Microsoft Office is one of the world’s most popular office suites, providing applications that enable you to create documents, spreadsheets, presentations, and databases, as well as manage your email. The suite can consist of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Publisher, and Access, depending on the version you select. Additional services such as OneDrive cloud storage space are also included with specific bundles. Let’s take a look at how much Microsoft Office will cost depending on your needs.
If you want Microsoft Office for free
You’re not going to receive the best Microsoft Office experience without the company’s more feature-packed desktop applications and included services. Still, if you need a free option, you can turn to Microsoft Office Online. Online applications feature more limited versions of Microsoft Word for document writing, Excel for spreadsheets, and PowerPoint for presentations. There is no online access included for more advanced applications such as Publisher or Access — additionally, you are limited to OneDrive’s free storage tier.
While you may be able to get by with the free edition, some users will find themselves restricted to the web version’s limited capabilities. For more information on the full-featured versions of Office for Mac and PC, as well as their mobile counterparts for iOS and Android, keep reading.
Grab Office free as a student
Are you currently a student? If you have a valid school email address, you can obtain a completely free version of Microsoft Office 365. Known as Microsoft Office 365 Education, the bundle includes Word for document writing, Excel for spreadsheets, PowerPoint for presentations, and Microsoft OneNote for note-taking. Students even receive free access to Microsoft Teams for easy collaboration with other students when working on projects. As Microsoft says, “It’s not a trial — so get started today.”
If you are using Microsoft Office at home
One-time purchase options
If you are a home user looking to purchase Microsoft Office to install onto a personal computer or tablet, you’ll want to check out Microsoft Office Home and Personal editions. All Home and Personal variations include Microsoft Word for document writing, Excel for spreadsheets, and PowerPoint for presentations. If these three pieces of software are the only needs you have, and you will be using the software on a Mac or PC, you may want to check out Office Home & Student 2019, which sells for a one-time fee of $150.
If you would prefer to pay for Microsoft Office all at once, but you require Outlook as part of the suite, Microsoft does offer Office Home & Business 2019 for $250. This version of Office includes desktop versions of Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint for one PC or Mac.
Subscription service options
Otherwise, if you need additional software from the Office suite or prefer to pay with an ongoing subscription, you can opt for Microsoft 365. Designed as a recurring monthly or yearly payment, you will be provided with an always up-to-date version of Office, as well as the complete suite, which (for PCs only) adds on programs including Access for databases and Publisher for page layout and design — Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook are also included. Microsoft 365 users are additionally treated to Android and iOS versions of Office apps and receive cloud storage via Microsoft’s OneDrive service.
If you are opting for Microsoft 365, you can choose from two editions and pay either monthly or yearly. The Microsoft 365 Personal edition provides you with 1TB of cloud storage and a license for one single person — it will cost you either $7 a month or $70 a year. If you require more licenses and cloud storage, Microsoft 365 Family can be used by up to six people (great for a household) and includes 6TB of cloud storage. Microsoft 365 Family costs either $10 per month or $100 per year.
If you are using Microsoft Office at work
One-time purchase option
If you plan on using Microsoft Office at work, you’ll want to check out the features that the Business editions offer. As mentioned previously, Office Home & Business 2019 is a one-time payment option that includes Microsoft Word for document writing, Excel for spreadsheets, PowerPoint for presentations, and Outlook for email. The Office Home & Business edition is only compatible with PC and Mac computers and does not include mobile software for iOS or Android. Additionally, no cloud storage services are provided. This option costs $250.
Subscription service options
Most businesses will want to opt for the “For Business” line of Microsoft 365 subscription services, which keeps your Office suite always up to date, includes additional software, and provides mobile apps for Android and iOS devices. For only $5 per user per month (when billed annually), businesses can access Microsoft 365 Business Basic. This variation of Office includes only web and mobile versions of its apps — nothing for Mac or PC. However, Microsoft 365 Business Basic does include web and mobile versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, and Outlook. Additionally, subscribers of this service tier can also expect access to the following secure cloud services: Teams, Exchange, OneDrive, and SharePoint.
The Microsoft 365 Apps service tier costs $8.25 per user per month with an annual commitment and includes Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Publisher, and Access (the last two are only included for PCs); it also provides 1TB of cloud storage via OneDrive.
If you need additional services from Microsoft, you can choose Microsoft 365 Business Standard, which includes the software mentioned above in addition to Microsoft Exchange, SharePoint, and Teams. Designed for businesses that rely on teamwork, Microsoft Teams and SharePoint together provide online meeting and video services, chat services between colleagues, and file collaboration. The Exchange component allows businesses to host email accounts using their company domain name. Microsoft 365 Business Standard costs $12.50 per user per month and requires an annual commitment.
And lastly, the most expensive tier is Microsoft 365 Business Premium. You’ll have access to the same Office apps as the last two tiers we discussed, and you’ll get six secure cloud services: Teams, Exchange, OneDrive, SharePoint, Intune, and Azure Information Protection. Intune will give you the ability to “remotely wipe company data from lost or stolen devices.” Azure Information Protection is a cloud-based security feature that can help secure and protect sensitive documents. This service tier costs $20 per user per month with an annual commitment.
If you are using Microsoft in an enterprise
Built for large organizations, Microsoft 365 Enterprise plans provide Office apps while also enabling advanced security and device management options. There are three plans to choose from: Microsoft 365 F3, Microsoft 365 E3, and Microsoft 365 E5.
Microsoft 365 F3 is $10 per user per month with an annual commitment. This tier only includes access to web and mobile apps. This tier has its limitations, but it does include full access to device and app management services such as Windows Enterprise, Intune, and Microsoft 365 Admin Center.
Microsoft 365 E3 is $32 per user per month when billed annually and includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, Publisher, and Access. (The latter two are only for PCs.) This tier also includes access to web and mobile app versions. You’ll also get access to Outlook, Exchange, and Bookings. This service only has partial access to meetings and voice services: You can get Teams but no audio calls or phone system.
Microsoft 365 E5 is $57 per user per month with an annual commitment and includes the same full access to installed, web, and mobile app versions of Office apps and Outlook, Exchange, and Bookings. But you’ll also get the full use of Microsoft’s meeting and voice service: Teams, audio calls, and a phone system are all included. There’s even access to Microsoft’s information protection services, including data loss prevention, Azure Information Protection P1 and P2, and cloud app security.
For more help with these Microsoft 365 Enterprise plans, it is recommended you contact Microsoft Sales.
Editors’ Recommendations
