Microsoft 365 alternative

The Names.co.uk Microsoft 365 Alternative for UK Businesses

Dead Simple 365 is a lower cost, more transparent alternative to Names.co.uk for Microsoft 365 Business licences. Names.co.uk tends to price the same Microsoft licences at roughly two to four times Microsoft's own list price. We sell Business Standard at £8.83 and Business Premium at £15.55 per user per month ex VAT, with no teaser price that jumps at renewal, and the licences sit in a Microsoft tenant you own.

Operated by Dead Simple Computing Ltd, a UK Microsoft 365 reseller. We resell the same Microsoft 365 Business licences through Microsoft's official partner channel, into a tenant you own.

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Why businesses look for a Names.co.uk alternative

Names.co.uk is a long established UK domain and hosting brand, and plenty of small businesses bought Microsoft 365 there because it sat next to the domain they already owned. The licences are genuine. The problem is the price.

Names.co.uk tends to list the same Microsoft 365 Business licences at roughly two to four times Microsoft's own RRP. You are paying a markup for the convenience of one invoice, not for anything Microsoft adds to the product. The licence in your account is identical to the one Microsoft sells direct and identical to the one we sell for less.

The common reasons people start looking elsewhere are simple. The monthly cost feels high for what is, underneath, a standard Microsoft subscription. The renewal price is not obvious until it lands. And there is a nagging sense of paying for convenience rather than value.

Price comparison: Names.co.uk vs Dead Simple 365

Here are the verified numbers. Our prices are the annual upfront rate, per user per month, ex VAT, with no teaser price that jumps at renewal.

Today (before 1 July 2026)

Business Basic: Dead Simple 365 £4.23. Microsoft RRP £4.60.
Business Standard: Dead Simple 365 £8.83. Microsoft RRP £9.60.
Business Premium: Dead Simple 365 £15.55. Microsoft RRP £16.90.

From 1 July 2026 (Microsoft's first suite rise since 2022)

Business Basic: Microsoft moves to £5.40. We stay below at £4.97.
Business Standard: Microsoft moves to £10.80. We stay below at £9.94.
Business Premium: Microsoft holds at £16.90. We stay at £15.55.

Names.co.uk pricing typically sits at two to four times Microsoft RRP. Against a Names.co.uk rate in that range, our £8.83 Standard or £15.55 Premium is a large reduction on the same licence. On a 25 seat team the gap between an inflated reseller rate and our pricing runs into thousands of pounds a year. Check the exact figure on your current Names.co.uk invoice against our pricing page.

Transparent renewal pricing and a tenant you own

Two differences matter more than the headline price.

No teaser price that jumps at renewal. We do not run an intro rate that jumps later. If Microsoft changes its list price we tell you before renewal and pass through the real change, and we stay below list. You can budget against one figure.

The licences land in your own Microsoft tenant. A tenant is your own Microsoft 365 organisation account, where your users, mail and files live. With us, you own it. We are listed as your reseller and we bill you less, but the account is yours. If you ever want to leave, you keep everything and simply move the billing relationship. That is the opposite of being locked into a provider managed account you cannot easily exit.

This is the heart of the switch. You are not signing up to a new platform. You are keeping Microsoft 365 and paying a fairer, steadier price for it.

Business Premium through online checkout

Business Premium is the Microsoft 365 plan with security built in: Defender for Business, Intune device management, and conditional access. For a business with no dedicated IT team, it is the plan that actually protects email and devices.

Most UK incumbents, Names.co.uk included, do not sell Business Premium through an online checkout. If you want it you are pushed toward a quote or a phone call, or you simply never see it as an option.

We sell Business Premium online at £15.55 per user per month ex VAT, and you can provision it the same way you would Basic or Standard. With Microsoft holding Premium at £16.90 from 1 July 2026 while Standard rises, the gap between the two plans narrows, which makes Premium the more sensible buy for most teams. You can move straight to it without a sales process. See the Business Premium plan details.

How switching works, stated plainly

Switching from Names.co.uk is mostly an administrative change, not a migration of your data.

Buy the licences from us through online checkout, into your own Microsoft tenant.
Assign them to your users. Mail, files, Teams and SharePoint stay exactly where they are. Nothing moves.
Let the Names.co.uk licences lapse at the end of their term so you are not paying twice.

If your current setup sits inside a provider managed tenant rather than your own, there is more to do, and we offer a paid migration to handle it so nothing breaks. Most businesses already on their own tenant do not need this.

One thing we state upfront rather than bury. Microsoft's NCE subscription rules apply to every reseller, us included. There is a 7 day cancellation window with a prorated refund, no seat decreases mid term (only inside that window or at renewal), and the price is fixed for the term. Upgrades and seat additions work any time. We would rather you know this before you buy than discover it later.

Who should switch and who should not

Switch to us if you are a UK business paying a Names.co.uk rate well above Microsoft's list price, you want a price with no teaser rate that jumps at renewal, you want to own your tenant, or you want Business Premium without a sales call.

Stay where you are if you genuinely value having your domain, hosting and Microsoft 365 on one Names.co.uk invoice more than the saving, or you are mid term and the cancellation window has closed. In that case, note your renewal date and switch when it comes round.

We are built for businesses with roughly 10 to 50 seats and limited internal IT. We are B2B only, so prices are shown ex VAT and checkout verifies you are a registered business. If you want to find out exactly what you are overpaying first, start with the free licence audit.

Side by side

The honest comparison.

Comparison of The Names.co.uk Microsoft 365 Alternative for UK Businesses against Dead Simple 365
What you are comparing	Them	Dead Simple 365
Business Standard price (per user/month ex VAT)	Typically two to four times Microsoft RRP	£8.83, no teaser price that jumps at renewal
Business Premium price (per user/month ex VAT)	Often not sold online; quote or phone only	£15.55, no teaser price that jumps at renewal
Renewal behaviour	Renewal uplift, not shown clearly upfront	No teaser price that jumps at renewal; only moves if Microsoft's list moves, and we stay below it
Tenant ownership	Bundled with domain and hosting billing	Your own Microsoft tenant, leave any time and keep everything
Business Premium via online checkout	Generally not available online	Available through self-service checkout
Support	General hosting and domains support	UK based, Microsoft 365 focused support

Per user per month, ex VAT. Competitor pricing verified June 2026.

Common questions.

Is Names.co.uk Microsoft 365 different from buying direct from Microsoft?

No. Names.co.uk resells the same Microsoft 365 Business licences. The product is identical to Microsoft direct and to ours. The difference is the price and the terms. Names.co.uk typically charges two to four times Microsoft's RRP, while we sell below RRP at £8.83 for Standard ex VAT.

Will switching from Names.co.uk break our email?

No. If you are on your own Microsoft tenant, you assign our licences to your existing users and your mail, files and Teams stay exactly where they are. Nothing migrates. If you are in a provider managed tenant, we offer a paid migration so the move is handled cleanly with no data loss.

How much can a 25 seat business save by switching?

It depends on your current Names.co.uk rate, which is usually two to four times Microsoft RRP. Against our Business Standard at £8.83 per user per month ex VAT, a 25 seat team paying an inflated reseller rate saves into the thousands of pounds a year. Run your invoice against our pricing page to see the exact figure.

Can I buy Business Premium online, the way I cannot at Names.co.uk?

Yes. We sell Business Premium through self-service checkout at £15.55 per user per month ex VAT, including Defender for Business, Intune and conditional access. Most UK incumbents, including Names.co.uk, do not offer Business Premium online and route you to a quote instead.

Does your price go up at renewal like a reseller intro offer?

No. There is no teaser price that jumps at renewal. We do not run intro rates that jump later. If Microsoft changes its list price we tell you before renewal and pass through the real change, such as the 1 July 2026 rise, and even then we stay below Microsoft RRP.

What happens if I need to reduce seats later?

Microsoft's NCE rules apply to every reseller, including us. You can decrease seats only within the 7 day cancellation window or at renewal, not mid term. Upgrades and adding seats work any time. We state this upfront so there are no surprises.

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Operated by Dead Simple Computing Ltd, a UK Microsoft 365 reseller. Per user per month, ex VAT. Business customers only.