Choose Office Home & Business 2024 if you need Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and OneNote on one Windows PC or Mac, with commercial use rights. Choose Professional Plus 2024 if you also need Microsoft Access, work only on Windows, or want the volume-licensed LTSC edition that organisations deploy and manage centrally.
Written by the Softkeyworld technical team · Updated October 2026
Both suites are one-time-purchase versions of Office 2024, and both run the same Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook code. The differences are in the extra apps, platform support, licensing channel, and how each is installed and activated. Those details matter more than most product pages suggest, especially for a small business choosing a standard for every desk, or for someone on a Mac. With Office 2021 having reached end of support on 13 October 2026, many readers are now making exactly this choice.
If you are still deciding between buying Office outright and subscribing, read our comparison of Office 2024 vs Microsoft 365 first. This guide assumes you have decided on a perpetual licence and need to choose an edition.
Key takeaways
- Both include Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and OneNote. Professional Plus adds Access, and Skype for Business as an optional install.
- Home & Business runs on Windows or macOS. Professional Plus is Windows only.
- Neither includes Publisher, Teams, Visio, Project or Copilot.
- Both receive security updates until 9 October 2029, with no extended support after that.
Side-by-side comparison
| Feature | Home & Business 2024 | Professional Plus 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Word, Excel, PowerPoint | Yes | Yes |
| Outlook | Yes | Yes |
| OneNote | Yes | Yes |
| Access (database) | No | Yes |
| Skype for Business | No | Optional install |
| Publisher | No | No (retired) |
| Platforms | Windows 10/11 or macOS (three most recent versions) | Windows only |
| Commercial use | Yes | Yes |
| Licensing channel | Retail, linked to a Microsoft account | Volume (Office LTSC) |
| Typical install method | Redeem at microsoft365.com/setup | Office Deployment Tool or supplied installer |
| End of support | 9 October 2029 | 9 October 2029 |
What is Office Home & Business 2024?
Microsoft released the consumer and small business editions of Office 2024 on 1 October 2024. According to Microsoft's launch announcement, Office Home 2024 includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote for one PC or Mac, and Home & Business 2024 adds Outlook plus the rights to use the apps for commercial purposes.
The commercial use right is the important part. Office Home is licensed for non-commercial use only, so a sole trader, consultant or small firm should not run its business on it. Home & Business is designed for exactly that. It is also the only edition in this comparison that installs on a Mac, which makes it the default choice for mixed or Apple-only offices.
How it installs and activates
You redeem the product key once, and it attaches the licence to your Microsoft account. You then install and reinstall from the account dashboard, and can transfer the licence to a new device by uninstalling it from the old one. Our Office 2024 Home & Business installation guide walks through each screen on both Windows and macOS.
What is Office Professional Plus 2024?
Microsoft's official name is Office LTSC Professional Plus 2024. It reached general availability for commercial customers in September 2024. The Office LTSC 2024 overview lists Access, Excel, OneNote, Outlook, PowerPoint and Word, with Skype for Business as an optional component. It is a Windows product; the only LTSC option for Mac is Office LTSC Standard for Mac 2024, which does not include Access.
"LTSC" (Long-Term Servicing Channel) means the feature set is frozen at release. You get monthly security and quality fixes until the end-of-support date, but no new features. For many businesses that stability is the point: macros, add-ins and templates that work on day one keep working.
How it installs and activates
Professional Plus does not use the consumer "redeem to Microsoft account" process. It is installed with the Office Deployment Tool (or an installer built from it), and the key is then applied on the PC. The key is not linked to a personal account. Our Office 2024 Pro Plus installation guide covers the exact steps, including how to check activation with cscript ospp.vbs /dstatus from the C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office16 folder.
The differences that actually matter
1. Microsoft Access
This is the most common reason to choose Professional Plus. If your business runs an Access database (a stock list, job tracker, membership system or a front end to SQL Server), Home & Business cannot open it. Check before you buy: find any .accdb or .mdb files your team uses. If there are none and nobody builds databases, you probably do not need Access.
2. Mac support
Professional Plus 2024 will not install on macOS. Mac users need Home & Business 2024. In a mixed office, the usual pattern is Professional Plus on the Windows PCs that need Access and Home & Business on the Macs. Documents move freely between them, because the file formats are identical.
3. Licensing model and account ties
Home & Business belongs to a Microsoft account, which makes reinstalling and moving to a new PC easy for individuals. Volume-licensed Professional Plus is tied to the device installation, which suits IT-managed fleets where staff come and go. Our explainer on OEM, retail and volume licence keys describes what each type allows.
4. Deployment at scale
The Office Deployment Tool lets an administrator choose exactly which apps are installed, exclude ones like Skype for Business, set the update channel and language, and push an identical configuration to every PC. Home & Business installs the full set for each user, one account at a time.
5. What is the same
Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook are the same version in both editions. Features such as Excel's dynamic arrays in charts and the newer text and array functions, PowerPoint's Recording Studio and Cameo, and Outlook search improvements are in both. Any Excel tips or training you find for Office 2024 apply equally to either edition.
6. Device count and system requirements
Each Home & Business 2024 licence covers one PC or Mac. Professional Plus keys are sold per device too, so a three-PC office needs three licences (or a multi-device pack) whichever edition you choose. Both require Windows 10 or Windows 11 on the PC side. Windows 10 reached end of support in October 2025, so new Office installations should go on Windows 11 wherever possible. That keeps both the operating system and Office on supported, patched versions. Plan for at least 4 GB of RAM and around 4 GB of free disk space for the Office installation itself, and more if you keep large Outlook data files locally.
Three real-world scenarios
The two-person design studio on Macs
A studio with two MacBooks needs email, proposals, invoices in Excel and client presentations. Professional Plus will not install on either machine, and nobody uses Access. Home & Business 2024 on each Mac is the correct choice, redeemed to the business owner's Microsoft account (or to each partner's own account if they prefer to manage their licences separately). Outlook for Mac connects to the studio's hosted mailboxes, and files open identically for clients who use Windows.
The ten-PC accountancy office with a legacy database
A practice that has run its client tracking in an Access database for a decade needs Access on at least the machines that use it. Here, Professional Plus 2024 on the Windows PCs is the practical standard. The office manager can build one Office Deployment Tool configuration, exclude Skype for Business if it is not used, and install the same setup on every desk. Before migrating, test the database in Access 2024 on one machine: ActiveX controls are disabled by default in Office LTSC 2024, which can affect older forms until an administrator re-enables them.
The consultant who works alone on one Windows laptop
A self-employed consultant who writes reports, builds spreadsheets and handles client email on a single Windows laptop needs commercial rights but not Access. Home & Business 2024 fits perfectly, and because the licence lives in a Microsoft account, moving to a new laptop later means signing in and reinstalling rather than finding a key.
Compatibility with your existing files and add-ins
Both editions use the same Office Open XML formats (.docx, .xlsx, .pptx) used since Office 2007, so documents from any recent version open without conversion. VBA macros run in both on Windows. On a Mac, VBA is supported but Windows-only features in macros, such as ActiveX controls and some API calls, will not work. COM add-ins written for Windows Office will not load on a Mac at all. If your workflow depends on a specific accounting or CRM add-in, check its vendor's support list for "Office 2024" or "Office LTSC 2024" before you buy.
One change catches people out: Microsoft has removed the Publish to Power BI option from Excel in Office LTSC 2024. Teams that used it should publish from the Power BI service instead.
What neither edition includes
-
Publisher, which Microsoft is retiring, with support ending in October 2026. Existing
.pubfiles should be converted to PDF or rebuilt in Word or PowerPoint. - Microsoft Teams. The free Teams app is a separate download.
- Visio and Project, which are sold separately.
- Copilot and the 1 TB of OneDrive storage that come with Microsoft 365 subscriptions.
- Feature updates. Both are frozen at the 2024 feature set.
Which should you choose?
| Your situation | Best fit |
|---|---|
| Sole trader or freelancer using email, documents and spreadsheets | Home & Business 2024 |
| Mac user, or mixed Windows and Mac office | Home & Business 2024 (Macs) |
| Business with an Access database | Professional Plus 2024 |
| IT-managed Windows PCs with a standard image | Professional Plus 2024 |
| Needs cloud storage, Copilot and always-current apps | A Microsoft 365 subscription instead |
If you are upgrading from Office 2021, both editions open your existing files without conversion. Our article on Office 2021 end-of-support options covers the migration checklist, and Microsoft's Office 2024 lifecycle FAQ confirms the support dates.
Installation tips from support tickets
- Remove older Office versions first. Click-to-Run installs of different versions or channels on the same PC are a common cause of "Something went wrong" errors.
- Match the bitness. Install 64-bit unless a specific legacy add-in requires 32-bit. You cannot mix 32-bit and 64-bit Office apps on one PC.
- Don't redeem a Home & Business key on the wrong account. Once redeemed, it stays with that Microsoft account. Use the business owner's account, not a staff member's personal one.
- Sign in to Outlook with the right profile. Both editions support Microsoft 365 business mailboxes, Outlook.com and IMAP accounts.
Frequently asked questions
Does Office Home & Business 2024 include Access?
No. Access is only included in Professional Plus 2024 among the one-time-purchase editions, and it runs on Windows only.
Can I install Office Professional Plus 2024 on a Mac?
No. Professional Plus is a Windows product. On a Mac, use Office Home & Business 2024.
Can I use Office Home & Business 2024 for my business?
Yes. Microsoft grants commercial use rights with Home & Business 2024, unlike Office Home 2024.
How long will Office 2024 be supported?
Both editions receive security updates until 9 October 2029. Microsoft does not offer extended support for Office 2024.
Is Professional Plus faster or more powerful in Excel?
No. Excel, Word, PowerPoint and Outlook are functionally the same in both editions. The difference is Access, platform support and licensing.
Does either edition include Publisher?
No. Publisher is not part of Office 2024, and Microsoft is ending support for it in October 2026.
Our recommendation
For most individual professionals and small teams, especially anyone using a Mac, Office 2024 Home and Business for PC/Mac covers everything needed, with commercial rights included. If you rely on Access or manage a fleet of Windows PCs, choose Office 2024 Professional Plus. If you are not sure which fits, email support@softkeyworld.com and our team will check your setup with you.
View Office 2024 Professional Plus
Related reading
| Resource | Why read it |
|---|---|
| Office 2024 vs Microsoft 365 | Perpetual licence or subscription? |
| Office 2024 Pro Plus installation guide | Step-by-step install and activation |
| Office 2024 Home & Business installation guide | Redeem and install on PC or Mac |
| Office 2021 end of support | Plan your upgrade from 2021 |