Microsoft Office 2019 vs Office 365 Subcription
Microsoft offers two version of its Office software; purchase Microsoft Office 2019 outright or subscribe to Office 365. What's the difference between the two?
Office 365 for Mac
Office 365 is offered as subscription and provides you with the most up to date productivity software from Microsoft. There are Office 365 plans that only include the Office software, some that include only online services and some with a combination of both. Office 365 offers plans for home use, as well as for small and medium sized businesses, large enterprises, schools, and non-profits.
Home & Personal plans of Office 365 range from $99/year to $129/year. SMB plans start at $84.48 (online services only) to $209.88 including online services & Office for 5 devices. Contact Your Mac Tech to find get an estimate on Office 365.
Office 2019 for Mac
Office 2019 is offered as a one time purchase, which means you pay a single, up-front cost to get Office apps for one computer. There are no upgrade options which means if you want or need the next version you will need to pay full price.
Office Online
Office Online is a free version of Office that you can use in a web browser. All you need is to sign up for a Microsoft Account with a new or existing email address.
What does Office 365 give me that I can't get in Office 2019?
- Feature updates - Office 2019 includes security updates but does not include the feature updates released regularly into Office 365. These updates are bundled into a paid release (e.g Office 2016 or Office 2019). As Microsoft 2019 was recently released the features are currently comparable.
- Install on multiple devices - Most Office 365 subscriptions allows you to install on 5 devices including PCs, Macs, iPads, and iPhones. Office 2019 allows you to install on 1 Mac or PC.
- Advanced features on iPad & iPhone - Without Office 365 the Office apps on iPhone & iPad allow you to read documents on iPhone & iPads under 10.1 inches. Office 365 allows for editing functionality.
- Online storage - Office 365 includes at least 1TB of cloud storage with your plan. Office 2019 includes no cloud services.
- Technical support is included - Office 2019 includes no support while Office 365 includes free support while you are subscribed.
What is the benefit of Office 2019?
Office 2019 can be purchased and used for as long as you like. Once you stop paying for your Office 365 subscription you will no longer have access to the software.
Please Note: Pricing current at time of publishing and are subject to change.