In a recent post we talked about the cheapest way to get a legitimate copy of Microsoft Office 2016. Naturally that option won’t be available to everyone and it might not be the right solution for everyone either. Today we are going to compare Microsoft Office 365 and the Home & Student editions.
Office 365
Microsoft Office 365 is a subscription model where you pay a monthly/annual fee to Microsoft to use the software. It comprises the following packages:
- Word
- Excel
- Powerpoint
- Outlook
- OneNote
- Access
- Publisher
- OneDrive
- Skype
You get to install the software on up to 5 computers. So if you’re a family with multiple computers and laptops then this is great! It’s always kept up to date so as soon as Microsoft release a new version you are entitled to upgrade.
You also get 1TB of online backup through OneDrive! This means that all your documents and photos can be stored safely in the cloud and also be accessed from anywhere and from any device – be it your laptop, phone or tablet.
You maybe wandering why Skype is on the list when it is free anyway. With an Office 365 subscription you get 60 minutes of skype minutes per user which can be useful if you want to make cheap calls, especially for overseas.
You can currently buy Office 365 for £66.98 from Novatech. You would then have to renew this every year.
Office Home and Student 2016
The Microsoft Office Home and Student edition is a one off purchase and comprises the following applications:
- Word
- Excel
- Powerpoint
- OneNote
It can only be installed on one PC.
You can still use OneDrive because when you sign up you get 15GB of data for free.
You can buy Office Home and Student 2016 for £107.99 from Novatech.
A Comparison
Let’s look at the costs of each product over a 3 year period.
- Office 365 – £200.94 (£66.98 x3)
- Home and Student 2016 – £107.99
Even though Office 365 is twice the price you are also getting a lot more for your money. The 1TB of online backup is worth its weight in gold! For example, a 1TB backup plan with DropBox costs £79 per year. Office 365 costs less and you also get all the Office applications as well. We think this really makes Office 365 an absolute bargain!
If you need to install Office on more than one computer then it definitely makes sense to go for the Office 365 solution. Finally if you love Outlook then again Office 365 is going to be the better option.
But if you only need Word and Excel and have less than 15GB of data to backup and only have one computer then the Home and Student 2016 is going to be a more cost effective option for you.