Microsoft 365 subscribers will soon face a change as the service’s included virtual private network (VPN) is being dropped on February 28. According to Microsoft, they regularly assess feature usage and effectiveness, leading them to conclude that the VPN is no longer necessary.
The current VPN offers limited features, such as a 50GB monthly data limit, which may not be enough for some users. Its main benefit was obscuring traffic, but this may not be sufficient compared to other VPN options available in the market.
This decision comes after Microsoft’s first price hike in 12 years, with Personal and Family plans increasing by $3 per month, or around 43%. The added features are supposed to justify the increase, including limited Copilot AI capabilities.
Existing subscribers can downgrade to a ‘Microsoft 365 Personal Classic’ or ‘Microsoft 365 Family Classic’ plan for the next 12 months, which still offers similar features without AI and VPN. However, these plans may not be available for an extended period as Microsoft assesses their availability.
New customers will have to accept the new prices, which include identity theft protection and credit monitoring. While this change may seem disappointing, it’s essential to weigh the benefits of the updated features against the loss of a VPN service.
Source: https://lifehacker.com/tech/microsoft-365-raising-prices-dropping-vpn