Microsoft 365 F1 vs F3 for frontline workers: full comparison and migration guide

The Microsoft 365 F plans are designed and optimised for frontline workers. For companies with workers who don’t need all the features of a standard Microsoft 365 Enterprise or Business plans, the Frontline plans can also be a better value for money.

In this article, we explain who counts as a ‘frontline worker’ and which products are available under a Microsoft F licence. We also explain how to tell whether the frontline plans are right for you.

Table of contents

1. What is a ‘frontline worker’?

2. What are Microsoft 365 frontline licences?

3. Microsoft 365 F1 vs F3 at a glance

4. Office 365 F3 vs Microsoft 365 F3

5. Choosing the right mix of F1 and F3 licences for optimal value and productivity

6. Avoid these migration pitfalls to save data and money

7. Microsoft 365 F1 vs F3: Frequently asked questions

8. Get expert help with your Microsoft 365 licensing mix

What is a ‘frontline worker’?

A frontline worker is someone whose role is customer-facing or operational, rather than desk-based, for example, retail associates, healthcare clinicians, nurses or factory workers.

Frontline workers are often on the move, share mobile devices such as phones or tablets, and do not usually have their own PC.

This contrasts with ‘information workers’, people whose jobs involve analysing and editing data, then producing new documents and other forms of content. Such people usually work from their own desk and have a desktop or laptop PC.

What are Microsoft 365 frontline licences?

Microsoft 365 F1 and F3 licences are designed for these frontline workers. These are workers on the factory floor, shop floor or in the warehouse who do not have a permanent desk or office PC and need to be able to securely access, and sometimes edit, data and documents on the go.

Unlike Microsoft 365 Business and Enterprise plans, F1 and F3 do not include full PC desktop office applications or other features, which are mostly useful only to office-based employees.

Instead, those frontline plans are lightweight, ideal for use on mobile devices. They prioritise secure collaboration and access to web-based versions of essential Microsoft Office applications.

What is Microsoft 365 F1?

Microsoft 365 F1 is a lightweight version of Microsoft 365 designed for essential communication, collaboration and security.

It gives frontline workers secure, reliable, read-only access to the data and information they need to do their jobs. It’s stable, easy to use and priced for value.

What is Microsoft 365 F3?

F3 is a more comprehensive Microsoft 365 licence for frontline workers who need greater productivity, security and device management capabilities.

It provides frontline workers with the full suite of Microsoft 365 mobile apps, able to create and edit. Unlike F1, it comes with online storage and the ability to send and receive email.

Microsoft 365 F1 vs F3 at a glance

Microsoft 365 F1 is designed to enable frontline workers to view documents and data, to collaborate, and communicate. The F1 licence includes:

• read-only web-based versions of standard Microsoft Office applications

• the Outlook calendar, but has no email capabilities

• voice calls and chat (if you choose the version with Microsoft Teams built in)

Microsoft 365 F1 is designed for workers who need to access, view and sometimes share information but not create or edit it. If your employees meet this description, Microsoft 365 F1 will provide the best balance of capabilities and value.

Examples of workers who could benefit from an F1 licence include delivery drivers who need to check manifests, warehouse pickers, cashiers, and factory-floor workers.

Microsoft 365 F3 is intended for frontline workers who need to be able to edit data and documents on the go, email as they work, and who need enterprise-level security. The F3 licence includes:

• a 2GB email inbox

• a web-based version of the Microsoft Office applications that can edit as well as read or view documents

• advanced security, identity and device-management capabilities such as multifactor authentication, Conditional Access, Microsoft Intune and Windows 11 Enterprise.

Like the F1 licence, Microsoft 365 F3 is designed for frontline workers who are on the move much of the time and do not have their own desks or desktop PCs. The F3 licence is designed for users who may have elevated access to sensitive information, hence the added security, and who need to create and edit documents as well as view them.

Some important things you need to know about the F3 licence:

• Email capabilities in F3 are provided by Outlook on the web with a 2GB inbox, not by the standard desktop version of Outlook.

• The F3 licence does not come with Microsoft Teams voice calling. Even with the more comprehensive F3 plan, this is a paid add-on.

• The most significant addition to the F3 plan, compared to F1, is Windows Enterprise. This adds enterprise-grade Windows security and device-management features.

 Office 365 F3 vs Microsoft 365 F3

Office 365 F3, now available only through Microsoft Cloud Solutions Providers, gives frontline workers web and mobile versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote, Teams and SharePoint, along with 2GB of OneDrive storage.

Microsoft 365 F3 includes those productivity services and adds Windows 11 Enterprise rights, Intune Plan 1 for device and application management, Microsoft Entra ID Plan 1 for identity and access management, and additional Windows security and information-protection capabilities.

If your organisation needs to manage and secure Windows devices, Microsoft 365 F3 is generally the better choice. Office 365 F3 provides the productivity tools but doesn't include the same Windows and device management capabilities.

Choosing the right mix of F1 and F3 licences for optimal value and productivity

Which licence is best for your frontline workers, F1 or F3? Use this checklist to determine which Microsoft 365 Frontline licence is best for your organisation.

• Do your employees only need to access or view documents on the go?

  If your employees only need to view documents and not edit them, Microsoft 365 F1 will be a better value for money.

• Do employees need to edit documents as well as view them?
  If they do, you need an F3 licence. If not, Microsoft 365 F1 will provide the capabilities you need and be a better value.
• Do your frontline workers need their own work email accounts?
  The F1 licence does not include an email inbox. Workers who need their own email will need an F3 licence.

• Do your employees need to use custom mobile apps or trigger automated workflows?

  The F1 licence does not include rights to run Power Apps or Microsoft Power Automate, so you will need the F3 licence for active frontline automation.

• Does your organisation need enhanced data protection and security?

  Advanced security, data-protection and credential-protection features are available with Windows Enterprise, which comes with the F3 licence.

• Do they need to make or receive ordinary telephone calls through Teams?
  Teams Phone is not included by default with either licence. You will need to add this feature as a paid extra. You can add it to either the F1 or F3 plan.

Avoid these licensing migration pitfalls to save cost and data

If you are migrating users from a full version of Microsoft 365 or Microsoft Office, you must prepare their accounts. If you don’t, you may lose data, time and money.

Before migrating, it’s important to ensure that users and the organisation are ready for migration, having checked for the pitfalls that most commonly cause frustration, extra support tickets and lost productivity.

We recommend working through the following pre-migration checklist:

• Check whether the user still needs an email address.

  Before switching off their email, confirm whether the user still needs an Exchange Online mailbox before recommending a move to F1.

• Archive or migrate any mailbox data before relicensing.

  To avoid the loss of important business data, make sure important emails are retained or migrated before changing the user's licence.

• Reduce F3 mailboxes to under 2GB before migrating.

  Work with users to archive or remove older emails so their new mailbox fits within the F3 limit.

• Review OneDrive usage and reduce storage below 2GB.

  Identify users over the storage limit and help them reduce or relocate files before migration.

• Warn users that desktop Office apps become read-only.

  Have your migration team explain how the licence change affects Office applications so there are no surprises on day one.

• Confirm all tablets or phones have screens under 10.9 inches.

  Check device sizes to ensure users can continue editing documents on mobile devices where required.

• Identify users who need Teams Phone and licence it separately.

  Review calling requirements and recommend the appropriate Teams Phone add-on where needed.

• Assign and remove licences in a single migration step.

  Plan the licence change carefully to minimise disruption and reduce the risk of service issues.

• Test the migration with a small pilot group first.

  Validate the migration process with a representative group before rolling it out more widely.

• Verify the user's access after the migration is complete.

  Have your IT team confirm that users can sign in and access the services included with their new licence.

Get expert help with your Microsoft 365 licensing mix

Getting your Microsoft 365 licensing wrong costs more than a bad fit on paper; it means paying for capabilities nobody uses, or blocking staff from work they need to do.

As a Microsoft Solutions Partner for Modern Work, Texaport's engineers work through this exact licensing analysis regularly, mapping actual usage against licence tiers across frontline, desk-based, and hybrid teams to find where you're overpaying or under-provisioning. Our Microsoft 365 support team will review your current licensing mix and show you where to adjust. Get in touch to book a licensing review.

Microsoft 365 F1 vs F3: Frequently asked questions

Who counts as a frontline worker?

A frontline worker is someone who primarily works away from a desk and who uses a mobile device as their primary work device. Examples include employees in retail, healthcare, manufacturing or hospitality.

Does the F1 licence include email?

No. Microsoft 365 F1 doesn't include an Exchange Online mailbox or Outlook email.

Does F3 include desktop Outlook and Office apps?

No. F3 includes Outlook on the web and Microsoft 365 web and mobile apps, but not the desktop Office apps.

Can you mix Microsoft 365 Frontline and Enterprise licences in the same business?

Yes. Many organisations use the F1 or F3 licences for frontline workers and the Microsoft 365 Enterprise or Business licences for desk-based employees.

How much do F1 and F3 cost in the UK?

Microsoft lists F1 at £2.30 ex VAT and F3 at £7.70 ex VAT per user per month (annual commitment).