Office 2024 and Microsoft 365 give you the same core apps: Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook. The difference is how you pay and what comes with them. Office 2024 is a one-time purchase for one computer. Microsoft 365 is a subscription you renew every month or year, with cloud storage, Copilot and ongoing feature updates.
Neither is better for everyone. This guide explains what you get with each so you can choose based on how you actually work.
Office 2024 vs Microsoft 365 at a glance
| Office 2024 | Microsoft 365 (Personal / Family) | |
|---|---|---|
| Payment | Once | Monthly or yearly |
| Devices | 1 PC or Mac | Up to 5 devices signed in at once, including phones and tablets |
| Users | 1 computer | 1 person (Personal) or up to 6 (Family) |
| New features | No, security updates only | Yes, added continuously |
| Security updates | Until October 9, 2029 | As long as you subscribe |
| Copilot AI in the apps | No | Yes, with a monthly usage allowance |
| OneDrive storage | Free 5 GB tier only | 1 TB per person |
| Works offline | Yes | Yes, but needs to check in online regularly |
| If you stop paying | Nothing changes | Apps drop to read-only mode |
What you get with Office 2024
You pay once and install the apps on one computer. They are yours to use for as long as that computer runs them. There is no renewal date and no account subscription to manage.
The trade-off is that Office 2024 is fixed. It gets security fixes until October 9, 2029, but no new features. It does not include Copilot, and it comes with no extra cloud storage. When a newer version arrives, moving to it means buying again.
The edition decides which apps are included:
- Office 2024 Home: Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote.
- Office 2024 Standard: adds Outlook.
- Office 2024 Professional Plus: adds Outlook and Access.
What you get with Microsoft 365
Microsoft 365 is Office as a service. At the time of writing, Microsoft lists Personal at $9.99 per month or $99.99 per year in the United States, and Family at $12.99 per month or $129.99 per year for up to six people. Prices vary by country.
For that you get the desktop apps on Windows and Mac, the full mobile apps, 1 TB of OneDrive storage per person, and Copilot inside Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and OneNote with a monthly allowance. On the Family plan, Copilot is available to the subscription owner only. New features arrive as Microsoft releases them.
The trade-off is the recurring cost. Over several years a subscription costs more than a one-time licence, and if you cancel, the apps switch to a read-only mode where you can open and print documents but not edit them.
How the cost compares over time
A simple way to compare: take the price of the Office 2024 edition you need and divide it by the yearly cost of Microsoft 365 Personal. That tells you how many years of subscription the one-time purchase is worth. Office 2024 is supported until October 2029, so a licence bought today covers almost three years of security updates.
For one person on one PC who only needs the apps, the one-time purchase usually works out cheaper. For a household of several people who would each use the apps and the storage, the Family plan is hard to beat.
Choose Office 2024 if
- You work on one computer and do not need Office on other devices.
- You want to pay once and avoid renewals.
- You mainly write documents, build spreadsheets and make presentations, and do not need AI features.
- You already have cloud storage elsewhere, or keep files locally.
- The PC is often offline, or sits in an office, shop or classroom where a fixed version is an advantage.
Choose Microsoft 365 if
- You switch between a desktop, laptop, tablet and phone.
- Several people in your household need Office.
- You want Copilot in Word, Excel and Outlook.
- You will use the 1 TB of OneDrive storage for backup and sharing.
- You want new features as soon as they are released.
Frequently asked questions
Is Office 2024 a lifetime licence?
It has no expiry date, so the apps keep working. Microsoft's support, including security updates, ends on October 9, 2029.
Does Office 2024 include Copilot?
No. Copilot inside the Office apps requires a Microsoft 365 subscription.
Can I use Office 2024 on two computers?
No. One licence covers one PC or Mac. Each additional computer needs its own licence.
Can Office 2024 and Microsoft 365 users share files?
Yes. Both use the same file formats, so documents open normally in either. A few of the newest Microsoft 365 features may not display in Office 2024.
Do I need a Microsoft account for Office 2024?
The retail Home editions are linked to a Microsoft account when you activate them. Volume editions such as Professional Plus and Standard are activated with a product key.
Still deciding between Office versions? See our comparison of Office 2021 vs Office 2024.
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