Microsoft 365 vs. Office 2024: what’s the difference?

Microsoft 365 vs. Office 2024: what’s the difference?

Two options that seem broadly similar on the face of it, but what are the differences - and which one is best for you?

Published on 10th October 2024

At first glance, Microsoft 365 and Office 2024 appear very similar to each other, as they both give you access to Microsoft’s well-known and well-used apps. However, once you delve deeper, it doesn’t take long to notice that they’re actually very different.

Office 2024—the successor to Office 2021—is Microsoft’s one-time-purchase alternative to Microsoft 365. In this article, we’ll break the two packages down, helping you choose the one that’s right for you. Since Office 2024 includes both Office Home 2024 and Office Home & Business 2024, we’ll compare these to Microsoft 365’s Personal and Business subscriptions.

What is the Difference in Cost and Payments?

In short, Microsoft 365 is a subscription-based service, while Office 2024 requires a one-off purchase. Here are some more specific details.

Personal

Business

What Apps Are Included?

Whether you go for Microsoft 365 or Office 2024 primarily depends on which apps you want to use.

Personal

Business

Office 2024 Doesn't Come with Cloud Storage

If you use Microsoft’s cloud storage a lot, Office 2024 is a tough sell.

Which Has Better Updates and Support?

Both sets of software receive security updates, but that is the extent of the similarity.

Can You Use Them on Multiple Devices?

Both Microsoft 365 Personal and Business are compatible with Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android, and, given its cloud-supported accessibility, you can easily jump between devices for on-the-go use.

On the other hand, Office 2024 can only be installed on one PC or Mac, regardless of whether you’re a Home or a Home & Business customer.

Summary

Microsoft 365 Office 2024
Payment
Monthly or annually for 365 Personal, and annually for Business
One-off, upfront
Cost
£5.99 a month or £59.99 a year for 365 Personal, or $4.90 per user per month to £18.10 per user per month for 365 Business
£119.99 for Office Home 2024, or £249.99 for Office Home & Business 2024
Apps
Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Defender, OneDrive, Outlook, Clipchamp, and OneNote for 365 Personal, with Teams, SharePoint, Exchange, Extra ID, Intune, Defender, and Purview available for 365 Business, depending on subscription level
Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote for Office Home 2024, with Outlook added for Business accounts
Cloud storage
1TB with a 365 Personal account, or 1TB per employee with 365 Business accounts
Not available
Updates
Continuous app and security updates
Security updates and bug fixes only
Use
Sign in on Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android simultaneously
One PC or Mac only

Office 2021 vs. Office 2024

If you already purchased Office 2021, you might be considering whether it’s worth upgrading to Office 2024.

The 2024 version includes most of the features introduced to Microsoft 365 subscribers in recent years, which the 2021 version doesn’t. For example, the newer apps have a more modern interface, including a new color scheme and improved accessibility tools. In terms of the individual programs, 2024’s Excel has many additional functions and improved performance, Outlook (for business users only) has improved search capabilities, OneNote has new drawing and ink tools, and Word includes improved document recovery processes.

If you’re looking to upgrade, while going from Office to 2021 to Office 2024 might seem the obvious jump, it’s certainly worth considering the benefits of subscribing to Microsoft 365 instead.

Conclusion

Both Microsoft 365 and Office 2024 give you access to Microsoft’s comprehensive productivity tools. Despite this, the packages differ significantly. Microsoft 365 is better if you prefer a subscription-based payment structure, want to access the apps on the go through the cloud, and need more than Microsoft’s core apps. On the other hand, Office 2024 is ideal if you want to make a one-off purchase, don’t require multi-device access, and need only the traditional programs.

Source

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