Office 2024 is better value if you work on one Windows PC, want the classic desktop apps and do not need Copilot or 1 TB of cloud storage: you pay once and receive security updates until October 2029. Microsoft 365 is better value for households or teams that share across many devices, want Copilot, or rely heavily on OneDrive.
Written by the Softkeyworld technical team · Updated October 2026
"Should I buy Office or subscribe?" is probably the question we answer most often. The honest answer is that neither is universally better. Office 2024 and Microsoft 365 are built for different ways of working, and the right choice depends on how many devices you use, whether you need AI features, how much you store in the cloud and how long you keep a PC. This guide compares them on facts, not marketing, and gives you a simple framework for working out total cost of ownership for your own situation.
If you are still on Office 2021, this decision has a deadline: Microsoft ends support for Office 2021 on 13 October 2026, after which it no longer receives security updates.
The core difference: one-time licence vs subscription
Office 2024 is a perpetual licence. You pay once, install the apps on one PC (or Mac, for the Home editions), and keep using that version indefinitely. Microsoft provides security and quality updates until 9 October 2029, as stated in its Office 2024 and Office LTSC 2024 FAQ. It is "locked in time": no new features are added after release.
Microsoft 365 is a subscription. While you keep paying, you always have the latest version of the apps, new features as they ship, cloud storage, and, on the main consumer plans, Copilot. Stop paying and the desktop apps drop into a reduced-functionality, read-only mode.
Key takeaways
- Office 2024 = pay once, one device, no Copilot, security updates to October 2029.
- Microsoft 365 = recurring fee, multiple devices and users, 1 TB OneDrive per person, Copilot on Personal, Family and Premium.
- The longer you keep one PC and the fewer people involved, the more Office 2024 tends to win on cost.
- Office 2021 support ends on 13 October 2026, so Office 2021 users should decide soon.
Side-by-side comparison
| Factor | Office 2024 (one-time) | Microsoft 365 (subscription) |
|---|---|---|
| Payment | Single purchase | Monthly or annual fee |
| Feature updates | None after release | Continuous |
| Security updates | Until 9 October 2029 | For as long as you subscribe |
| Devices | One PC or Mac per licence | Install on many devices; sign in on up to five at once per user |
| Users | One | One (Personal) or up to six (Family, Premium) |
| Cloud storage | Free Microsoft account allowance only | 1 TB OneDrive per person |
| Copilot in Word, Excel, PowerPoint | Not included | Included on Personal, Family and Premium (owner only) |
| Works offline | Yes, fully | Yes, but must check in online periodically |
| If you stop paying | Not applicable | Apps become read-only; storage reverts to free tier |
Which apps are included?
Office 2024 editions
- Office Home 2024: Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote, for one PC or Mac.
- Office Home & Business 2024: adds Outlook and is licensed for commercial use. Our Office 2024 Home and Business for PC/Mac is the right fit if you work on a Mac.
- Office Professional Plus / LTSC 2024: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote and Access, Windows only. The Skype for Business client ships with it but is not installed automatically.
No Office 2024 edition includes Publisher, which Microsoft is retiring in 2026, and none includes Teams; Teams is a separate download with a free tier. If you depend on Access databases, Professional Plus is the only one-time edition that includes it.
Microsoft 365 consumer plans
- Basic: 100 GB of OneDrive and ad-free Outlook, but no desktop Office apps.
- Personal: one person, full desktop apps (Access is PC-only), 1 TB OneDrive, Copilot with a monthly allowance of AI credits.
- Family: up to six people, 1 TB each; Copilot is available to the subscription owner only.
- Premium: up to six people, with higher Copilot usage limits and premium AI features for the owner. It replaced Copilot Pro as Microsoft's top consumer tier.
Business users have separate plans (Business Basic, Business Standard, Business Premium and Apps for business) that add Exchange email, Teams and admin controls. Those are a different comparison, centred on email hosting and device management rather than the Office apps.
What Office 2024 actually gives you over Office 2021
Office 2024 is not just Office 2021 with a new number. It bundles several years of improvements that Microsoft 365 subscribers received gradually, frozen at the point of release. The highlights we notice most in daily use:
-
Excel: dynamic charts that follow dynamic-array results, 14 new text and array functions (such as
TEXTSPLIT,VSTACKandTAKE),LAMBDAfor custom functions, andIMAGEfor placing pictures in cells. - Security defaults: ActiveX controls are disabled by default and Excel blocks XLL add-ins downloaded from the internet, two common malware routes.
- File compatibility: support for OpenDocument Format 1.4, useful if you exchange files with LibreOffice users or public-sector bodies.
- Accessibility: a dedicated Accessibility ribbon that gathers checks and fixes in one place.
What it does not have, by Microsoft's own description in the Office LTSC 2024 overview, are the cloud-backed features of Microsoft 365 Apps, such as AI-driven automation and the newest real-time collaboration tooling. You can still open and save files on OneDrive, but the richest live-collaboration features belong to the subscription.
A note for small businesses
If your business already gets email from another provider and staff work at fixed desks, Office 2024 Pro Plus keeps costs predictable: one purchase per PC, no per-user renewals and no interface changes in the middle of a busy month. If you need hosted Exchange mailboxes, shared calendars, Teams and central device management, a Microsoft 365 business plan does more than the apps alone and is usually the better fit. Plenty of small offices run a mix: perpetual Office on reception and accounts PCs, subscriptions for staff who work across several devices.
Copilot: does it change the calculation?
In January 2025 Microsoft added Copilot to Microsoft 365 Personal and Family, alongside the first price increase for those plans since launch. Copilot can draft text in Word, analyse and chart data in Excel, generate PowerPoint slides and summarise Outlook threads. Usage is metered through monthly AI credits on Personal and Family, with higher limits on Premium.
Office 2024 has no Copilot integration, and that will not change: perpetual versions do not receive new features. If AI drafting is part of your daily workflow, that alone is a strong argument for Microsoft 365. If you never use it, you are paying for something you do not need. Microsoft has also offered "Classic" versions of Personal and Family without Copilot to some existing subscribers, so check what is available on your account at renewal.
A practical note from support: many customers who tell us they "need AI" are happy with the free Copilot app in Windows and the browser for occasional drafting. The integration inside Word and Excel is the part that requires a subscription.
Cloud storage, updates and devices
Storage
1 TB of OneDrive per person is a genuine benefit if you would otherwise pay for separate cloud storage or backup. On a Family or Premium plan that is up to 6 TB across a household. If your files already live in Google Drive, Dropbox or on a NAS, it is worth less to you.
Updates
Microsoft 365 apps change month by month. Some people value that; others, particularly in accounts or legal work, prefer a fixed interface that does not move. Office 2024 gives you stability: the ribbon you learn in year one is the ribbon you use in year five, with security fixes still arriving monthly.
Devices
This is where the subscription is hard to beat. One Microsoft 365 Personal subscription covers a Windows desktop, a MacBook, an iPad and a phone. Office 2024 is licensed per computer: a two-PC household needs two licences, or a multi-device pack such as Office 2024 Pro Plus for 3 devices. Free mobile Office apps cover basic editing on smaller phones and tablets regardless of which you choose.
Total cost of ownership: how to work it out
Rather than quote figures that change by region and over time, here is the method we use with customers. Write down three numbers:
- Years of use. How long will you keep this PC and this version? Office 2024 is supported until October 2029, so roughly five years from its launch.
- Number of computers and people. Count separately the PCs and Macs that need full desktop apps.
- What you would pay elsewhere for storage and AI. If you need 1 TB of cloud storage or Copilot anyway, that value belongs on the subscription side.
Then compare: subscription fee multiplied by years, against the one-time cost of Office 2024 multiplied by computers, plus whatever you would pay separately for storage. Remember that subscription prices can rise at renewal, as Microsoft's own 2025 change showed, whereas a perpetual licence cost is fixed on the day you buy it. Equally, a perpetual licence has no value to you after you stop using it, while a subscription can be cancelled the month you no longer need it. The pattern is consistent:
| Your situation | Usually better value | Why |
|---|---|---|
| One PC, kept 4+ years, no AI need | Office 2024 | Single cost spread over the full support period |
| Small office, Access databases, fixed desktops | Office 2024 Pro Plus | Includes Access; no per-user recurring cost |
| Household of 3 to 6 with laptops, tablets, phones | Microsoft 365 Family | Many devices and 1 TB each from one fee |
| Writer or analyst using Copilot daily | Microsoft 365 Personal or Premium | AI is subscription-only |
| Changes PC every 1 to 2 years | Microsoft 365 | Licence follows the person, not the machine |
If you want to subscribe, our Microsoft 365 Family one-year licence covers a household. Our older comparison of Microsoft 365 vs Office 2021 is still useful background on how the two licensing models evolved.
Common mistakes we see
- Installing Office 2024 alongside Microsoft 365. Two Click-to-Run versions on one PC conflict. Remove one completely before installing the other.
- Assuming Pro Plus runs on a Mac. It is Windows only; Mac users need Home or Home & Business.
- Expecting Publisher. It is not in Office 2024, and Microsoft is retiring it.
- Forgetting about Outlook. Office Home 2024 does not include Outlook; if you use desktop email, choose Home & Business or Pro Plus.
Frequently asked questions
Is Office 2024 a one-time purchase?
Yes. You pay once and keep the licence. Microsoft supports Office 2024 with security updates until 9 October 2029.
Does Office 2024 include Copilot?
No. Copilot inside Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook requires a Microsoft 365 subscription such as Personal, Family or Premium.
Will Office 2024 work after 2029?
The apps will continue to open and work, but they will no longer receive security updates, which makes opening untrusted documents riskier.
Can I use Office 2024 on more than one computer?
Each licence covers one PC or Mac. For several machines you need separate licences or a multi-device pack.
What happens to my files if I cancel Microsoft 365?
Your documents remain yours. The desktop apps become read-only and OneDrive storage drops to the free allowance, so move files over that limit before cancelling.
Should I upgrade from Office 2021 to Office 2024?
Yes, or move to Microsoft 365. Office 2021 support ends on 13 October 2026, after which it receives no security updates.
Our recommendation
If you use Office on one Windows PC, keep machines for several years and have no need for Copilot inside the apps, Office 2024 Professional Plus is the more economical, lower-maintenance choice, and it is the only one-time edition that includes Access. If you share across a family, switch devices often or want AI built in, Microsoft 365 is worth its recurring cost. Whichever you pick, our Office 2024 Pro Plus download, install and activation guide covers setup step by step.
Related reading
| Resource | Why read it |
|---|---|
| Office 2024 Pro Plus install guide | Download, install and activation steps |
| Microsoft 365 vs Office 2021 | Background on the two licensing models |
| Office 2024 Home and Business for PC/Mac | The one-time option for Mac users |