Microsoft Office and Office 365 are some of the most commonly heard Microsoft products in any commercial or home office setup. But, the main question is – what makes them different?
For starters, both are Microsoft products that provide you with a range of software and applications for different purposes, be it maintaining calculations and records on the sheet, making presentations on PowerPoint and the likes.
Microsoft Office is the more traditional and historical approach taken by the company. In here, you are required to pay a one-time licencing fee, install the software on the computer and the best part is that there is no expiration date to this. You can use it for as long as you like, however there are no updates as new versions are released.
Now, Office 365 is a little different. You are not required to pay any one time fee; instead, you pay a small annual fee and use it for as long as your subscription is active. Office 365 is also updated on a regular basis, adding additional functionality.
Besides, you could install the same set of software on different computers and device once you have purchased the subscription. Additionally, you get access to online cloud storage in the form of OneDrive storage.
Products from Microsoft Office and Office 365
The two names provide fairly different versions of the same product or application. Here is what each of the two provides to its users.
Office 365
Office 365 comes packed with seven different applications that are available both in the computer and mobile versions.
- Microsoft Word
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft PowerPoint
- Microsoft Outlook
- OneNote
- Publisher
- Access
Of this list, the last two, namely the Publisher and Access are present only in the PC version. The others are available in both the mobile and desktop versions. In addition to the list above, a Microsoft Office subscription gives you the additional benefits of Skype and OneDrive cloud storage – up to a massive 1TB!
Microsoft Office
This is a more traditional and restricted version of the applications. In here, you have access to five different software. These include:
- Microsoft Word
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft PowerPoint
- OneNote
- Microsoft Outlook
All of these applications are available only on the desktop version.
Pocket Pinch
One of the biggest distinguishers between the two software products is the price. Let us understand how Office 365 fairs against Microsoft Office in this category
Office 365 Yearly Subscriptions
- Microsoft Office 365 Home: $129 per year
- Microsoft Office 365 Personal: $99 per year
Office 365 Monthly Subscriptions
- Microsoft Office 365 Home: $13 per month
- Microsoft Office 365 Personal: $10 per month
Microsoft Office 2016
- Microsoft Office Home and Student 2016 for PC: $199 once off
- Microsoft Office Home and Student 2016 for Mac: $199 once off
- Microsoft Office Home and Business 2016 for PC: $319 once off
- Microsoft Office Home and Business 2016 for Mac: $319 once off
- Microsoft Office Professional 2016: $589 once off
Final Verdict
This brings us to the end of this article. Thus, if your requirement is limited to Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, your best bet her would be to opt for Microsoft office. However, if you need access to more products like Publisher, Access, and Skype, your best solution would be to go for Office 365!