When you buy the perpetual license version, you get security updates every few months, but you don’t get the monthly jolt of new features that Microsoft provides to subscribers. Microsoft also offers Office as a subscription called Microsoft 365 (formerly Office 365), which requires you to pay for it by the month or year. Read our editorial mission (Opens in a new window) & see how we test (Opens in a new window). Since 1982, PCMag has tested and rated thousands of products to help you make better buying decisions. How to Set Up Two-Factor Authentication.How to Record the Screen on Your Windows PC or Mac.How to Convert YouTube Videos to MP3 Files.How to Save Money on Your Cell Phone Bill.How to Free Up Space on Your iPhone or iPad.How to Block Robotexts and Spam Messages.For even more juicy discounts, be sure to check out all of PCWorld’s best Prime Day deal selections. If you can’t bear the thought of missing out on new features, here’s how to get Office 365 for cheap with a little legwork. That’s a bargain, so long as you can live with what you’re missing out on in the subscription offerings. The Personal version of Microsoft 365 costs $70 per year, so buying the standalone Home & Student 2021 for $125 means you’ll be saving money if you stick with it for longer than a year and a half. These versions also won’t be updated to add new features as Microsoft rolls them out-another perk locked to the subscription model.īut a lot of people (including yours truly) would rather pay once for a standalone piece of software rather than forking out cash month-in and month-out, especially if all you need is the basics. It’s currently on sale for $220, down from its usual $250 price tag.īoth standalone suites come with 60 days of Microsoft support as opposed to ongoing support for Microsoft 365 subscribers. Microsoft Office Home & Business 2021 ups the ante by including the legendary Outlook, but you pay for the privilege, as it bumps up the cost. This version of Office sticks to the basics: You only get Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, but that’s plenty for most people. Microsoft Office Home & Student 2021 normally goes for $150, but you can snag it for $125 during Prime Day.

Microsoft office home and student 2021