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What is Conditional Access?

A set of rules that decide whether a sign-in is allowed, based on who is asking, from where, and on what device.

The license that grants it

Microsoft Entra ID P1
$9

a seat, a month

Who already has it

Business Premium, F1 and F3 include it, so a company already on one of those has it. On every other plan it is bought on its own.

What Conditional Access does

Who is signing inTHE ACCOUNTWhere it comes fromNETWORK OR COUNTRYWhich deviceMANAGED OR NOTThe policyDECIDESAllowedNOTHING ASKEDSecond factor firstTHEN ALLOWEDBlockedNO SIGN-INP1 DECIDES ON FIXED RULES; RISK-BASED RULES ARE P2
WHAT IT LOOKS ATWho is signing inTHE ACCOUNTWhere it comes fromNETWORK OR COUNTRYWhich deviceMANAGED OR NOTThe policyDECIDESWHAT IT CAN ANSWERAllowedNOTHING ASKEDSecond factor firstTHEN ALLOWEDBlockedNO SIGN-INRISK-BASED RULES ARE P2

A policy reads several things about a sign-in and returns one of three answers. P1 decides on rules somebody wrote; reacting to a sign-in that merely looks unusual is Entra ID P2.

  • Require a second factor before a sign-in is allowed.

  • Block a sign-in coming from an unexpected place, or from a device the company does not manage.

  • Reset a forgotten password back to the on-premises directory.

Which plans include it

Every plan compared on this site, and whether Conditional Access is part of it.

PlanPer person, per monthIncluded
Microsoft 365 Business Basic
$9

Not included

Microsoft 365 Apps for business
$13

Not included

Microsoft 365 Business Standard
$18

Not included

Microsoft 365 Business Premium
$28

Included

Microsoft 365 F1
$4

Included

Microsoft 365 F3
$13

Included

Where a plan does not include it, Microsoft Entra ID P1 supplies it at $9 a seat.

Where it stops

Risk-based policies — the ones that react to a sign-in looking unusual rather than to a fixed rule — are not part of P1. Those need Entra ID P2.

Worth knowing

  • The plans below Business Premium carry the free tier of Entra ID, not P1. Security defaults are available to everyone.

Common questions

Is Conditional Access needed when multi-factor authentication is already on?

Security defaults switch multi-factor authentication on for everyone, and they are available on every plan. Microsoft Entra ID P1 is what makes the rule conditional: a second factor when the sign-in comes from somewhere unexpected, or from a device the company does not manage.

Which plans include Conditional Access?

Business Premium, F1 and F3. On Business Basic, Apps for business and Business Standard it is added with Microsoft Entra ID P1 at $9 a seat.

What is the difference between Entra ID P1 and P2?

P1 covers rules written in advance: this place, this device, this application. P2 adds risk-based sign-in policy and access reviews, and reacts to a sign-in that looks unusual rather than to a fixed rule. It is $13 a seat.

Can it be bought on its own?

Yes. Microsoft Entra ID P1 is sold as an add-on at $9 a seat and sits on top of whichever plan a person already holds.

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Check it against the plan you are on

The comparison page prices every plan and shows which of them already includes this.

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