# Office 365 and Office 2024 - A Comparison Guide
Over the years, Microsoft evolved from traditional standalone software to a robust cloud integrated suite. While it still provides you with basic familiar applications like Word, Excel and PowerPoint. But, it also offers you cloud storage, enhances collaboration and AI driven tools.

Whenever a new user thinks of using Microsoft for their personal or professional. They often confuse classic Office 2024 and new cloud-powered **Microsoft 365**. To help you make a decision, we will differentiate between Microsoft 365 and **Microsoft Office**.

## Know About Office 365

First let’s learn about Microsoft Office 365. Microsoft developed a subscription based cloud productivity suite. Which provides you multiple Microsoft products on recurring payment methods. The main features of the software is to offer cloud services and integrate with the Microsoft ecosystem. By using this suite, you can easily interact between Windows, Office apps, Azure services, and cloud tools.

## Key Features of Microsoft 365

* This program provides you features suitable for both individuals and organizations. Such as.
* It offers you all the core applications of Microsoft like Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, and Outlook along with cloud computing.
* The suite also provides you cloud based programs like OneDrive, SharePoint, Teams, Exchange Online.
* Along with this, it also provides additional tools like Clipchamp, Microsoft Forms, Power Platform, Microsoft Defender and Microsoft Copilot.
* The price of Office 365 is different depending on the plan you want to use. For a personal plan it is $6.99/month, Family plan: $9.99/month, etc.

### Overview of Office 2024

The latest standalone version of Microsoft classic suite is Microsoft Office 2024. It is a one-time purchase program unlike the Office 365 subscription model. In the Office, you will get the essential tools for productivity but it has a fixed feature set. It is suitable for those users who want to work offline or do not need cloud features.

### Key Components of Microsoft Office

* They provide basic applications: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote.
* It does not include Outlook. Because it is only available in the Professional version.
* This suite comes with 2 versions Home & Student 2024 and Professional 2024.
* The structure of the price is simple, for Home & Students it is $149.99 and for professional: $229.99

Each license is limited to a single device and you cannot transfer between multiple users or systems without needing additional licenses.

So this is the introduction of Office 365 and Microsoft Office. You now know what these programs are and explore their main features. Now we go through the main topic of the article which is the difference between Office 365 and traditional Office.

### Difference Between Microsoft 365 & Microsoft Office

| Features| Microsoft 365| Office 2024|
| -------- | -------- | -------- |
| Product Model| A subscription-based model| It is a one-time purchase model|
| Billing Structure| Recurring| One-time|
|Microsoft Applications|Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and OneNote|Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote and Outlook (only in professional)|
|Support Cloud Platform|Complete Cloud support (OneDrive, SharePoint, Teams)|Does not include cloud services|
|AI Features|Integrated with core apps|There are no AI features|
|Device Flexibility|Easily install on multiple devices but it depends on the plan|The license is only for on PC or Mac|
|Collaboration Tools|In-built collaboration tools|Limited or no-collaboration Tools|
|Offline Accessibility|Yes with installed apps|Yes|

So, this is a face-to-face comparison of the two programs Office 365 and Office. This table helps you in deciding which one you want. But, before taking any decision. You should also know about the limitations of these two programs.

### Limitations of Office 365

* To use Microsoft 365, you have to purchase a monthly or yearly subscription. It can be costly and when the license expires, the editing functionality is disabled.
* File syncing, cloud collaboration, and access to your data require internet connectivity. If there is an issue with the network, then you will not be able to access your account.
* The Office 365 follows a Shared Responsibility Model where Microsoft only avail you services. But, it is your responsibility to back up your own data.
* You have a retention policy, but does not provide you the option to safely secure your data. So, if you choose this suite, you also need a third-party tool like [**Office 365 Backup Tool by BitRecover**](https://www.bitrecover.com/backup/office-365/) to help you in retaining data loss, protecting from ransomware and insider threats.
* Although you can install Office 365 on multiple devices. But, the activation is limited to certain numbers like 5 devices per user.

#### Drawbacks of Office 2024

* The Microsoft Office offers you a fixed feature set. That means, there are no improvements, enhancements and new tools. Unless you buy the latest version.
* Saving your data in the cloud is better than in local storage because it is easily accessible. However, there is no such cloud support service in this program.
* It only provides you core apps and no collaboration software. You can only have Outlook if you purchase the professional version.
* Users buy this program and install it on a single computer. To use it on another PC you have to purchase it again.
* For businesses, Office 2024 is not a suitable option. Because there is no advanced security, compliance tool, etc. features to help you.

Both the programs have their own pros and cons. So, carefully analyze both of them and then make a decision.

#### Final Words

In this article, we have provided a difference between Microsoft 365 and Microsoft Office. Here, we provide a comparison table and compare these two programs. We also explain the limitations of them to help you make a decision of choosing a suitable program for you.