A subscription-based office suite
Microsoft Office is the most well-known software suite for productivity. For a fairly low monthly subscription fee, Microsoft 365 offers its software bundled together with access to the cloud.
A personal or business solution
With Microsoft 365 Personal you can:. Access smart assistance features, plus hundreds of premium templates, photos, icons, and fonts in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Save and share files and photos across devices with OneDrive. Experience advanced security protection in OneDrive and Outlook. Use the subscription on up to 5 devices at the same time. Contact support via chat or phone at no extra. Microsoft 365 Personal comes with premium Office apps, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and more. Receive 1TB of OneDrive cloud storage for 1 person which allows you to access, edit, and share your files and photos across all your devices - all while knowing your information is always backed up and protected.
Microsoft 365 Personal comes with premium Office apps, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and more. Receive 1 TB of OneDrive cloud storage for 1 person which allows you to access, edit, and share your files and photos across all your devices—all while knowing your information is always backed up and protected. If you already have Microsoft 365 Family or Microsoft 365 Personal, you can still take advantage of this discount. When you purchase through your employer's offer, additional time is added to your existing subscription, and the discounted rate will begin at your existing subscription’s annual renewal date. With Microsoft 365 Personal you can: Get design and writing suggestions and templates, stock photos, icons, and fonts in Word, Excel, PowerPoint Access and share files and photos across your devices Know files are protected with built-in ransomware detection and recovery; most important files are protected with two-step verification in OneDrive.
From basic starter (which has limited features) to Microsoft 365, Office is available to offer everything you could ever want in a home or business computer suite of programs.
If you have ever used a computer, you have most certainly heard the words Microsoft Office. Names like Word, Excel, Outlook, and Powerpoint are equal to computer productivity.
From basic starter (which has limited features) to Microsoft 365, Office is available to offer everything you could ever want in a home or business computer suite of programs. For a low monthly subscription fee, users can install Microsoft 365 on up to five devices, which can include your computer, tablet, or smartphone.
Microsoft 365 includes the main programs you’d find in Microsoft Office, as well as OneDrive and Skype. Previously, Skype used to be a standalone product that required a fee to access higher functions.
OneDrive is your doorway to the cloud. Store up to a whopping 1TB of data for all your documents and spreadsheets. With your files in the cloud, enjoy complete access anytime you like on any of your devices.
All productivity software require updates. With Microsoft 365 you’ll stay up to date as updates get installed as soon as they’re released. Microsoft will support you. You can contact Microsoft at any time via email, online chat, or to speak to a real person, call the contact center.
Where can you run this program?
Microsoft 365 runs on Windows 10, MacOS, Android, and iOS.
Is there a better alternative?
Yes, there is. Even though Microsoft Office is the grand-daddy of computer productivity, Google programs available via Google Chrome are free and rapidly becoming just as popular. Why pay for software access when you can get another suite of almost identical programs at no cost?
Our take
For everyday users of the Microsoft Office suite, this is a must-have. The ability to share it across five devices is a compelling reason why you need it. It’s also the most convenient way to make sure you have the latest version of any of the Office products.
Should you download it?
Yes, you should, if you don’t mind dropping some cash. If you want access to all the Microsoft Office programs, including Skype and cloud, then Microsoft 365 is the right choice for you.
Highs
- Use on five different devices
- Cloud storage up to 1TB
- Low-cost subscription
- Updates upon release
Lows
Microsoft 365 Setup To Activate
- Internet connection required
- Stop subscribing - lose access
- Requires payment
Office 365for Windows
2021
Back in March, Microsoft announced the Microsoft 365 Family and Microsoft 365 Personal plans for consumers. Microsoft 365 used to be an enterprise bundle that brought together the best of Office 365, Windows 10, and Enterprise Mobility + Security (EMS), but with new packages for consumers now the new Family and Personal plans include plenty of Microsoft services for regular users including Office 365, Teams, Skype calls Microsoft Editor and more.
However, both the subscriptions are made for different people and there are minor differences in the features you will be getting with each subscription. Here are some of the key differences between the Family and Personal plans:
- The number of people- The most significant difference between Microsoft 365 Family and Personal is the number of people allowed on each subscription. Microsoft 365 Personal, as the name suggests is for a single person. It can be installed on one machine and can be used by a single person.
Microsoft 365 Family, on the other hand, allows up to 6 installs. So, it can be installed on 6 different devices making it perfect for a family who can share the licenses and do not want to pay extra for separate licenses.
- OneDrive Storage- Both the Personal and Family come with OneDrive storage. However, Personal users will get just 1 TB of storage along with their subscription which can be used by one person. Family users, on the other hand, will get 6 TB of storage which can be divided among 6 users and each getting 1 TB of storage.
These are the two major differences between the Personal and Family plans. Following are the features and services that are common between the two subscriptions and will be available to all the paying customers regardless of the plan:
- Office apps- Both the subscriptions come with all the Office apps and include premium services such as Outlook, OneDrive, Skype, Teams consumer edition and the new Family Safety app.
- Microsoft Editor- Microsoft recently announced its own AI Editor and both the plans include a free subscription to Microsoft Editor.
- OneDrive- Both the plans include OneDrive subscription, but the Personal plan will get you only 1 TB while the Family plan will get you 6 TB (divided among 6 people).
- Skype- Skype’s consumer version is included with the subscription, but Microsoft also includes free 60 minutes of Skype calling per month.
Should you buy Microsoft 365 Personal or spend more for Microsoft 365 Family?
The choice depends on your usage. The Microsoft 365 Personal will cost you $69.99/year while the Family Plan will cost you $99.99/year. So even if you are two people who plan to use it then you should go for the Family plan as that will be cheaper than the Personal plan. At the end, it all comes down to if more than 1 person plans to use the subscription in which case Microsoft 365 Family is a better choice. However, if you are an individual then you should get Microsoft 365 Personal as that offers the same benefits but for an individual.
Both the Personal and Family can be purchased from the Microsoft Store. As noted above, the Personal plan will cost you $69.99/year while the Family plan will cost you $99.99/year. Alternatively, you can also pay for it monthly in which case, the Personal plan comes down to $6.99/month and the Family plan comes down to $9.99/month. You can also try out the Personal plan for free for a month if you are unsure about purchasing it.
Do note that Microsoft has changed the branding of the plans so Office 365 Home and Office 365 Personal users will be moved to Microsoft 365 Family and Microsoft 365 Personal, respectively. You do not need to do anything or pay extra for the services bundled with the new services.
Ms 365 Personal Trial
- Microsoft 365 Personal ($69.99/year or 6.99/month) (Yearly license recommended)
- Microsoft 365 Family ($99.99/year or $9.99/month) (Yearly license recommended)