The first thing we should know is that Microsoft allows us to buy two different versions of its suite. The first one is the classic one, Microsoft Office, which we can get by paying only once and which we can use forever without having to pay again (yes, without upgrading to new versions). And the second of these is Office as a service, the Microsoft subscription model that, in exchange for a monthly or annual payment, allows us to use the entire office suite and, in addition, have access to other services.
Standard editions or single payment
The standard, one-time payment version of the office suite is the one we usually find with a year at the end of the name. For example, the two versions that are currently in operation are 2019 and 2021. The main advantage of these editions is that, paying only once, we will be able to use Office applications on the computer without having to pay again. We will receive maintenance updates as long as that version has support and, when it ends, we can continue using it, but without updates (with the dangers that entails). This version also only allows us to use the programs on Windows and macOS, nothing on smartphones or other devices.
Within this edition we can find several versions:
- Home and Student Office: It gives us access to Word, Excel and PowerPoint, it cannot be used for commercial use, and it can only be used on 1 PC or Mac. Its price is 149 euros.
- Office Home and Business: Includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint and the Outlook email client. It works on Windows and macOS and can only be activated on 1 PC. It can be used for commercial purposes. Its price is 299 euros.
When Microsoft launches a new version of Office in a few years, if we have paid for these complete editions, we will have to pay the full price again to be able to use these new versions. Or, if not, continue using the old versions.
Microsoft 365
Microsoft 365 (formerly Office 365) is the Microsoft subscription model through which we have the right to use the office suite programs as long as we pay a monthly or annual fee. This edition is much more complete than the one-time payment in every way, and provides many more advantages over the previous one:
- Includes all Office programs: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access, Outlook, and Publisher.
- Additional communication services, such as the premium features of Outlook, Teams, and Skype.
- Always up-to-date, early access to news and the possibility of testing the “beta” versions.
- 1TB of OneDrive cloud storage.
- Creative tools with Artificial Intelligence.
- Microsoft Editor to avoid making mistakes when writing in the browser.
- Access to Office mobile apps.
- Microsoft Family Safety family protection service.
- Possibility of sharing with up to 6 users. And each user can activate it on 5 PCs.
Within this edition we can find two different versions. Both have the same characteristics, only the number of people with whom we can share the subscription changes:
- Staff. Only one person can use it (and activate it on 5 PCs or mobiles) and they don’t have access to Microsoft Family Safety. Its price is 69 euros per year.
- Family. Possibility of sharing it with up to 6 people. Each person will get a full 1TB of cloud storage and can activate Office on up to 5 devices. Additional protection for minors thanks to Microsoft Family Safety. Its price is 99 euros per year.
Those are the official prices. However, in stores like Amazon we can buy much cheaper subscriptions by taking advantage of offer periods like the black friday. And, in this way, we can get the Family subscription for less than 60 euros for the whole year. If we share the subscription with other friends, each one will pay less than 10 euros a year.
The main drawback of this edition is that the suite is never ours. Therefore, the moment we stop paying we will lose access to all the programs and services for which we have been paying.
In summary, when we want to buy an Office license we can choose between several modalities:
- Office 365 Staff: for 69 euros per year we have access to all the programs, plus additional services (such as 1 TB of OneDrive storage) for a single user.
- Office 365 Home: the same as the staff, but for 99 euros per year. Of course, we can share it with 6 people.
- Office Home and Business: It costs 299 euros, but it gives us a lifetime license for Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook. We do not have to pay again unless we want another version update.
- Home and Student Office: Similar to the above but does not include Outlook. Its price is 149 euros with a single payment.
- professional office: the most complete edition of all. It includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Publisher and Access for 1 PC in a single payment and its price is 579 euros.
We can also buy Office applications independently. Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Publisher and Access. And each of them, for PC or for macOS, is priced at 135 euros, a single payment. We can buy everything from your .
As we can see, Office is not exactly cheap. But there are ways to save money and have it 100% legal.
Microsoft Office 2021 vs Office 365, which one to choose?
As we have explained, Microsoft is currently marketing these two products. And broadly speaking they are very similar (although in practice they are not). The main difference between the two is the price. While Office 2019/2021 has a one-time payment and we can use the program forever, Office 365 has a subscription payment, so we will have to pay an amount of money every year. And the program will never be ours, that is, if we stop paying we will not be able to use the Office programs.
In addition to the difference in price and business model, compatibility must also be taken into account. Office 2019, for example, is only available for Windows. And Office for Mac we can only use it on macOS. However, if we pay for Office 365 we can download the programs on any type of PC. In addition to power use Word and Excel on tablet or mobile. Office 365 also includes 1 TB of storage in the Microsoft cloud, something that the normal version does not include.
Office 365 vs. Office 2019
Office 2019/2021
Availability
extra services
updates
Technical support
Price
PC onlyNo
version only
60 days
150 euros, single payment
office 365
Availability
extra services
updates
Technical support
Price
Windows, macOS, mobile
1 TB on OneDrive, 60 min per month with Skype
always up to date
Always
69 euros per year (Personal – 1 user)
99 euros per year (Home – 5 users)
So which one to choose? It depends on the needs of each one, we can choose one or another edition.
When choose Office 2019 or Office 2021the single payment editions:
- If we are against subscriptions and programs as a service.
- If we are only going to use Word, Excel and PowerPoint on a single PC.
- We don’t mind not being up to date as long as the program works.
When choose Microsoft 365 and tie ourselves to recurring payments:
- If we are going to use the Office mobile applications on a smartphone or tablet.
- When we want to use OneDrive and we want to have 1TB of storage.
- If we are going to use advanced programs like Outlook, Access or Publisher.
- If we want to always be in the latest version and test the beta versions.
- When we are going to share the subscription with more people, since the savings are more than considerable.
We recommend in this case the Office version of 2022 (i.e. Microsoft Office 2021) in order to be supported for as long as possible. We should also keep in mind that while the one-time payment seems like a safe investment in the long run, the best way to save is to opt for a Microsoft 365 Family and share it with others. In the end, as we say, the savings are more than remarkable, and we will have many more advantages.
The Office Student Plan
Microsoft is committed to the study. And therefore, if you are a student (or teacher) you can save money by using Office. So much so that it can even be free.
Within those we can find several different types of subscriptions. For example, we may have access to Office 365 free if we settle for the online versions of Word, Excel and other programs. If we want to be able to download the desktop versions, Office 365 A3 remains at 2.45 euros per month, less than 30 euros per year.
If we are no longer students, but we still have access to our university mail, Microsoft allows us to get a one-year license. An offer that we cannot miss.
Look for deals on Amazon, the Microsoft Store, or other stores
If we are not students or teachers we will not be able to take advantage of the previous promotion. But we can find other ways to save money when buying an Office license.
Amazon deals at just the right time
Amazon, for example, usually puts on sale the Office 365 annual subscriptions at certain times of the year (such as Black Friday), being able to get, for example, Office 365 Home (to share with 6 people) for 59.90 euros compared to the 99 that it usually costs. Even without an offer, the Office 365 subscription is cheaper on Amazon than in the Microsoft Store itself, being able to save up to 20 euros a year in the Home edition, and 15 euros a year in the personal edition.
Non-subscription editions of Office can also be found cheaper than on the Microsoft website. In stores, like PCcomponents we can find Office Hogar y Estudiantes for 136 euros, single payment. And on certain dates, the price can drop even more.
Buy in physical or digital format
At Amazon, we can find the Microsoft 365 Family subscription at two different prices. On the one hand, we find the Family version in digital format. When we buy this license, Amazon will send us an email where we must click to automatically activate the license in its Family version. This type of license is the most expensive of all and does not have any discount, so it does not matter if we buy it on Amazon or directly on the Microsoft website.
But, if we want to save a few euros, we can buy a license in physical format, that is, a license that will arrive at our house through a courier, just like any other Amazon package. This type of licenses allows us to save between 10 and 15% of its price compared to the digital version. In the end, the result is the same, since we are going to have the Office 365 license on our computer and share it with all the friends we want, but it will take a few days to have it active.
On the Microsoft website, we don’t have the choice To buy a license in physical format, we can only buy a digital license, while Amazon does have the possibility of buying both types of licenses. If we are not in a hurry to renew our subscription, obviously buying the physical format allows us to save 13 euros compared to the digital license. But, if the plan is about to run out, no…
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