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What are add-on licenses?
Add-on licenses are licenses for specific Microsoft Teams features. Some businesses want the flexibility of purchasing only specific features at a competitive price. To add a feature, buy one add-on license for each user who will use it.
Microsoft Teams licensing is designed to give you the maximum amount of flexibility. For example, after using basic Teams features for a while, you can buy add-on licenses when you're ready to use more features, such as Audio Conferencing or the Phone System in Office 365.
The Microsoft Services Provider License Agreement (SPLA) is a licensing program that provides a hosting offer to service providers and ISVs to lease or rent. Access desktops powered by Windows Server Remote Desktop Services at no additional cost if you’re an eligible Microsoft Remote Desktop Services (RDS) Client Access License (CAL) customer. You pay only for the Azure compute, storage, and networking associated with the virtual machines you use in.
How does add-on licensing affect cost?
For most businesses, buying a bundle of software in an Enterprise plan will result in lower overall cost. Typically, when you buy several add-on licenses individually instead of as part of a plan, you may end up with higher combined cost.
For more cost information, see one of the following:
What features can I get with add-on licenses?
Depending on which plan you already have, you can buy add-on licenses for the following Microsoft Teams features:
Feature | Description |
Audio Conferencing | Sometimes people in your organization will need to use a phone to call in to a Teams meeting, instead of using their computer. Use the Audio Conferencing feature for this situation. To find out whether Audio Conferencing is available in your country or region, see Country and region availability for Audio Conferencing and Calling Plans. If you are looking for how much it costs, see Pricing for Audio Conferencing. |
Toll free numbers for dial-in access to your conferences, and the ability to dial out from a conference to add someone by calling any telephone number in the world | If you add Audio Conferencing, we recommend that you Set up Communications Credits. |
Phone System | A PBX is a telephone system in a business. Phone System in Office 365 is a hosted telephone service. It gives you both traditional and innovative PBX capabilities, but without the complicated and expensive equipment. Here's what you get with Phone System in Office 365. If you are looking for how much it costs, see Phone System. |
Calling Plans | Calls to other Teams users are free, but if you want your users to be able to call any phone numbers outside of your business, get a Calling Plan. There are Domestic Calling Plans and Domestic and International Calling Plans in Office 365. If you are looking for how much it costs, see Calling Plan Pricing. |
Microsoft Teams Rooms | This isn't an add-on, but a feature that brings video, audio, and content sharing to conference rooms. See Microsoft Teams Rooms. |
Need to talk to someone about all the add-on options? Contact support for business products - Admin Help.
License options based on your plan
The add-on licensing options available to you depends on your Office 365 plan. See the following topics for information, features, and options that are specific to your plan.
How to see prices and buy add-on licenses
After you buy an Office 365 plan, you see prices and buy add-ons through the admin center.
Depending on the add-ons you want, we recommend comparing whether it's more cost effective for you to switch to a plan that includes those features already.
See your plan under 'License options based on your plan' for more details about which licenses to buy and how to see prices and purchase add-on licenses.
How do I use my existing Calling Plans with Teams?
If you are using on-premises PSTN connectivity for hybrid users, you only assign Phone System licenses to your users. DO NOT also assign a Calling Plan.
For extensive documentation on planning your deployment, including Phone System with on-premises PSTN connectivity, see Microsoft telephony solutions.
Related topics
- Calling Plans for Office 365 and Set up Calling Plans