The Math · rent forever vs. own once
Published 2026 list prices for the stack a small company assembles — an office, an AI, a site, a database, a builder. Every figure recurs every month, per person, forever.
| The rented stack | Replaces here | List price (2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Microsoft 365 E5 + Copilot | Documents + Agent | $87 / user / mo |
| Microsoft 365 E7 “Frontier” | Suite + governed agents | $99 / user / mo |
| Power Apps (premium) | App & Game Builder | $15–20 / user / mo |
| Wix Core / Studio | Sites | $29+ / mo / site |
| Squarespace | Sites | $16–49 / mo / site |
| Base44 · Lovable · Bolt · Replit | The Builder | $20 → $100–300 / mo, metered |
Office + AI alone (E5 + Copilot), three years ≈ $31,000 — and you own nothing at the end.
The whole suite + unmetered local AI, three years: $1,300 once — and you own all of it.