Every Microsoft 365 business app explained (2026 list)

Microsoft 365 Business plans come with over 20 apps. Most people use three or four of them and ignore the rest. That is fine — nobody needs all of them. But there are a few buried in the list that can replace a paid subscription to something else, and it is worth knowing what you are already paying for. We deploy and support M365 as part of our IT services.

The apps everyone knows

Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook. These are the core productivity apps. You get desktop versions, web versions, and mobile versions. They sync through OneDrive and SharePoint. If you have a Microsoft 365 Business license, you already have these.

Communication and collaboration

Microsoft Teams is the hub for chat, video calls, and meetings. It replaces Slack, Zoom, and shared file folders all in one place. Every Teams channel has a SharePoint document library behind it, so files shared in channels are automatically organized and searchable.

Outlook handles email and calendar. It connects directly to Teams for scheduling and joining meetings. If you are still using a separate calendar app, you can probably consolidate.

File storage and sharing

OneDrive gives every user 1 TB of personal cloud storage. SharePoint provides shared team sites for departmental and project files. Together they replace Dropbox, Google Drive, and local file servers for most businesses.

Apps most people overlook

Lists is a lightweight database and tracker — great for issue logs, inventory lists, content calendars, and project tracking. It replaces basic Airtable or Smartsheet use cases at no extra cost.

Planner is a task management app that works like a simplified Trello. Boards, buckets, assignments, due dates. It integrates directly into Teams so you can manage tasks without leaving your chat window.

Forms lets you build surveys, quizzes, and feedback forms. Responses flow into Excel automatically. It is not as feature-rich as Typeform or SurveyMonkey, but for internal surveys and quick polls it does the job.

Bookings is an appointment scheduling tool — similar to Calendly. Customers pick a time slot from your availability, and it syncs to your Outlook calendar. Useful for consultations, service appointments, or internal office hours.

Power Automate lets you build automations between Microsoft apps and hundreds of third-party services. When a form is submitted, create a task in Planner and send a Teams message. When a file is uploaded to SharePoint, notify a channel. It is included in most business plans with some usage limits.

Security and admin tools

Microsoft Defender for Business is included in Business Premium. It provides endpoint protection, threat detection, and automated response across your devices. Intune, also in Business Premium, lets you manage and secure phones, tablets, and laptops remotely — enforce encryption, require PINs, wipe lost devices.

Purview handles compliance features like data loss prevention and retention policies. If you are in a regulated industry, these tools save you from buying separate compliance software.

What plan includes what

Microsoft 365 Business Basic ($6/user/month) gives you web and mobile apps, Teams, OneDrive, and SharePoint. Business Standard ($12.50/user/month) adds desktop app installs. Business Premium ($22/user/month) adds Defender, Intune, and advanced security features.

Most of the businesses we work with land on Business Standard or Premium. Standard covers productivity. Premium is worth it if you handle sensitive data or need device management.

Using what you already pay for

Before you sign up for another SaaS tool, check whether Microsoft 365 already covers it. We regularly help clients consolidate Trello, Dropbox, Calendly, Slack, and basic CRM functions into Microsoft 365 — reducing their monthly software spend without losing functionality.