Thinking of moving your company email to Microsoft 365? The first question is usually "what will it cost?". The answer has two parts that are often confused: the Microsoft licences you pay every month, and the one-time migration to move your existing email across. Here's what drives each, the costs people forget, and a worked example.
Part 1: Microsoft 365 licences (ongoing)
Microsoft charges a licence per user, billed monthly or yearly. Plans range from email-only to full Office apps with Teams and advanced security. Prices vary by plan and country and change from time to time, so always check current rates — or ask us for a quote.
Two ways to keep licence costs down:
- Mix plans: staff who only need email don't need the plan with desktop Office apps.
- Use shared mailboxes for addresses like sales@ or accounts@ instead of buying extra licences.
Part 2: The migration (one-time)
Migration covers moving your existing email and setting Microsoft 365 up properly. What affects the price:
- Number of mailboxes — most migrations are priced per mailbox.
- Mailbox size — years of email with large attachments take longer to copy.
- Where you're moving from — cPanel or hosting email, Google Workspace, Zimbra or an old Exchange server.
- Extras — contacts and calendars, shared mailboxes, old PST archives, OneDrive or file migration.
- Setup — domain and DNS, SPF/DKIM/DMARC, security settings, and Outlook and phone setup for every user.
As a guide, InfraDecoded charges ₹500$10 per mailbox onwards for migration, plus ₹4,999$99 onwards for Microsoft 365 setup. See email pricing.
A worked example: 20-person office
| Item | Type | Cost (example) |
|---|---|---|
| Migration of 20 mailboxes | One-time | 20 × ₹500 = ₹10,00020 × $10 = $200 |
| Microsoft 365 setup, DNS & security | One-time | ₹4,999$99 |
| Microsoft 365 licences | Monthly / yearly | 20 users × your chosen plan (paid to Microsoft) |
Larger mailboxes, PST archives or file migrations add to the one-time cost — you should always get a fixed written quote before work starts.
The costs people forget
- Downtime and lost emails from a rushed migration — far more expensive than doing it properly.
- Buying the top plan for everyone when half the team only needs email.
- Missing SPF, DKIM and DMARC — your new emails land in spam. See why emails go to spam.
- Paying for the old email hosting after you've moved — cancel it once the migration is confirmed.
Is Microsoft 365 the right choice?
If your team relies on Outlook and Excel, usually yes. If you prefer Gmail, compare Microsoft 365 vs Google Workspace. And if you have many staff who only need basic email, your own mail server with unlimited mailboxes can remove per-user licence costs entirely. The step-by-step process is in how to move from cPanel email to Microsoft 365.
Frequently asked questions
Do we pay Microsoft or the migration company?
Both, for different things. Licences are paid to Microsoft (directly or through a Microsoft partner) every month or year. The migration company charges a one-time fee for moving your email and setting everything up.
How long does a Microsoft 365 migration take?
For a small office, planning and setup take a day or two and copying email runs in the background. The switch-over itself is done after office hours, so most teams see no interruption.
Can we do the migration ourselves?
For a handful of mailboxes, yes, if you're comfortable with DNS and Microsoft's migration tools. Mistakes with DNS records or switch-over timing can cause bounced or lost emails, so most businesses with more than a few users prefer a fixed-price migration.
Get a fixed Microsoft 365 migration quote
Tell us how many mailboxes you have and where your email is today — we'll send a fixed price within a day.