TCO Estimator
Interactive calculator: Input your organization details and see real-time 5-year cost comparison across all migration paths, with exportable reports and charts.
How to Use
- Adjust user count — Move the slider to match your organization size
- Set IT costs — Enter your annual IT staffing cost (per FTE)
- Select complexity — Choose migration complexity level
- View results — Charts, tables, and recommendation update automatically
- Export — Download PDF report, PNG charts, or CSV data
Cost Components
On-Premises (Current)
- Server hardware refresh
- Windows Server & Exchange licenses
- CALs (Client Access Licenses) per user
- Anti-spam, archiving, backups
- Datacenter costs (power, cooling, space)
- IT administration time
Exchange Online Plan 2
- Per-user subscription ($8/month)
- Microsoft Defender for Office 365
- One-time migration costs
- Minimal ongoing IT effort
Microsoft 365 E3
- Full enterprise suite ($36/month)
- Teams, SharePoint, Office apps included
- Advanced compliance and security
- Higher per-user cost, broader value
Exchange Server SE
- Subscription-based on-premises licensing
- New server hardware (if needed)
- CAL subscriptions per user
- Datacenter and backup infrastructure
- Ongoing IT administration
Notes
- All figures are estimates based on typical enterprise costs — obtain vendor quotes for precise pricing
- Hardware costs assume replacement every 5 years (included by default)
- Migration complexity adjusts consultant costs: Low (–30%), Medium (baseline), High (+40%)
- Datacenter costs toggle represents power, cooling, colocation, or data center facility space
- IT staffing is calculated as a percentage of annual FTE cost allocated to email management
Pricing Sources
All subscription costs in this estimator are based on Microsoft’s published list prices (annual subscription). Actual costs depend on agreement type, volume discounts, and geography.
| Product | Confirmed Price | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Exchange Online Plan 1 | $4.00/user/mo | Exchange Online plans |
| Exchange Online Plan 2 | $8.00/user/mo | Exchange Online plans |
| Microsoft 365 Business Basic | $6.00/user/mo | M365 Business Basic |
| Microsoft 365 Business Standard | $12.50/user/mo | M365 Business Standard |
| Office 365 E1 | $10.00/user/mo | Office 365 Enterprise plans |
| Office 365 E3 | $23.00/user/mo | Office 365 Enterprise plans |
| Microsoft 365 F3 (Frontline) | $8.00/user/mo | M365 F3 |
| Microsoft 365 E3 | ~$36/user/mo (est.) | MSRP estimate — confirm with Microsoft |
| Exchange Server SE server subscription | ~$12,000/server/year (est.) | Confirm with Microsoft licensing partner |
| Exchange SE CAL subscription | ~$40/user/year (est.) | Confirm with Microsoft licensing partner |
Document References
| Topic | Microsoft Source |
|---|---|
| Exchange Server SE — What’s New | What’s new in Exchange SE |
| Exchange SE system requirements | System requirements for Exchange SE |
| Microsoft 365 Business plans | Compare Microsoft 365 Business plans |
| Exchange Online plan comparison | Compare Exchange Online plans |
| Office 365 Enterprise plans | Compare Office 365 Enterprise plans |