Microsoft 365 might be the easiest way to access Microsoft’s powerful productivity suite, especially for families, groups of friends, and businesses. But going this route means committing to a subscription plan. You’ll have to renew your plan every year to continue to use products like Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, and OneDrive. The alternative is opting for the standalone version of the software, which costs more outright, but might save you money in the long run. And it just so happens that Microsoft has finally announced the price for Office 2021, which comes out on October 5th.
That’s the same day when Microsoft will release the final Windows 11 build after several months of beta testing. But Office 2021 won’t be exclusive to Windows. The software suite is compatible with macOS as well, so you’ll be able to secure your copy next week regardless of the platform.
Microsoft explained that Office 2021 will be available on Windows 10 and Windows 11 devices. As for macOS, the software suite will support the last three major macOS releases. Office 2013 will not work on Windows 11, however. That means you’ll have to upgrade to Office 2021 if you plan on upgrading to the latest Windows OS version.
Like the Microsoft 365 equivalent, Office 2021 will sport the same new Office design aligned to the new Windows 11 design experience.
Microsoft Office 2021 price structure
Microsoft revealed the prices for the various Office 2021 options that will be available to consumers next week. Office Home and Student 2021 will cost $149.99 each. They include access to Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, and Microsoft Teams.
Small businesses who want access to Microsoft’s productivity apps without the subscription route, can purchase the Office Home and Business 2021 version. That’s significantly more expensive, at $249.99. But for that price, you get Outlook and the rights to use Office apps for business purposes alongside all the features in the regular Office Home and Student releases.
Aside from revealing Office 2021 pricing information, Microsoft also went through the main features of the Office 2021 updates in its announcement.
Like Microsoft 365, Office 2021 apps will support collaboration between users, including real-time co-authoring of documents. That might come in handy to many people, especially if they’re still working or studying from home during the pandemic. Also, that’s why Microsoft is throwing Teams in the mix, with support for chat, calls, and video.
OneDrive storage isn’t as generous for Office 2021 as the Microsoft 365 offer. You only get 5GB of data, but you can always buy more. Microsoft 365 accounts come with 1TB of cloud storage.
Comparatively, the Microsoft 365 prices remain unchanged. The plans start at $6.99 per month for 365 Personal and $9.99 per month for 365 Family. The latter allows up to six people to use the same suite of apps.
If you need more details about the new features in Office 2021 and Microsoft 365, check out Microsoft’s announcement and this support document.
