The Exchange Online Kiosk License

Exchange Online Kiosk Deskless Worker

The Exchange Online Kiosk license is a low cost alternative to give your users access to Office 365 based email.

The product ID of this license type is EXCHANGEDESKLESS and it indicates clearly the type of workers targeted for this version of Exchange Online: The deskless worker.

Any user with a light office profile is a candidate for the Exchange Online Kiosk license. This could be production floor workers, front line workers, mobile service teams, etc.

Different Versions of Exchange Online

As a standalone product you have three versions of Exchange Online licenses to choose from:

  • Exchange Online Plan 1
  • Exchange Online Plan 2
  • Exchange Online Kiosk

Each of them can also be purchased as part of a larger plan. Exchange Online Kiosk is available in Office 365 Enterprise F1 and it’s considerably cheaper than the two Exchange Online alternatives.

Save Time and Money Managing Exchange Online

You can now manage Exchange Online Kiosk licenses and other Office 365 licenses directly from AD.

Easy365Manager is a snap-in to Active Directory Users & Computers that lets you manage all your Office 365 licenses and mailboxes directly from AD user properties.

Watch how easy it is, e.g.,  to assign Office 365 licenses directly from AD user properties:

With Easy365Manager you can even remove your on-premises Exchange Server.

This will not only offer direct savings but also protect you 100% against future zero-day exploits like Hafnium, which affected hundreds of thousands of businesses in 2021.

What’s the Cost of the Exchange Online Kiosk License?

The price tag of the Exchange Online Kiosk license is quite attractive compared to standard Exchange Online licensing. It offers a substantial 50% cost saving relative to the standard Exchange Online Plan 1 offering.

This might not mean a great deal for two or ten users but with companies having hundreds or thousands of workers matching the deskless worker profile it can become a huge money saver.

Exchange Online Kiosk Money Saver

What Are the Limitations?

Before you start signing up your users for Exchange Online Kiosk licenses you should consider the limitations inherent in this license type.

There are several limitations and these are the most important ones:

  • Only web or mobile access (no mailbox access via Outlook)
  • No more than 2 GB storage per mailbox
  • No archiving
  • No shared mailboxes access
  • No inbox rules
Exchange Online Kiosk Web Mail Only

You do have the benefit of transforming your Exchange Online Kiosk license into the more capable Exchange Online Plan 1 or 2 at a later point. So it’s not a big risk trying out this license on some users if you want to give it a go.

Exchange Online Kiosk Feature List

Below you’ll find a full list of capabilities and limitations (source: Microsoft).

Exchange Online Standalone Plans, Feature Availability

FeatureExchange Online
Plan 1
Exchange Online
Plan 2
Exchange Online
Kiosk
Planning and Deployment
Hybrid deployment supportedYesYesYes
IMAP migration supportedYesYesYes
Cutover migration supportedYesYesYes
Staged migration supportedYesYesYes
PermissionsExchange Online Plan 1Exchange Online Plan 2Exchange Online Kiosk
Role-Based PermissionsYesYesNo
Role GroupsYesYesNo
Role Assignment PoliciesYesYesNo
Message Policy and ComplianceExchange Online Plan 1Exchange Online Plan 2Exchange Online Kiosk
Archiving Exchange Online-based MailboxesYesYesNo
Cloud-Based Archiving of On-Premises MailboxesNoYesNo
Messaging Records Management (MRM)YesYesYes
Manual Retention Policies, Labels and TagsYesYesYes
Encryption of data at rest (BitLocker)YesYesYes
IRM using Azure Information ProtectionNoNoNo
IRM using Windows Server AD RMSYesYesYes
Office 365 Message EncryptionNoNoNo
S/MIMEYesYesYes
In-Place Hold and Litigation HoldNoYesNo
In-Place eDiscoveryYesYesYes
Transport RulesYesYesYes
Data Loss PreventionNoYesNo
JournalingYesYesYes
Anti-Spam and Anti-Malware ProtectionExchange Online Plan 1Exchange Online Plan 2Exchange Online Kiosk
Built-In Anti-Spam ProtectionYesYesYes
Customize Anti-Spam PoliciesYesYesYes
Built-In Anti-Malware ProtectionYesYesYes
Customize Anti-Malware PoliciesYesYesYes
Quarantine – administrator managementYesYesYes
Quarantine – end-user self-managementYesYesYes
Mail FlowExchange Online Plan 1Exchange Online Plan 2Exchange Online Kiosk
Custom Routing of Outbound MailYesYesYes
Secure Messaging with a Trusted PartnerYesYesYes
Conditional Mail RoutingYesYesYes
Adding a Partner to an Inbound Safe ListYesYesYes
Hybrid Email RoutingYesYesYes
RecipientsExchange Online Plan 1Exchange Online Plan 2Exchange Online Kiosk
Capacity AlertsYesYesYes
ClutterYesYesYes
MailTipsYesYesYes
Delegate AccessYesYesNo
Inbox RulesYesYesNo
Connected AccountsYesYesYes
Inactive MailboxesNoYesNo
Offline Address BookYesYesYes
Address Book PoliciesYesYesYes
Hierarchical Address BookYesYesNo
Address Lists and Global Address ListYesYesYes
Office 365 GroupsYesYesNo
Distribution GroupsYesYesYes
External Contacts (global)YesYesYes
Universal Contact CardYesYesYes
Contact Linking with Social NetworksYesYesYes
Resource MailboxesYesYesYes
Conference Room ManagementYesYesYes
Out-of-Office RepliesYesYesYes
Calendar SharingYesYesYes
Reporting Features and Troubleshooting ToolsExchange Online Plan 1Exchange Online Plan 2Exchange Online Kiosk
Microsoft 365 admin center reportsYesYesYes
Excel Reporting WorkbookYesYesYes
Web Services ReportsYesYesYes
Message TraceYesYesYes
Auditing ReportsYesYesYes
Unified Messaging ReportsNoYesNo
Sharing and CollaborationExchange Online Plan 1Exchange Online Plan 2Exchange Online Kiosk
Federated SharingYesYesYes
Site MailboxesYesYesYes
Public FoldersYesYesNo
Clients and Mobile DevicesExchange Online Plan 1Exchange Online Plan 2Exchange Online Kiosk
Microsoft OutlookYesYesNo
Outlook Web AppYesYesYes
Exchange ActiveSyncYesYesYes
POP and IMAPYesYesYes
SMTPYesYesYes
EWS Application supportYesYesNo
Outlook for MacYesYesNo
Voice Message ServicesExchange Online Plan 1Exchange Online Plan 2Exchange Online Kiosk
Voice MailNoYesNo
Third-Party Voice Mail InteroperabilityYesYesYes
Skype for Business IntegrationYesYesYes
High Availability and Business ContinuityExchange Online Plan 1Exchange Online Plan 2Exchange Online Kiosk
Mailbox Replication at Data CentersYesYesYes
Deleted Mailbox RecoveryYesYesYes
Deleted Item RecoveryYesYesYes
Single Item RecoveryYesYesNo
Interoperability, Connectivity and CompatibilityExchange Online Plan 1Exchange Online Plan 2Exchange Online Kiosk
Skype for Business Presence in OWA and OutlookYesYesYes
SharePoint InteroperabilityYesYesYes
EWS Connectivity SupportYesYesYes
SMTP Relay SupportYesYesYes
Exchange Online Setup and AdministrationExchange Online Plan 1Exchange Online Plan 2Exchange Online Kiosk
Microsoft Office 365 portal accessYesYesYes
Microsoft 365 admin center accessYesYesYes
Exchange admin center accessYesYesYes
Remote Windows PowerShell accessYesYesYes
ActiveSync Policies for Mobile DevicesYesYesYes
Usage ReportingYesYesYes
Extending the Service – Customization, Add-ins and ResourcesExchange Online Plan 1Exchange Online Plan 2Exchange Online Kiosk
Outlook Web App Web PartsYesYesYes
Outlook Add-Ins and Outlook MAPIYesYesNo

If you want to get a better understanding of the Office 365 licensing model and how to manage it using PowerShell have a look at this article.