The Advantages of MS Office 365 over the Install Version

It’s not surprising why a lot of Microsoft Office users shifted to Office 365 when it was released in 2011. From the traditional disc-installed version, the cloud versions of MS Excel, PowerPoint, and Word seem to be the more feasible choice for many.

Office 365 is called the subscription version while the recently released Office 2019 is referred to as the stand-alone version. If you still can’t decide which one of them to purchase, below is a guide that can help you decide.

Office 365 vs. Office 2019

There are many points of comparison that can help individuals and corporations choose which one of these two programs will best serve their needs. Listed below are the top five.

1. Price

While price is not really the primary reason why you should choose one program suite over the other, it’s worth mentioning that Office 2019 will cost around $200. On the other hand, Office 365, which is a monthly subscription software, costs around $5. Some would argue that paying one time for a full license is more economical than paying for the same software perpetually on a monthly basis. That’s quite true but the rest of the comparison points may possibly justify the difference in price.

2. Accessibility

Office 365 is cloud-based, which means it keeps up with the times. You can practically collaborate with multiple people on an MS Excel or Word document that is saved on a server. That’s one feature that Office 2019 doesn’t have. Office 2019 can only be used accessed from the desktop while Office 365 is also compatible with Android and iOS devices.

3. Users

Office 365 allows for multiple users, depending on the plan subscribed. Office 2019, on the other hand, can be used by only one user. If you want it installed on another computer, then you have to buy another license. This is not an issue with home users but for an enterprise setup with hundreds of workspaces, it can mean a large amount of money.

4. Updates

Office 365 is evergreen, which means if there’s a new update for the software, it’s automatically installed on the computer. You can’t say the same for Office 2019. If what you have right now on your computer is Office 2016 and you’d like to update to Office 2019, you’d have to buy the new program to get an upgrade.

5. Support

The support for Office 365 is perpetual. For as long as you’re legitimately subscribed, the Microsoft support team is ready to accommodate your concerns. For Office 2019, support is offered for a limited period of time. It also means that if the product has met its end of life, then no support or new updates will be available.

Better MS Excel, Word, and PowerPoint

The comparison points listed above should make it easier for you to choose which between Office 365 and Office 2019 you should get. Whichever you buy, you get access to updated and better versions of MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and One Note. The only difference lies in the features that exactly match your needs so choose wisely.