Microsoft is adding artificial intelligence tools to its consumer Microsoft 365 bundle and bumping up the price for the first time since introducing subscriptions 12 years ago.
In a blog post Thursday, Microsoft said it’s bringing its Copilot AI assistant into the Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and OneNote applications for consumers who have the Microsoft 365 suite.
The increase of $3 per month is meant “to reflect the extensive subscription benefits that we’ve added over the past 12 years and enable us to deliver new innovations for years to come,” Bryan Rognier, vice president of Microsoft 365 Consumer, wrote in the post.
Microsoft 365 Personal will now cost $9.99 per month and $99.99 per year, up from $6.99 per month and $69.99 per year. The Microsoft 365 Family plan, which serves up to six people, will cost $12.99 per month and $129.99 per year, up from $9.99 a month and $99.99 per year.
Microsoft had 84.4 million consumer subscribers to Microsoft 365 in the September quarter, up 10%. Existing customers will see the new prices upon renewal, according to the blog post.