Microsoft 365 vs Office 2024: Which Should You Buy?
Microsoft 365 vs Office 2024 is one of the most common questions people ask before buying Microsoft software. One is a subscription. One is a one-time purchase. The right choice depends entirely on how you plan to use it and how long you plan to keep it.
The short answer: Microsoft 365 is better value for most people who use Office regularly. Office 2024 wins for users who hate subscriptions or only need basic features for a long time. The full picture requires looking at the actual cost over several years, not just the upfront price.
In this post
What Is Microsoft 365?
Microsoft 365 is a subscription service that gives you access to the full Office app suite: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote, and Teams. You pay monthly or annually, and as long as your subscription is active, you get the latest version of every app automatically.
Microsoft 365 Personal costs $69.99/year (or $6.99/month) for one user. Microsoft 365 Family costs $99.99/year (or $9.99/month) for up to six users. Both plans include 1 TB of OneDrive cloud storage per person. Microsoft 365 also includes access to web versions of all Office apps and mobile apps for iOS and Android. If you use Microsoft Copilot in Teams and Outlook, that AI layer is built into the Microsoft 365 ecosystem.
| Note: Microsoft 365 apps are always up to date. When Microsoft releases new features or security patches, you get them automatically. With a one-time purchase, you do not. |
What Is Office 2024?
Office 2024 is a one-time purchase that gives you permanent access to a fixed version of the Office apps. You pay once and own that version forever, with no recurring fees. We covered Microsoft Office 2024 in full detail, but here is the summary.
Office Home 2024 costs $149.99 and includes Word, Excel, and PowerPoint for one PC or Mac. Office Home and Business 2024 costs $249.99 and adds Outlook. Office Professional 2024 costs $439.99 and adds Access and Publisher (Windows only).
Office 2024 does not include OneDrive storage (beyond the free 5 GB every Microsoft account gets), Teams, or mobile apps as part of the purchase. It also does not receive feature updates, only security patches, until Microsoft ends support.
| Note: Office 2024 support ends in October 2029. After that date, Microsoft will no longer provide security updates for the software. |
Microsoft 365 vs Office 2024: Feature Comparison
Here is how the two options compare across the features most people care about.
| Feature | Microsoft 365 | Office 2024 |
| Word, Excel, PowerPoint | Yes | Yes |
| Outlook | Yes (all plans) | Home & Business / Pro only |
| OneNote | Yes | Yes |
| Teams | Yes | No |
| OneDrive storage | 1 TB per user | 5 GB (free tier only) |
| Mobile apps | Yes | No |
| Automatic updates | Yes (always current) | Security patches only |
| Number of users | Up to 6 (Family plan) | 1 PC or Mac |
| Copilot AI features | Available as add-on | Not available |
| Support end date | Ongoing with subscription | October 2029 |
The Real Cost: What You Actually Pay Over Time
The most important thing most comparisons get wrong: Office 2024 is only cheaper if you use it long enough. The break-even point is where the math tips.
Microsoft 365 Personal costs $69.99/year. Office Home 2024 costs $149.99 upfront. At $69.99/year, you reach that $149.99 cost in about 26 months. If you keep using Office beyond that point, the subscription starts costing you more in total than the one-time purchase would have.
| Time Period | Microsoft 365 Personal | Office Home 2024 |
| 1 year | $69.99 | $149.99 |
| 2 years | $139.98 | $149.99 |
| 3 years | $209.97 | $149.99 |
| 5 years | $349.95 | $149.99 |
Over five years, Microsoft 365 Personal costs $349.95. Office 2024 Home costs $149.99 once. That is a $200 difference. But Office 2024 does not include 1 TB of OneDrive storage, which you would otherwise pay separately. OneDrive with 100 GB costs $1.99/month ($119.40 over five years). Add that in and the real gap closes considerably.
| Our take: The break-even math favors Office 2024 on paper, but only if you factor out cloud storage and do not need Teams, mobile apps, or automatic feature updates. Most people who use Office daily will get more from 365. |
Who Should Choose Microsoft 365?
Microsoft 365 is the better choice if any of the following apply to you.
You use Office regularly at work or for study. You get the latest features as soon as Microsoft releases them, which matters if you rely on Excel functions, Word formatting tools, or PowerPoint features that have been updated recently.
You want 1 TB of OneDrive cloud storage. The storage alone has real value. If you back up files, share documents, or collaborate in Microsoft Word, OneDrive is central to how that works.
You have a family to cover. Microsoft 365 Family at $99.99/year covers up to six people, each with their own 1 TB of storage. Divided by six users, that is under $17/person per year for the full Office suite plus cloud storage. A single Office 2024 licence at $149.99 covers one person on one device.
You use Office on multiple devices or platforms. Microsoft 365 lets you install the apps on multiple PCs, Macs, tablets, and phones. If you work across a Windows PC and a Mac, or regularly use Microsoft Office for Mac, 365 gives you full access on both without buying a separate licence.
| Our take: Microsoft 365 Family is the best-value option in the entire Microsoft Office lineup when split across multiple users. At under $17/person per year including 1 TB of storage, it is hard to beat. |
Who Should Choose Office 2024?
Office 2024 makes sense in a smaller set of circumstances, but they are valid ones.
You want to pay once and be done. Some people simply dislike subscription software. If you budget carefully and prefer not to have recurring charges, Office 2024 gives you a fixed, predictable cost.
You only need basic Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. If your use case is simple and unlikely to change, the features in Office 2024 will serve you for years without needing updates.
You are buying for an elderly family member or occasional user. Someone who uses Word a few times a month to write letters does not need a subscription. A one-time purchase of Office Home 2024 at $149.99 is the right call.
| Practical tip: If you are unsure whether you will stick with Microsoft Office long term, start with a Microsoft 365 monthly subscription at $6.99/month. You can cancel after a month if it does not suit you, or convert to an annual plan for a lower rate once you decide to commit. |
What About Mac Users?
Both options are available for Mac. Microsoft 365 works identically on Mac as on Windows. Office 2024 is also available as a one-time purchase for Mac, though it does not include Access or Publisher, which are Windows-only apps. We cover the full Mac comparison in our Microsoft Office for Mac comparison guide, including how the one-time licence differs from the subscription on Apple hardware.
What About Microsoft Copilot?
Microsoft’s AI assistant, Copilot, is available as an add-on to Microsoft 365 for business plans. It is not included in personal or family subscriptions by default, but Microsoft has been integrating basic Copilot features into the standard Microsoft 365 apps at no extra cost.
Office 2024 does not support Copilot. If AI-assisted writing, email drafting, or meeting summaries matter to you, Microsoft 365 is the only option that gives you access to those tools now and in the future.
FAQs
Can I use Office 2024 on more than one computer?
Office 2024 Home is licensed for one PC or Mac. If you need Office on multiple devices, you would need to buy separate licences or switch to Microsoft 365, which allows installation on multiple devices under one subscription.
Does Office 2024 work without an internet connection?
Yes. Office 2024 is installed locally and works fully offline. Microsoft 365 desktop apps also work offline, but they need to connect to Microsoft’s servers periodically to verify your subscription.
Will Office 2024 stop working after support ends in 2029?
No, it will continue to work. But Microsoft will stop releasing security patches after October 2029, which means the software will become increasingly vulnerable to security issues over time. Most users will want to upgrade or switch to a subscription before that date.
Is Microsoft 365 worth it if I only use Word occasionally?
Probably not. If you use Word a few times a month for basic tasks, Office 2024 Home at $149.99 is a more sensible one-time purchase. Microsoft 365 is best value for regular, multi-app users.
Can I buy Microsoft 365 for just one year and then switch to Office 2024?
Yes. You can subscribe to Microsoft 365, use it for a year, and then cancel and purchase Office 2024. The apps you used during your subscription will stop working when it lapses, so you would need to install the standalone version.
Does Microsoft 365 include Microsoft Teams?
Microsoft 365 Personal and Family include Teams for personal use. Business plans include Teams for workplace collaboration. Office 2024 does not include Teams.
