Microsoft Office has long been the industry standard for productivity software. Word, Excel and PowerPoint are the applications by which others are judged and in the business world they are almost essential.
They were recently updated to 2024 versions, with the Microsoft 365 monthly subscription plan being the method the company wants you to use rather than purchasing them outright. But if you prefer to pay once and then keep the software, you can do so on the Microsoft site as well as on Amazon. However, not all is equal, as UK customers will discover.
Microsoft Office Home 2024
One of the most popular versions of Office, especially for people with a laptop or PC, is Microsoft Office Home 2024 (formerly also known as Home and Student).
This includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote, all of which are full 2024 editions. One omission is Outlook, as Microsoft seems to consider this a business feature and therefore includes it in the next package we cover.
With Home 2024, you can use the software on 1 PC or Mac and it is compatible with Windows 10, Windows 11 and macOS. As you would expect, you still have access to the various support resources and these versions are compatible with Microsoft Teams.
In the United States, you can choose to purchase the software for $149.99 from Microsoft’s website or from Amazon US.
It’s a little different in the UK, as you can still get the apps from both providers, but while it’ll cost you £149.99 on Amazon UK, it’s a more reasonable £119.99 at Microsoft UK.
Microsoft
Microsoft Office Home and Business 2024
With this package, you get the same core Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote products that come with the Home edition, but there’s also Outlook for all your email and communication needs.
Again, it gives you access to support, works with Microsoft Teams, and can be installed on a single PC or Mac (with the same supported operating systems). The price is significantly higher, but if you’re an Outlook user, it’ll probably be worth it.
At the time of writing, you can get Microsoft Home & Business 2024 for $249.99 on Microsoft US or Amazon US.
In the UK, we found the package missing from Amazon UK, but you can buy it directly from Microsoft UK for a cost of £249.99.
Microsoft
If you’re not sure which version is best for you, you can always read our Microsoft Office buying guide to see all the differences in features and included apps.
It’s worth noting that if you only want a few apps, you may not have to pay at all.
Take a look at our helpful tips on how to get Microsoft Word for free and how to get Microsoft Excel for free to see if it will give you all the tools you need without having to spend any money.
