Microsoft 365 Raises Prices and Ends Free VPN
These days, paying more and getting less is standard procedure. Of course, that’s what Microsoft 365 (the new name for Microsoft Office) users will soon experience as support for the service’s included VPN ends on February 28th.
According to a support note on Microsoft’s website, the company “regularly evaluates the use and effectiveness of our features” and has decided that VPN is no longer a necessary part of Microsoft 365.
As for the VPN, everything was fine.
Actually, it’s not such a big loss. Microsoft’s VPN has a monthly data limit of 50GB and doesn’t allow you to trick your browser into thinking you’re somewhere else in the world , making it arguably less useful than even some of the best free VPNs . Of course, it hides your traffic, but nothing more.
However, it’s a bit of a slap in the face since it comes after the first price increase for Microsoft 365 subscriptions in 12 years. Both personal and family plans now cost $3 more per month, an increase of about 43%. Presumably the increase is justified by the addition of limited Copilot AI features that previously cost $20.
This add-on is still there if the limited AI credits included in new subscriptions aren’t enough for you, but my fellow AI skeptics have only one way to avoid paying more for a service that now doesn’t require a VPN: for the next 12 months. Existing subscribers can upgrade to the Microsoft 365 Personal Classic or Microsoft 365 Family Classic plan, which has all the same features as the current plans, minus the AI (and VPN, of course). However, the company says it is “estimating the length of availability of these subscriptions,” so they may not last long.
Meanwhile, new customers have no choice but to accept the new prices. On the other hand, despite the lack of a VPN, the current 365 plan still includes identity theft protection and credit monitoring.