Confused about which Microsoft office version to buy? Lets throw some light on this issue.
Up until a few years ago, if you wanted to write a letter or juggle some figures, and if you specifically wanted Microsoft Word or Excel, then you would go online or visit your local retailer and purchase MS Office. The version would relate to the year of release. For example MS Office2007 or MS Office 2010. You would purchase a licence for 1 or more computers. The licence would allow you to have one install and your computer would receive updates for the the relevant version of MS Office. In addition to purchasing the number of licences, you had to decide if you wanted MS Office PRO or MS Office for Home and Students.
As from 2013, Microsoft introduced a new idea. Office 365. Essentially, Office 365 was a system to lease Office, the latest version, for a fixed some per month or per year. Office 365 is now the preferred method of obtaining Office and we have below given you some pointers.
How much does Office 365 cost?
Office 365 will cost either:
£59.99 per year for 1 licence or £5.99 per month or
£79.99 per year for 5 licences or £7.99 per month
Do you get Office 365 (lease) or do you buy outright?
The answer is simple. If you only want Microsoft Word and/or Microsoft Excel, then purchasing outright would probably more economical. Office 2016 for home and students (Word and Excel) retails around the £100 mark. This is for one install only.
If you need Word / Excel / Publisher or Outlook then Office 365 would make more sense. Office 2016 Pro (includes Outlook and Publisher) retails around £180 for 1 install. With Office 365, and for £79.99 per year, you can have 5 copies of Office 2016 Pro on 5 different devices including Windows and Mac.
Benefits of Office 365
In addition to spreading the cost of Office, you also will get 1GB of OneDrive space and be able to install the software on your tablet or phone.
If your computer dies or needs formatting, simply log into your Office 365 account, delete the activation relating to the pc, and download the latest version of Office. No more disks to lose.
One last thing….
If you don’t want to pay for office software, there are some good FREE alternatives on the market. PC Repair Leeds would recommend OpenOffice. This software is free and compatible with Word and Excel. There is not a alternative to Outlook but for word processing and spreadsheets, click here.
If you need help with Office 365, contact our engineers today. We can have you up and running in no time.
