The main differences lie in OneDrive per-user storage potential and Exchange Online mailbox/archive sizes and capabilities. SharePoint storage calculation is generally the same, but E5 often caters to larger organizations, potentially leading to more overall pooled storage.
Here’s a comparison table:
| Feature/Service | Microsoft 365 Business Premium | Microsoft 365 Enterprise E5 | Key Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| OneDrive for Business (Per-User File Storage) |
1 TB per user (default) Can often be increased by admin to 5 TB, sometimes 25 TB under specific conditions. |
Starts at 1 TB per user Admin can increase to 5 TB, then 25 TB. For plans with 5+ users, can request unlimited (initially provisioned as 25 TB, then 25 TB SharePoint site collections per user). |
Business Premium maxes out (typically 5TB/25TB), E5 can go beyond with admin steps. |
| SharePoint Online (Tenant Pooled Storage) |
1 TB base tenant storage + 10 GB per licensed user Storage is pooled across all sites. |
1 TB base tenant storage + 10 GB per licensed user Storage is pooled across all sites. |
No difference in calculation. Total pooled storage depends on user count. E5 tenants might have more total storage due to higher user counts typically. |
| Exchange Online (Primary Mailbox) |
50 GB Primary Mailbox (Comes with Exchange Online Plan 1) |
100 GB Primary Mailbox (Comes with Exchange Online Plan 2) |
E5 has double the primary mailbox size (due to Exchange Online Plan 2 vs Plan 1). |
| Exchange Online (Archive Mailbox) |
50 GB Archive Mailbox (Standard, separate archive) |
1.5 TB Archive Mailbox (Initially 100GB) Auto-Expanding Archiving enabled by default. |
Business Premium has a fixed 50 GB archive. E5’s archive can grow massively. |
| Microsoft Teams (File Storage) |
Files stored in SharePoint/OneDrive. Subject to those respective limits. |
Files stored in SharePoint/OneDrive. Subject to those respective limits. |
No direct difference. Storage limits are dictated by SharePoint/OneDrive. |
| Stream (on SharePoint) (Video Storage) |
Videos stored in SharePoint/OneDrive. Subject to those respective limits. |
Videos stored in SharePoint/OneDrive. Subject to those respective limits. |
No direct difference. Storage counts against SharePoint/OneDrive pooled storage. |
Key Takeaways & Nuances:
- OneDrive: The biggest potential difference. While both start at 1 TB, E5 offers a path to effectively unlimited storage per user (requires admin configuration and meeting criteria like having 5+ E5 licenses). Business Premium has clearer upper limits (usually 5 TB or potentially 25 TB with admin intervention).
- Exchange Mailbox: E5 provides significantly larger primary mailboxes (100 GB vs 50 GB).
- Exchange Archive: This is a major E5 advantage. Business Premium has a standard 50 GB archive. E5 includes Auto-Expanding Archiving, which starts larger (100 GB) and can automatically grow up to 1.5 TB, removing significant storage headaches for long-term email retention.
- SharePoint: The calculation for pooled tenant storage is identical (1 TB base + 10 GB per user). An organization with E5 licenses might have more total SharePoint storage simply because they have more users, but the formula per user is the same.
- Admin Action: Increasing OneDrive storage beyond the initial 1 TB (in either plan) usually requires administrator configuration. The “unlimited” OneDrive in E5 requires specific admin steps and meeting license count prerequisites.
- Add-on Storage: Both plans allow for purchasing additional SharePoint storage if the pooled limit is reached.
In summary, Microsoft 365 E5 offers substantially more generous storage limits and capabilities, particularly for individual user file storage (OneDrive potential) and email archiving (Exchange Online Auto-Expanding Archive). Business Premium provides ample storage for many small-to-medium businesses but has stricter upper bounds compared to E5’s potential.
CIAOPS 