Microsoft 365 Pricing Changes in 2026: What They Mean for Intune

Tags: Intune, Licensing, Microsoft, Microsoft 365, ModernEUC

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Microsoft is introducing broad changes to Microsoft 365 in 2026 that go beyond Intune, combining a noticeable price increase with a push toward more tightly integrated security, collaboration, and AI capabilities across the suite. Core plans like Microsoft 365 E3 and E5 are gaining enhanced features in areas such as threat protection, data security, and advanced compliance, alongside new AI‑driven enhancements in apps like Teams and Outlook, with the goal of making the higher subscription cost easier to justify for organizations standardizing on the platform. At the same time, Microsoft is simplifying parts of its licensing model and adjusting discounts, which means many customers will see both higher per‑user pricing and fewer built‑in volume breaks, making it more important to rationalize SKUs and ensure users are matched to the right plan level.

The big picture: M365 and Intune in 2026

Microsoft is rolling advanced Intune capabilities into Microsoft 365 E3 and E5 and raising core M365 prices from July 1, 2026; Intune Plan 1/2 also remain available as standalone or add‑on options. The net effect is that many organizations will pay more per user for E3/E5, but will no longer need as many separate Intune Suite add‑ons to get capabilities like Remote Help, Advanced Analytics, and specialty device management.

Microsoft is positioning Microsoft 365 as the default way to buy Intune by baking more Intune Suite features directly into E3/E5 and EMS E3. At the same time, list prices for those suites will go up in mid‑2026, with most commercial plans seeing increases in roughly the mid‑single to low‑double‑digit percentage range.

In practice this means:

Organizations already on M365 E3/E5 plus Intune Suite could see overall spend flatten or decrease, as some add‑ons become redundant.
Organizations just using “plain” Intune features will see higher suite pricing but also gain access to more advanced endpoint tools.

What’s changing in E3 vs E5 vs Intune

2026 Microsoft 365 & Intune Comparison Guide

The following table outlines the price changes and feature additions taking effect in July 2026.

License	2025 Price (Est.)	2026 Price (Est.)	Key Endpoint & Intune Changes
M365 E3	$36.00	$39.00	Adding Remote Help, Advanced Analytics, and Plan 2 capabilities (App Tunneling/Specialty Devices).
M365 E5	$57.00	$60.00	Adding Full Intune Suite: Cloud PKI, Endpoint Privilege Management, and Enterprise App Management.
Intune Plan 1	$8.00	$8.00	Remains the baseline for standard device/app management. No significant price change reported.
Intune Plan 2	$4.00	$4.00	Focuses on specialty devices. Most features are being folded into M365 E3/E5 bundles.

Features Changes

Plan / SKU	Core Intune entitlement	Advanced Intune features (Remote Help, Advanced Analytics, Plan 2‑type capabilities)	Typical use case
Microsoft 365 E3	Includes EMS E3 with Intune Plan 1 for standard device and app management.	Gains key former Intune Suite features: Remote Help, Advanced Analytics, many Plan 2 scenarios during 2026 rollout.	Default enterprise productivity plus baseline and mid‑tier endpoint management.
Microsoft 365 E5	Includes EMS E5 with Intune Plan 1 plus broader security stack.	Adds more of the Intune Suite: Endpoint Privilege Management, Enterprise App Management, Cloud PKI, richer analytics.	For organizations standardizing on Microsoft security and wanting “all‑in” Intune.
Intune Plan 1 (standalone)	Core cross‑platform endpoint management, compliance, basic endpoint security.	No advanced Suite features unless combined with Plan 2 or the Intune Suite.	For orgs needing management without full Microsoft 365 suites.
Intune Plan 2 (add‑on)	Requires Plan 1; extends management for specialty devices and app‑level VPN.	Historically part of the Intune Suite; many capabilities move into M365 bundles in 2026.	Niche or advanced scenarios where M365 E3/E5 is not adopted across all users.

What this means for your licensing strategy

For organizations already on M365 E3 or E5 with Intune Suite add‑ons, 2026 can be an opportunity to simplify licensing by retiring redundant Intune Suite SKUs while accepting a higher but more predictable per‑user suite price.
For organizations buying Intune standalone (Plan 1/2), moving some or all users into M365 E3/E5 may now make more financial sense, because core productivity, security, and advanced Intune tools increasingly live in those suites.
For large EA customers, the removal of built‑in volume discounts and the July 2026 price rise together make proactive modelling and negotiation essential before the next renewal term starts.

From Microsoft: