Description
Getting Started with Office
Office 2016 is sold as a one off purchase. This means you pay a single fee to purchase the Office software applications for one computer.
Office Online is a free cut down version of Office that you can use through your web browser and is integrated into OneDrive.
Office 365, on the other hand, is a subscription-based version of Microsoft Office 2016. This means you pay a monthly or annual subscription that allows you to download the Office applications.
Unlike any of the traditional Office suites such as Office 2016, Office 365 allows you to install Office applications on up to five different computers. It includes some additional features, such as Office on Demand, 15GB – 1TB of additional online storage space through OneDrive, and the option to install Office 2016 on Mac computers.
Office 365 subscription guarantees that you’ll be able to upgrade to the latest version of Office whenever it’s available at no additional cost.
Which Package is Right for Me?
To help you decide, take some time to think about the features that are most important to you and how they fit into your budget. Below are some questions you may want to ask yourself:
- If you just need Word, Excel, and PowerPoint – the core Office applications, it may be best to buy Office Home & Student, since it’s the cheapest option over the long term. This one is a one off payment, so it is unlikely you would get any of the updates in the future, but can only be installed on one machine.
- If you need the more advanced applications such as Access, Publisher, Outlook Email or OneDrive storage, then Office 365 Personal is a good option, but can only be installed on one machine. Also comes with 1TB of space on OneDrive.
- If you need to install Office on more than one computer. If your household has several computers, Office 365 Home subscription is a good option. You can install the Office Suite on up to 5 PCs or Macs and 5 mobile devices such as iPads, kindles, iPhones etc. Also comes with 1TB of space on OneDrive.
- Will I do a lot of editing on the go? If you use public computers at libraries or business centres, or on your iPad, while travelling on the train for example, Office 365 Home may be your best option, since it includes the Office Apps for mobile devices, Office on Demand and Web based versions of the Office applications. Note that these online versions are cut down versions of the full app, meaning they only contain the basic editing tools for each application.