Microsoft 365 is the industry standard for students, educators, and in a wide range of professions. As its name suggests, many need to use Microsoft's app suite 365 days of the year. Deals on Microsoft 365 pop up throughout the year, and you can stack subscriptions, so it's always a good time to subscribe to Microsoft 365.
In addition to Microsoft improving its most familiar apps, such as Word, PowerPoint, and Excel, the tech giant also adds new services to its subscription on a regular basis without increasing the cost. For example, subscribers get OneDrive cloud storage and Microsoft Defender. You can also enhance your subscription with a Copilot Pro, though that costs an additional $20 per month.
Best for personal use
If you only need Microsoft 365 for a single person, this is the way to go. A subscription gets you access to the Office apps, Microsoft Defender, Microsoft Editor, and several other services. The best Microsoft 365 Personal deal right now gets you 15 months of the service for $69.99.
Best for the family
Microsoft 365 Family provides access to Office and the rest of the productivity suite for up to six people. Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Microsoft Defender, and more can all be used by your whole family. The best Microsoft 365 Family deal gets you 15 months for $99.99.
Microsoft 365 Personal
As its name suggests, Microsoft 365 Personal is for individuals who want access to Microsoft's ever-growing suite of productivity applications and services. A Microsoft 365 Personal subscription provides a single person access to Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Subscribers can also use Microsoft Defender and Microsoft Editor. Some apps and services, such as Outlook and Clipchamp are available for free to anyone but have an enhanced experience for Microsoft 365 subscribers.
Microsoft 365 Personal usually costs $69.99 per year or $6.99 per month. There are occasional deals on a subscription, which I recommend picking up when you spot a good deal.
Microsoft 365 Family
Microsoft 365 Family provides the same access, apps, and services as Microsoft 365 Personal, but up to six people can use the subscription. That means a plan gets you up to 6TB of OneDrive storage (1TB each for up to six users). Up to six people can use Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and the growing list of other Microsoft apps and services.
Given that Microsoft 365 Family normally costs $99.99 per year or $9.99 per month, it becomes the most financially wise move for any family or household with two or more people who need to use Microsoft's productivity suite.
Like its personal sibling, Microsoft 365 Family isn't on sale right now from what I've been able to find. You can, however, pick up 15 months of Microsoft 365 Family for $99.99 right now. That's the same price as what a 12-month subscription normally costs.
Microsoft 365 Home & Student
You don't need to pay a monthly or yearly fee to use Microsoft 365 applications. Students can pick up the 2021 versions of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint for a one-off payment of $149.99. Office Home & Student 2021 is compatible with Windows 11, Windows 10, or macOS. It also supports non-commercial use of Microsoft Teams. If you just need to use the basic Office apps and don't want to have to use web versions of Word, Excel, or PowerPoint, Office Home & Student 2021 for $149.99 is a solid option.
Microsoft 365 Business
Microsoft 365 is the standard productivity suite for many organizations. Professional users have several options when it comes to plans and pricing. If you need to use the web and mobile versions of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint as well as use Teams, OneDrive, SharePoint, and Exchange, your best option is a Microsoft 365 Business Basic plan for $6 per user per month. If you need the desktop Office apps and some combination of Teams, OneDrive, SharePoint, Clipchamp, and Microsoft Loop, a Microsoft 365 Business Standard plan for $12.50 per user per month is best.
Office 365 Education
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Students and teachers with an eligible email address can get access to the Office apps for free. Office 365 Education comes with Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, and other classroom tools. Microsoft's Office 365 Education website has instructions on how to register and get started. Office 365 Education effectively saves you $69.99 per year compared to Microsoft 365 Personal.
Speaking of Microsoft 365 Personal, college students with an eligible email address can get Microsoft 365 Personal for $2.99 per month.
Office Online is free
Don't forget that you can use all of Microsoft's Office apps online, completely free. They are web-based but you can create and edit documents, workbooks and design presentations using just your browser. Simply sign into the Microsoft Office website to get started. No installation is required; you can collaborate with others online and get 5GB of free cloud storage on OneDrive.
The free service does have its limitations, the most obvious being you cannot use the programs offline and will need a reliable internet connection. You also won't get all the features a subscription to Microsoft 365 provides on some apps, such as using macros or advanced formatting.
Office 2024 vs Microsoft 365
While it's not the same as a Microsoft 365 subscription, you can use the Office apps on your PC or Mac by buying Office 365. Microsoft released Office 2024 recently, giving you access to the latest versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and more.
Microsoft recommends using Microsoft 365 to get the best experience, but there are workflows that are covered by Office 2024. The main benefit of Office 2024 is that you can use the ubiquitous Office apps without having to pay a monthly or yearly subscription.
Choosing the best version for you
With Microsoft 365, it really comes down to what you want to use it for and who is likely to need access. If it's just for your own use but you want to use across multiple devices, a Microsoft 365 Personal subscription will be the best option. My whole family uses Word, Excel, and other Microsoft apps and services, so a Microsoft 365 Family subscription makes the most sense.
I used Microsoft's Office apps all throughout school and university, so I didn't have to pay for access to the apps for years. Many students and teachers are unaware of the fact that they can get Microsoft Office apps for free, so it's worth a friendly reminder to your fellow students and educators.
Microsoft 365 and its apps and services are standard among business and enterprise users. Since Microsoft has a variety of plans for business users, it's worth shopping around a bit, particularly if you're looking to purchase hundreds of licenses.
