For staff who do not sit at a desk. One difference decides almost every F1 versus F3 question, and it is the mailbox.
Microsoft PartnerVerify on Microsoft Marketplace →Frontline plans are for staff who do not sit at a desk. They are inexpensive, and they are frequently bought in the wrong variant, because the gap between F1 and F3 is not obvious from the names.
| Microsoft 365 F1 | Microsoft 365 F3 | |
|---|---|---|
| Exchange mailbox | None. Exchange Kiosk for the Teams calendar only, with no mailbox rights. | Yes — 2 GB, through Outlook on the web. |
| Desktop Office apps | No | No |
| Office on the web | Read-only | Full editing |
| Office on mobile | Read-only | Full editing |
| OneDrive storage | 2 GB | 2 GB |
| Device restriction | Mobile apps limited to devices with screens under 10.9 inches | Mobile apps limited to devices with screens under 10.9 inches |
| Forms, To Do, Power Apps, Power Automate | Not included | Included |
| Town halls, webinars, Teams Phone Standard | Not included without an add-on | Included |
A frontline estate is usually bought in volume, so an error here multiplies across hundreds of staff rather than a handful.
F1 carries no Exchange mailbox rights. It includes an Exchange Kiosk entitlement so the Teams calendar works, and that is all. If the person needs to receive email at work, F1 is wrong at any price. That single fact settles most F1 versus F3 decisions in about ten seconds.
F1 users can read documents on the web and on mobile but cannot edit them. For staff who fill in a form, update a checklist or amend a delivery note, that is not enough, and it is not obvious from the plan name.
Microsoft restricts the mobile apps on Frontline plans to devices with integrated screens smaller than 10.9 inches. Staff issued with full-size tablets are outside what the licence permits. Worth knowing before you buy forty tablets.
Microsoft Forms, To Do, Power Apps and Power Automate are not included with F1, nor are town halls, webinars or Teams Phone Standard without an add-on. If your frontline process runs on a Power App, F1 will not carry it.
These plans are intended for staff who do not sit at a desk — site teams, drivers, warehouse, retail, security, housekeeping. Licensing a desk-based administrator on F3 to save money tends to end in an upgrade three months later.
Both F1 and F3 were included in Microsoft's price increase effective 1 July 2026. If you hold a large frontline estate, that is worth modelling across the full headcount rather than per seat.
Licensing rules on this page were checked against Microsoft’s own documentation in September 2026. Microsoft changes plan contents regularly — if you are reading this much later, ask us to confirm before you commit to a term.
The mailbox. F3 includes a 2 GB Exchange Online mailbox accessed through Outlook on the web. F1 has no mailbox rights at all, only an Exchange Kiosk entitlement so the Teams calendar works. F3 also allows full editing in the web and mobile apps, where F1 is read-only.
No. F1 does not include Exchange mailbox rights. Staff on F1 cannot send or receive email from a company mailbox. If they need email, they need F3 or above.
Neither F1 nor F3 includes the desktop Office applications. F3 gives full editing in the web and mobile apps; F1 is read-only.
Yes. The Microsoft 365 mobile apps on Frontline plans are limited to devices with integrated screens smaller than 10.9 inches. Full-size tablets fall outside that.
Yes, and that is the normal arrangement — Frontline for staff on site or on the floor, Business or Enterprise for desk-based staff, in one tenant.
There is no cap of the kind that applies to the Business family. Send the headcount and the roles and we will tell you which staff genuinely belong on F1, F3, or something else entirely.
Tenant setup, mailbox and file migration, user onboarding and activation are included at no extra charge on Microsoft licences bought from Proto Link. You pay for the licences, not for the project around them.
Send us your headcount and what your team actually needs. We will come back with the right plan mix and a price — usually the same working day.