Microsoft sells Office in two completely different ways, and the cheaper one is not always the better deal. Here is the honest comparison, using Microsoft’s own published differences, so you can work out which one fits how you actually work.
The short answer
Buy Office 2024 if you want Word, Excel and PowerPoint on one computer, you are happy with the version you buy today, and you do not want a recurring bill. Buy Microsoft 365 if you need Outlook, want the apps on several devices, need cloud storage, or want new features as they ship.
The decision is rarely about price alone. A one-time purchase looks cheaper in year one and usually stays cheaper for a single user over three to five years. A subscription wins the moment you need more than one device, a household, or Outlook.
What is actually different
| Office 2024 (one-time) | Microsoft 365 (subscription) | |
|---|---|---|
| Apps | Word, Excel, PowerPoint | Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote (plus Access and Publisher on PC) |
| Devices | One PC or one Mac | Install on all your devices, signed in on up to five at once |
| People | One user | Family plans share with up to five others |
| Cloud storage | None included | 1 TB of OneDrive storage |
| Updates | Security updates only — no new features, ever | Security updates and every new feature |
| AI features | No Copilot | Copilot features in the apps |
| Payment | Pay once | Monthly or yearly, forever |
Source: Microsoft’s own comparison page, What’s the difference between Microsoft 365 and Office 2024.
The three differences that actually decide it
1. Outlook
This is the single biggest one and it catches people out. Office 2024 does not include the Outlook desktop app. If you run your email through Outlook — a POP or IMAP account, a work mailbox, calendars shared with colleagues — a one-time purchase will not give you that. You would be buying Word, Excel and PowerPoint and nothing else.
If your email lives in Gmail, in a browser, or in the free Outlook app that ships with Windows, this does not matter to you at all.
2. How many machines
A one-time licence covers one installation. Not one person across a laptop and a desktop — one machine. If you work on a laptop and a home PC, you need either two one-time licences or one subscription. Run the numbers for two devices and the subscription usually wins.
3. Whether you care about new features
Office 2024 is frozen. It receives security patches so it stays safe to use, but the feature set you install on day one is the feature set you keep. For most people writing letters, keeping accounts and building slide decks, that is completely fine — the core apps have been mature for a decade. If you follow what Microsoft ships and want the new Excel functions and Copilot tools as they arrive, you want the subscription.
When the one-time purchase is clearly the right call
- A single desktop or laptop that one person uses.
- Word, Excel and PowerPoint cover everything you do.
- You already have email sorted — webmail, Gmail, or the built-in Windows Mail app.
- You dislike recurring charges and want the cost done with.
- You are equipping a machine that will not change for years — a back office PC, a till, a study computer.
When you should pay the subscription instead
- You need the Outlook desktop app.
- You use Office on more than one device, or a family does.
- You want the 1 TB of cloud storage — on its own that is worth a large part of the subscription price.
- You are a business that needs the same version, centrally managed, across a team.
One thing to watch when you buy
Office 2024 comes in editions and they are not interchangeable. Home & Student and Home & Business are the retail editions aimed at individuals; Professional Plus is a volume-licensing edition aimed at organisations. They contain slightly different apps and carry different licence terms.
Whoever you buy from, the product page should tell you plainly which edition it is, whether the licence is retail or volume, and whether it can be moved to a different computer later. If a listing will not say, that is your answer about the listing.
Every product page in our shop states the exact edition, what is included and the system requirements before you pay. If anything is unclear, ask us first — we would rather answer a question than process a refund.
Still not sure?
Count your devices and check your email. Two devices or Outlook means subscription. One device and no Outlook means the one-time purchase will serve you for years and cost less.