Microsoft 365 vs Office 2024: Subscription or One-Time Purchase?

Microsoft 365 vs Office 2024 comes down to how you prefer to pay and what you need beyond the core apps. Office 2024 is a one-time purchase for one PC or Mac with security updates until October 2029. Microsoft 365 is a subscription that adds 1 TB of OneDrive storage per person, use on multiple devices, Copilot, and every new feature as it ships.

Both give you the same familiar Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook. The real differences sit in cost over time, cloud features, AI and how long your purchase stays supported, and those are what this comparison works through.

Prices are Microsoft’s UK list prices from its plan comparison page and may change. Retailers often sell both for less.

What is the difference between Microsoft 365 and Office 2024?

Office 2024 is a perpetual licence: you buy a fixed version once and use it on one device. Microsoft 365 is a subscription service: you rent the latest apps, plus cloud storage and AI, for as long as you keep paying. The apps look almost identical; the licence model behind them is completely different.

Microsoft’s Office 2024 FAQ confirms that Microsoft 365 already contains every feature in Office 2024, plus additional collaboration, productivity and security features. In other words, Office 2024 is a snapshot taken in 2024. Microsoft 365 keeps moving.

The Office 2024 editions

• Office Home 2024: Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote for one PC or Mac.
• Office Home & Business 2024: the same plus Outlook, aimed at home offices and small businesses.
• Office Professional Plus 2024: Windows-only, adds Access. Publisher is no longer included in any Office 2024 edition.

The Microsoft 365 home plans

• Personal: one person, 1 TB storage, Copilot with standard limits.
• Family: up to six people, 1 TB each; Copilot for the subscription owner only.
• Premium: Family-level sharing with much higher Copilot limits and research agents, at £189.99 a year according to Microsoft’s Premium page.

Which is cheaper over time?

For one person on one computer, Office Home 2024 becomes cheaper than Microsoft 365 Personal within about 18 months at list prices. Office Home & Business 2024 takes roughly three years to break even. For a household of three or more, Microsoft 365 Family is usually the cheapest option per person from day one.

The support-window catch

Here is the nuance most comparisons skip. Office 2024 launched in October 2024 and its security updates end on 9 October 2029. If you buy it in late 2026, you are paying for roughly three supported years, not five. Spread over those three years, Office Home 2024 costs about £40 a year, while Home & Business works out at around £83 a year, almost the same as Personal.

You can keep using Office 2024 after 2029, just without patches. Even so, if you need Outlook and work across devices, Microsoft 365 Personal often gives more for similar money.

Does Copilot change the decision?

Only if you will genuinely use AI inside your documents. Copilot in Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook is part of Microsoft 365 Personal, Family and Premium, and is not available in Office 2024. With Office 2024 you can still use the free Copilot app separately, but it does not work inside your files.

Copilot in the home plans comes with usage limits, and on Family it belongs to the subscription owner only, so other members do not get it. Heavy users are steered towards Premium. We explain exactly what you can and cannot do without a subscription in does Office 2024 have Copilot?

A practical observation from support: plenty of customers buy a subscription for Copilot and then use it a handful of times. If your work is mostly letters, budgets and slides, the AI is a nice extra rather than a reason to change model.

How do storage, devices and sharing compare?

Microsoft 365 wins clearly here. Personal includes 1 TB of OneDrive storage and lets you stay signed in on up to five devices at once, across Windows, Mac, iPad and phones. Family extends that to six people with 1 TB each. Office 2024 installs on a single PC or Mac and relies on the free 5 GB OneDrive tier.

• Moving between computers. With Microsoft 365, signing in is enough. With Office 2024, you remove it from the old machine and install it on the new one; our guide to removing an Office licence from a device shows the process.
• Tablets and phones. Microsoft 365 counts tablets and phones among your signed-in devices. Office 2024 is licensed for one PC or Mac only.
• Sharing with family. Only Microsoft 365 Family shares. Each Office 2024 licence is for one device.

How long is each version supported?

Office 2024 receives security and quality updates until 9 October 2029, but no new features after release. Microsoft 365 apps receive both security updates and new features for as long as your subscription is active and you run a supported version, with no fixed end date.

The dates come from Microsoft’s 2029 end-of-support list. Office 2021, the previous perpetual version, reached the end of its support on 13 October 2026, which shows how the cycle works: each perpetual release gets about five years. Our post on Office 2021 end of support explains what that means for existing users.

One more detail for Windows 10 users: Microsoft has said it will keep providing security updates for Microsoft 365 apps on Windows 10 until October 2028, even though Windows 10 itself is out of support.

Microsoft 365 vs Office 2024: which should you choose?

Choose Office 2024 if you use one computer, mostly work offline, dislike subscriptions and do not need Copilot. Choose Microsoft 365 if you use several devices, want 1 TB of cloud storage or backups, share with family, or want AI built into the apps. Neither is wrong; they suit different habits.

If you are between the two Office editions, our sibling guide on Office Home 2024 vs Home & Business 2024 covers Outlook and commercial use.

Frequently asked questions

Is Office 2024 a one-time purchase?

Yes. Office Home 2024, Office Home & Business 2024 and Office Professional Plus 2024 are all one-time purchases. You pay once and can use that version indefinitely on one device. Microsoft provides security updates until 9 October 2029, but no new features, and there is no renewal fee at any point.

Is Microsoft 365 worth it over Office 2024?

Microsoft 365 is worth it if you use more than one device, want 1 TB of OneDrive storage, share with family or want Copilot. If you only use Office on one computer for documents and spreadsheets, Office 2024 is usually cheaper over its support life and avoids recurring payments.

Can I switch from Office 2024 to Microsoft 365 later?

Yes. You can start a Microsoft 365 subscription at any time, and your documents open without conversion because both use the same file formats. Installing the Microsoft 365 apps normally replaces the Office 2024 apps on that PC. Your Office 2024 licence remains valid if you later return to it.

Does Office 2024 include OneDrive?

Office 2024 works with OneDrive and can save files there, but it only includes the free 5 GB storage tier that comes with any Microsoft account. Microsoft 365 Personal includes 1 TB, and Family gives each of up to six people 1 TB. That storage difference is one of the strongest reasons to subscribe.

Do Microsoft 365 and Office 2024 have the same apps?

They share Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote and, in Home & Business, Outlook. Microsoft 365 adds use across several devices, 1 TB of cloud storage and Copilot, and always has the latest features. Office 2024 is frozen at its 2024 feature set and only receives security updates.

What happens to my files if I cancel Microsoft 365?

Files on your computer stay yours, and you can still open and print them with the apps in read-only mode. Files in OneDrive remain accessible, but if you store more than the free 5 GB tier you may be unable to add new files until you reduce usage. Downloading important files before cancelling is sensible.

The bottom line

Office 2024 suits people who want a fixed, paid-once toolset on one computer; Microsoft 365 suits people who live across devices and value cloud storage or Copilot. Work out your three-year cost against the 2029 support date, then pick the model that matches how you actually work. You can compare every option in our Office 2024 range.

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