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Whether you’re writing your autobiography, creating a spreadsheet for your ever-shrinking household budget, or making snazzy PowerPoint presentations to impress your boss, Microsoft 365 is essential. Since the shift from Microsoft Office to the subscription-based Microsoft 365, it’s become more expensive to stay in Microsoft’s ecosystem.
But with that added price comes added value. In addition to Microsoft improving its most familiar apps, the tech giant also adds new services to its subscription on a regular basis without increasing the cost. For example, Clipchamp has additional features for Microsoft 365 subscribers. You can also enhance your subscription with a Copilot Pro, though that costs an additional $20 per month.
Microsoft 365 Personal
Microsoft 365 Family
Microsoft 365 Home & Student
Microsoft 365 Business
Office 365 Education
Students and teachers with an eligible email address can get access to the Office apps for free. Office 365 Education comes with Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, and other classroom tools. Microsoft’s Office 365 Education website has instructions on how to register and get started. Office 365 Education effectively saves you $69.99 per year compared to Microsoft 365 Personal.
Speaking of Microsoft 365 Personal, college students with an eligible email address can get Microsoft 365 Personal for $2.99 per month.
Office Online is free
Don’t forget that you can use all of Microsoft’s Office apps online, completely free. They are web-based but you can create and edit documents, workbooks and design presentations using just your browser. Simply sign into the Microsoft Office website to get started. No installation is required; you can collaborate with others online and get 5GB of free cloud storage on OneDrive.
The free service does have its limitations, the most obvious being you cannot use the programs offline and will need a reliable internet connection. You also won’t get all the features a subscription to Microsoft 365 provides on some apps, such as using macros or advanced formatting.
Choosing the best version for you
With Microsoft 365, it really comes down to what you want to use it for and who is likely to need access. If it’s just for your own use but you want to use across multiple devices, a Microsoft 365 Personal subscription will be the best option. My whole family uses Word, Excel, and other Microsoft apps and services, so a Microsoft 365 Family subscription makes the most sense.
I used Microsoft’s Office apps all throughout school and university, so I didn’t have to pay for access to the apps for years. Many students and teachers are unaware of the fact that they can get Microsoft Office apps for free, so it’s worth a friendly reminder to your fellow students and educators.
Microsoft 365 and its apps and services are standard among business and enterprise users. Since Microsoft has a variety of plans for business users, it’s worth shopping around a bit, particularly if you’re looking to purchase hundreds of licenses.
