Not so long ago, you could just buy your favorite Office and that was it. But now, you can choose between two different products – Office 2016 and Microsoft 365. What are the differences? Which one should you choose? Let’s have a look at both products to make your decision easier.
Microsoft 365
You must have heard about it by now. Microsoft 365 doesn’t have a physical form, which means you can forget about a box with a CD – this license is only electronic. It’s actually a form of service, that you can subscribe to. It’s up to you if you’ll want to pay a yearly or a monthly subscription. Either way, you’ll get the latest version of Microsoft Office in return, plus all the old guard applications such as Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Excel etc.
You can also choose if you want a single user license (Microsoft 365 Personal) or household license for up to 5 users (Microsoft 365 Home). Apart from all the usual programs, both types of licenses come with free bonuses – a 1 TB of OneDrive cloud storage, 60 minutes of calling via Skype per month and free technical support.
Overview:
- You have Offices for the exact period of time when you actually need them
- The program is always up to date
Office 2016
If you buy Office 2016 once, you’ll have it for the rest of your life. Since it’s a lifetime license, you won’t have to worry about not being able to use your Word, PowerPoint, or other applications in the future.
There are five different types of Microsoft Office 2016:
- Home and Student (for non-commercial use only) – this basic version includes Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote
- Home and Business - includes Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote and Outlook
- Standard (best option for small businesses) – includes Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, Outlook and Publisher
- Professional (best for advanced users and small businesses) – includes Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, Outlook and Access for creating databases
- Professional Plus
Overview:
- You’ll only pay once for a lifetime license
- Updates and support from Microsoft available for a limited time
So, which one will it be?
Both of the options mentioned above have their pros and cons. Someone prefers Microsoft 365 for its always up-to-date applications, someone prefers paying once for Office 2016 and keeping it forever. If you’ve decided for the second option, you can get Office 2016 in our e-shop for just a fraction of its original price. And if you’re fine with an older but cheaper version of the product, you can buy Microsoft Office 2013.