Microsoft 365 Business vs HEY
In short: Microsoft 365 Business wins on privacy, Microsoft 365 Business wins on price, and Microsoft 365 Business wins on features. The full comparison is below, last checked 25 October 2026.
Which should you choose?
- Microsoft 365 Business is the better pick if you want your email to stay in the UK data centres for UK tenants (London, Cardiff, Durham); to pay less: £5.40 per user a month, yearly, ex VAT; and the choice of any mail app over IMAP.
- HEY suits you best if you want email from a company that doesn't make money from adverts and more room (100 GB, against 50 GB).
| Feature | Microsoft 365 Business | HEY |
|---|---|---|
| Overall | 2.5 | 2.0 |
| Privacy | 1.0 | 0.5 |
| Price | 2.5 | 2.0 |
| Features | 5.0 | 4.0 |
| Cheapest plan | Business Basic £5.40 per user a month, yearly, ex VAT | HEY for You $99 a year (own domain: $12 per user a month) |
| Free plan | No | No (30-day trial) |
| Storage | 50 GB | 100 GB |
| Your own domain | ✓ Yes | ✓ On HEY for Domains |
| End-to-end encryption | No | No |
| Company based in | United States | United States |
| Your data is kept in | UK data centres for UK tenants (London, Cardiff, Durham) | United States |
| Founded | 2011 | 2020 |
| Free trial | One month free on some plans | 30 days free on HEY for You; no trial on HEY for Domains |
| Funded by advertising | Yes, or its parent company is | No |
| Works in any mail app | ✓ IMAP and SMTP | No, its own apps only |
| Calendar and contacts | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Aliases | Yes | Yes |
| Open-source apps | No | No |
| Sign up without ID | No | No |
| White label | No | No |
| Reader offer | None | None |
| Last checked | 22 October 2026 | 25 October 2026 |
Want to add another? Open this in the compare tool.
The key differences
- Microsoft 365 Business's cheapest plan is Business Basic (£5.40 per user a month, yearly, ex VAT); HEY's is HEY for You ($99 a year (own domain: $12 per user a month)).
- For free, Microsoft 365 Business gives you no free plan, and HEY no free plan.
- Microsoft 365 Business comes with 50 GB of storage and HEY with 100 GB of storage.
- Data location: UK data centres for UK tenants (London, Cardiff, Durham) for Microsoft 365 Business, United States for HEY.
- Microsoft 365 Business works in any mail app over IMAP, and HEY only works in its own apps.
- Only Microsoft 365 Business is part of an advertising business.
Questions people ask
Which is more private, Microsoft 365 Business or HEY?
Microsoft 365 Business scores 1 out of 5 for privacy and HEY 0.5. Microsoft 365 Business gives you your email to stay in the UK data centres for UK tenants (London, Cardiff, Durham).
Which is cheaper, Microsoft 365 Business or HEY?
Microsoft 365 Business is cheaper. Its Business Basic plan is £5.40 per user a month, yearly, ex VAT, against $99 a year (own domain: $12 per user a month) for HEY's HEY for You. Check the renewal price before you pay, as some first-year prices go up.
Do Microsoft 365 Business and HEY work with my own domain?
Yes, both do. Microsoft 365 Business: Yes. HEY: On HEY for Domains.
Where do Microsoft 365 Business and HEY keep my email?
Microsoft 365 Business keeps it in the UK data centres for UK tenants (London, Cardiff, Durham). HEY keeps it in the United States.
Do Microsoft 365 Business and HEY work in other mail apps?
Microsoft 365 Business works in any mail app over IMAP. HEY only works in its own apps.
Prices and the latest news
- 27 July 2026 Microsoft 365 Business: £5.40 (UK price change from 1 July 2026)
- 1 June 2026 Microsoft 365 Business: £4.90
The latest headlines: Microsoft 365 Business news · HEY news.
Not sold on either? Try these
Microsoft 365 Business vs mailbox.org · HEY vs mailbox.org · Microsoft 365 Business vs Posteo · HEY vs Posteo · Microsoft 365 Business vs Proton Mail · HEY vs Proton Mail
How to switch
Moving to Microsoft 365 Business · Moving from Microsoft 365 Business. Or see all my switching guides.