJQVlA4IDAAAACwAQCdASoIAAUAAkA4JZwAAp1Xa+bAAP79e8vs9JmWxDvyj1GY3+HGMwQxoZXQDgA=",blurWidth:8,blurHeight:5},narrow:{src:"/_next/static/media/blog-microsoft-365-e7-vs-e5-quote-narrow.7b7fedc8.webp",height:1298,width:1e3,blurDataURL:"data:image/webp;base64,UklGRkgAAABXRUJQVlA4IDwAAADQAQCdASoGAAgAAkA4JZQCdAEOurocAAD+/XmWqGqFxLIz9hUW3+CGusUWiHgiKYRwHilHGI7zhoUaYAA=",blurWidth:6,blurHeight:8}}};let c=(0,r.zQ)("microsoft-365-e7-vs-e5"),d=[{q:"What is Microsoft 365 E7?",a:"Microsoft 365 E7, which Microsoft also calls the Frontier Suite, became generally available on 1 May 2026. Microsoft describes it as Microsoft 365 E5 plus Microsoft Copilot, the full Microsoft Entra Suite and Microsoft Agent 365 in a single licence. It is a strict superset of E5: it only adds capabilities and never removes any."},{q:"Does E7 include Copilot?",a:"Yes. E7 includes the Microsoft Copilot licence, previously called Microsoft 365 Copilot, so no add-on is needed. On E3 and E5, Copilot is a paid add-on."},{q:"Is Security Copilot a reason to move from E5 to E7?",a:"No. Microsoft includes Security Copilot with both E5 and E7, with the same allowance: 400 Security Compute Units a month for every 1,000 paid user licences, up to 10,000 a month. If you are on E5, you already qualify."},{q:"Can we buy Agent 365 or the Entra Suite without E7?",a:"Yes. Microsoft states that Agent 365 is available as a standalone add-on, and the full Microsoft Entra Suite is available as a standalone add-on for tenants with Entra ID P1 or higher. E7 bundles both, so the real comparison is E7 against E5 plus whichever add-ons you would actually use."},{q:"Should a small business consider E7?",a:"Rarely. Under 300 users, Business Premium is usually the starting point, and E7 sits above both E3 and E5. E7 is aimed at organisations that want Copilot for most users and expect to run AI agents at scale with central governance."}],h=function(e){let{children:t}=e;return(0,i.jsx)(o.Bf,{slug:c.slug,title:c.title,seoTitle:c.seoTitle,seoDescription:c.seoDescription,category:c.category,excerpt:c.excerpt,publishedAt:c.publishedAt,updatedAt:c.updatedAt,readTime:c.readTime,heroImage:c.heroImage,faqs:d,ctaOffer:"discussRequirements",children:t})};function u(e){let t={a:"a",details:"details",h2:"h2",h3:"h3",li:"li",nav:"nav",ol:"ol",p:"p",strong:"strong",summary:"summary",table:"table",tbody:"tbody",td:"td",th:"th",thead:"thead",tr:"tr",ul:"ul",...(0,s.a)(),...e.components};return(0,i.jsxs)(i.Fragment,{children:["\n","\n","\n",(0,i.jsx)("p",{className:"lede",children:"Microsoft 365 E5 is no longer the top of the enterprise range. E7 sits above it, and the question for anyone on E5, or being quoted for it, is whether the extra is something you would actually use."}),"\n",(0,i.jsxs)("p",{className:"answer",children:[(0,i.jsx)("strong",{children:"In short:"})," Microsoft 365 E7 is E5 plus three things: the Microsoft Copilot licence, the full Microsoft Entra Suite and Microsoft Agent 365, a control plane for governing AI agents. It became generally available on 1 May 2026 and removes nothing from E5. Security Copilot is in both, so it is not a difference. E7 makes sense if you would otherwise buy Copilot for most users and plan to run agents at scale. If you would not, E5 with the specific add-ons you need is usually the more honest comparison."]}),"\n",(0,i.jsx)(t.nav,{className:"pageNav pageNav--inline","aria-label":"On this page",children:(0,i.jsxs)(t.details,{className:"pageNav__details",children:[(0,i.jsx)(t.summary,{className:"pageNav__title",children:"On this page"}),(0,i.jsxs)(t.ol,{className:"pageNav__list",children:[(0,i.jsx)(t.li,{children:(0,i.jsx)(t.a,{className:"pageNav__link",href:"#what-e7-actually-is",children:"What E7 actually is"})}),(0,i.jsx)(t.li,{children:(0,i.jsx)(t.a,{className:"pageNav__link",href:"#e5-and-e7-side-by-side",children:"E5 and E7 side by side"})}),(0,i.jsx)(t.li,{children:(0,i.jsx)(t.a,{className:"pageNav__link",href:"#the-three-things-e7-adds",children:"The three things E7 adds"})}),(0,i.jsx)(t.li,{children:(0,i.jsx)(t.a,{className:"pageNav__link",href:"#what-does-not-change",children:"What does not change"})}),(0,i.jsx)(t.li,{children:(0,i.jsx)(t.a,{className:"pageNav__link",href:"#who-e7-is-for",children:"Who E7 is for"})}),(0,i.jsx)(t.li,{children:(0,i.jsx)(t.a,{className:"pageNav__link",href:"#how-to-compare-the-cost",children:"How to compare the cost"})}),(0,i.jsx)(t.li,{children:(0,i.jsx)(t.a,{className:"pageNav__link",href:"#where-to-start",children:"Where to start"})})]})]})}),(0,i.jsx)(t.h2,{id:"what-e7-actually-is",children:"What E7 actually is"}),"\n",(0,i.jsxs)(t.p,{children:["Microsoft's ",(0,i.jsx)(t.a,{href:"https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us

1/microsoft-365/copilot/microsoft-365-copilot-license-feature-overview",children:"licence comparison on Microsoft Learn"})," puts it in one line: E7 equals E5 plus Microsoft Copilot plus Microsoft Entra Suite plus Agent 365, in a single licence. Microsoft also calls it the Frontier Suite."]}),"\n",(0,i.jsx)(a.d,{figure:l.stack}),"\n",(0,i.jsx)(t.p,{children:"Two details matter for the decision:"}),"\n",(0,i.jsxs)(t.ul,{children:["\n",(0,i.jsxs)(t.li,{children:[(0,i.jsx)(t.strong,{children:"It is a strict superset of E5."})," Microsoft states that it only adds capabilities and never removes them. Nothing you rely on in E5 goes away."]}),"\n",(0,i.jsxs)(t.li,{children:[(0,i.jsx)(t.strong,{children:"Two of the three additions are sold separately too."})," Agent 365 is available as a standalone add-on, and so is the Entra Suite, for tenants with Entra ID P1 or higher. Copilot is an add-on to E3 and E5."]}),"\n"]}),"\n",(0,i.jsx)(t.p,{children:"So E7 is a bundle. The comparison that matters is not E7 against E5, it is E7 against E5 plus the add-ons you would genuinely use."}),"\n",(0,i.jsx)(t.h2,{id:"e5-and-e7-side-by-side",children:"E5 and E7 side by side"}),"\n",(0,i.jsx)(t.p,{children:"This summarises Microsoft's own component table:"}),"\n",(0,i.jsxs)(t.table,{children:[(0,i.jsx)(t.thead,{children:(0,i.jsxs)(t.tr,{children:[(0,i.jsx)(t.th,{children:"Component"}),(0,i.jsx)(t.th,{children:"Microsoft 365 E5"}),(0,i.jsx)(t.th,{children:"Microsoft 365 E7"})]})}),(0,i.jsxs)(t.tbody,{children:[(0,i.jsxs)(t.tr,{children:[(0,i.jsx)(t.td,{children:"Core productivity apps"}),(0,i.jsx)(t.td,{children:"Included"}),(0,i.jsx)(t.td,{children:"Included"})]}),(0,i.jsxs)(t.tr,{children:[(0,i.jsx)(t.td,{children:"Microsoft Copilot"}),(0,i.jsx)(t.td,{children:"Add-on"}),(0,i.jsx)(t.td,{children:"Included"})]}),(0,i.jsxs)(t.tr,{children:[(0,i.jsx)(t.td,{children:"Identity"}),(0,i.jsx)(t.td,{children:"Entra ID P2"}),(0,i.jsx)(t.td,{children:"Full Entra Suite"})]}),(0,i.jsxs)(t.tr,{children:[(0,i.jsx)(t.td,{children:"Threat protection"}),(0,i.jsx)(t.td,{children:"Full Defender XDR"}),(0,i.jsx)(t.td,{children:"Defender XDR plus agent security"})]}),(0,i.jsxs)(t.tr,{children:[(0,i.jsx)(t.td,{children:"Compliance"}),(0,i.jsx)(t.td,{children:"Advanced Purview"}),(0,i.jsx)(t.td,{children:"Advanced Purview plus agent governance"})]}),(0,i.jsxs)(t.tr,{children:[(0,i.jsx)(t.td,{children:"Agent 365"}),(0,i.jsx)(t.td,{children:"Not included"}),(0,i.jsx)(t.td,{children:"Included"})]}),(0,i.jsxs)(t.tr,{children:[(0,i.jsx)(t.td,{children:"Security Copilot"}),(0,i.jsx)(t.td,{children:"Included"}),(0,i.jsx)(t.td,{children:"Included"})]})]})]}),"\n",(0,i.jsx)(t.p,{children:"Endpoint management is the same on both: Intune Plan 1 and Plan 2, Windows 11 Enterprise and Windows Autopilot."}),"\n",(0,i.jsx)(t.h2,{id:"the-three-things-e7-adds",children:"The three things E7 adds"}),"\n",(0,i.jsx)(t.h3,{id:"1-the-copilot-licence",children:"1. The Copilot licence"}),"\n",(0,i.jsx)(t.p,{children:"The full licensed Copilot experience: grounding in your emails, meetings, chats and files through Microsoft Graph, Copilot inside Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and Teams, and agents that use work data. Microsoft also notes that SharePoint Advanced Management comes with the Copilot licence, so on E7 it is included."}),"\n",(0,i.jsxs)(t.p,{children:["Without the licence, users on E5 still get Copilot Chat, which is web-grounded. Our post on ",(0,i.jsx)(t.a,{href:"/blog/copilot-chat-vs-microsoft-365-copilot",children:"Copilot Chat and the paid licence"})," covers where that line falls."]}),"\n",(0,i.jsx)(t.h3,{id:"2-the-full-microsoft-entra-suite",children:"2. The full Microsoft Entra Suite"}),"\n",(0,i.jsx)(t.p,{children:"E5 includes Entra ID P2: Conditional Access with risk, Privileged Identity Management, Identity Protection, access reviews and entitlement management. E7 adds the rest of the suite, according to Microsoft's table:"}),"\n",(0,i.jsxs)(t.ul,{children:["\n",(0,i.jsxs)(t.li,{children:[(0,i.jsx)(t.strong,{children:"Entra Internet Access"}),", a secure web gateway, which Microsoft also lists as an AI gateway."]}),"\n",(0,i.jsx)(t.li,{children:(0,i.jsx)(t.strong,{children:"Entra Private Access."})}),"\n",(0,i.jsxs)(t.li,{children:[(0,i.jsx)(t.strong,{children:"Full Entra ID Governance"}),", including lifecycle workflows for joiners, movers and leavers."]}),"\n",(0,i.jsxs)(t.li,{children:[(0,i.jsx)(t.strong,{children:"Entra Verified ID"})," issuance and verification."]}),"\n",(0,i.jsx)(t.li,{children:(0,i.jsx)(t.strong,{children:"Universal continuous access evaluation."})}),"\n",(0,i.jsxs)(t.li,{children:[(0,i.jsx)(t.strong,{children:"Agent identities"}),", with Conditional Access and access packages for AI agents."]}),"\n"]}),"\n",(0,i.jsx)(t.h3,{id:"3-agent-365",children:"3. Agent 365"}),"\n",(0,i.jsxs)(t.p,{children:["Microsoft describes Agent 365 as the control plane for AI agents. The ",(0,i.jsx)(t.a,{href:"https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us

1/microsoft-365/admin/manage/agent-365-overview",children:"agent management page"})," lists what that means in practice:"]}),"\n",(0,i.jsxs)(t.ul,{children:["\n",(0,i.jsx)(t.li,{children:"One IT-controlled route for onboarding and approving agents."}),"\n",(0,i.jsx)(t.li,{children:"Least-privilege control over which users, data and tools each agent can reach."}),"\n",(0,i.jsx)(t.li,{children:"Rules that flag ownerless agents or block risky ones automatically."}),"\n",(0,i.jsx)(t.li,{children:"Lifecycle management from provisioning to expiry."}),"\n",(0,i.jsx)(t.li,{children:"Agent security posture management, alerts on suspicious agent activity, and logs to investigate it."}),"\n"]}),"\n",(0,i.jsx)(t.p,{children:"E7 also extends Purview to agents: data loss prevention, audit, eDiscovery, insider risk and communication compliance that cover agent interactions, not just people."}),"\n",(0,i.jsx)(o.NT,{children:"E5 governs people. E7 is Microsoft's answer to governing agents as well."}),"\n",(0,i.jsx)(t.h2,{id:"what-does-not-change",children:"What does not change"}),"\n",(0,i.jsx)(t.p,{children:"Some of what gets attributed to E7 is already in E5:"}),"\n",(0,i.jsxs)(t.ul,{children:["\n",(0,i.jsxs)(t.li,{children:[(0,i.jsx)(t.strong,{children:"Security Copilot."})," Microsoft ",(0,i.jsx)(t.a,{href:"https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/copilot/security/security-copilot-inclusion",children:"includes it with both E5 and E7"}),", with 400 Security Compute Units a month for every 1,000 paid user licences, up to 10,000 a month."]}),"\n",(0,i.jsxs)(t.li,{children:[(0,i.jsx)(t.strong,{children:"Defender XDR"}),", endpoint detection and response, and email and collaboration protection."]}),"\n",(0,i.jsxs)(t.li,{children:[(0,i.jsx)(t.strong,{children:"Advanced Purview"}),": automatic labelling, endpoint DLP, insider risk and advanced audit."]}),"\n",(0,i.jsxs)(t.li,{children:[(0,i.jsx)(t.strong,{children:"Intune"}),", Windows Enterprise and Autopilot."]}),"\n"]}),"\n",(0,i.jsxs)(t.p,{children:["If your interest in E7 is mainly security, check what you already own on E5 and have switched on first. Our post on ",(0,i.jsx)(t.a,{href:"/blog/microsoft-365-lice

1nsing-shelfware",children:"licensing shelfware"})," covers how to find capability you pay for and do not use."]}),"\n",(0,i.jsx)(t.h2,{id:"who-e7-is-for",children:"Who E7 is for"}),"\n",(0,i.jsx)(t.p,{children:"E7 is likely to make sense when most of these are true:"}),"\n",(0,i.jsxs)(t.ul,{children:["\n",(0,i.jsxs)(t.li,{children:["You already plan to license ",(0,i.jsx)(t.strong,{children:"Copilot for most of your users"}),", not a pilot group."]}),"\n",(0,i.jsxs)(t.li,{children:["You are building or deploying ",(0,i.jsx)(t.strong,{children:"AI agents"})," and need to govern them centrally."]}),"\n",(0,i.jsxs)(t.li,{children:["You want ",(0,i.jsx)(t.strong,{children:"Entra Internet Access or Private Access"})," and would deploy them."]}),"\n",(0,i.jsxs)(t.li,{children:["You need ",(0,i.jsx)(t.strong,{children:"identity governance"})," for joiners, movers and leavers that goes beyond Entra ID P2."]}),"\n"]}),"\n",(0,i.jsx)(t.p,{children:"E5 plus add-ons is likely to be the better fit when:"}),"\n",(0,i.jsxs)(t.ul,{children:["\n",(0,i.jsxs)(t.li,{children:[(0,i.jsx)(t.strong,{children:"Copilot is for some users only."})," Adding it to the people who need it can be simpler than moving everyone to a higher tier."]}),"\n",(0,i.jsxs)(t.li,{children:[(0,i.jsx)(t.strong,{children:"Agents are not part of the plan yet."})," Agent 365 governs agents you have, and Copilot Chat already gives everyone a governed starting point."]}),"\n",(0,i.jsxs)(t.li,{children:[(0,i.jsx)(t.strong,{children:"You would not deploy the Entra Suite additions"})," within the term of the agreement."]}),"\n"]}),"\n",(0,i.jsxs)(t.p,{children:["And if you are under 300 users, neither may be the right starting point. Business Premium is often the answer at that size, as our ",(0,i.jsx)(t.a,{href:"/blog/microsoft-365-business-premium-value",children:"Business Premium post"}

1)," and ",(0,i.jsx)(t.a,{href:"/compare/microsoft-365-licensing-guide",children:"licensing guide"})," explain."]}),"\n",(0,i.jsx)(t.h2,{id:"how-to-compare-the-cost",children:"How to compare the cost"}),"\n",(0,i.jsx)(t.p,{children:"We have not quoted prices here, because they change and they depend on your agreement. To compare like for like:"}),"\n",(0,i.jsx)(a.d,{figure:l.quote}),"\n",(0,i.jsxs)(t.ol,{children:["\n",(0,i.jsxs)(t.li,{children:[(0,i.jsx)(t.strong,{children:"Price E7"})," for the users who would get it, from Microsoft's published list price or your reseller's quote."]}),"\n",(0,i.jsxs)(t.li,{children:[(0,i.jsx)(t.strong,{children:"Price E5 plus the add-ons"})," you would really deploy: Copilot for the named users, and the Entra Suite and Agent 365 only if you will use them this term."]}),"\n",(0,i.jsxs)(t.li,{children:[(0,i.jsx)(t.strong,{children:"Count deployment effort."})," Capability you pay for and never switch on is cost without value, whichever tier it sits in."]}),"\n",(0,i.jsxs)(t.li,{children:[(0,i.jsx)(t.strong,{children:"Check your renewal date."})," Our post on ",(0,i.jsx)(t.a,{href:"/blog/microsoft-365-renewal-after-price-rise",children:"renewal questions"})," covers what to settle before you sign."]}),"\n"]}),"\n",(0,i.jsx)(t.h2,{id:"where-to-start",children:"Where to start"}),"\n",(0,i.jsx)(t.p,{children:"The deciding question is not what E7 contains. It is what your users and your security team would actually use in the next agreement term."}),"\n",(0,i.jsxs)(t.p,{children:["Our ",(0,i.jsx)(t.a,{href:"/services/microsoft-365-lice

1nsing-review",children:"Microsoft 365 licensing review"})," maps users to what they actually do and compares the realistic options, including mixed licensing. Request a call and tell us what you are on today and what you have been quoted, and we will tell you plainly whether E7 is worth a closer look."]}),"\n",(0,i.jsxs)(t.p,{children:["Sources, checked 2 October 2026: ",(0,i.jsx)(t.a,{href:"https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/copilot/microsoft-365-copilot-license-feature-overview",children:"Compare E3, E5 and E7 licence features"}),", ",(0,i.jsx)(t.a,{href:"https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/admin/manage/agent-365-overview",children:"Agent management in the Microsoft 365 admin center"}),", ",(0,i.jsx)(t.a,{href:"https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/copilot/security/security-copilot-inclusion",children:"Security Copilot for Microsoft 365 E5 and E7"})," and ",(0,i.jsx)(t.a,{href:"https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/copilot/microsoft-365-copilot-licensing",children:"License options for Microsoft Copilot"}),"."]})]})}function p(){let e=arguments.length>0&&void 0!==arguments[0]?arguments[0]:{};return(0,i.jsx)(h,{...e,children:(0,i.jsx)(u,{...e})})}}},function(e){e.O(0,[9707,2728,738,3796,7829,9396,8077,6379,9774,2888,179],function(){return e(e.s=53441)}),_N_E=e.O()}]);