Office 365 Personal vs Home: Picking the Right Plan for You
If you want access to Microsoft Office apps and services on all your devices, Office 365 is likely part of your options. Office 365 moves Office to the cloud through affordable subscription plans. For individual users, the main choices are Personal and Home plans. In this guide, we’ll compare the Personal and Home plans to help you choose the best fit.
Introduction to Office 365 Plans
First, what exactly is Office 365? It is Microsoft’s subscription service that provides always up-to-date access to Office apps like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint across your devices. This includes desktop, web, and mobile.
Office 365 plans also come with cloud storage on OneDrive, tech support, and extra features like email hosting. By paying a monthly or annual subscription, you can use the full Office suite on Windows, Mac, iOS and Android devices.
For individual users, the core plans are Office 365 Personal and Office 365 Home. Let’s dive into what each offers.
Overview of Office 365 Personal
Office 365 Personal gives a single user access to the full Office app suite on one desktop PC or Mac, one tablet, and one smartphone. This includes the classic Office apps:
– Microsoft Word
– Excel
– PowerPoint
– Outlook
– OneNote
– Access
– Publisher
You also get 1 TB of cloud storage on OneDrive to store and share files. Personal plans cost $6.99 per month or $69.99 per year when paid annually. Key perks include installing Office on macOS, Windows, iOS and Android devices while maintaining seamless syncing and updates across all platforms.
Ideal Users for Personal Plan
The Personal plan suits single users who need Office on a PC or Mac plus one additional tablet or mobile device. Freelancers, small business owners, students, and anyone else using Office independently can take advantage of this plan.
If you just need Office on a single desktop or laptop, however, purchasing a one-time license of Office may be more affordable than a recurring subscription.
Overview of Office 365 Home
Office 365 Home allows installing Office apps across multiple devices with some handy extra features. Home plans allow download and use on:
– Up to 5 PCs and Macs per household
– 5 tablets
– 5 phones
That means every member of a family can utilize Office on their own devices with a single Home subscription. You also get 1 TB of OneDrive cloud storage per user account. Home plans start at $9.99 per month or $99.99 annually.
Home Sweet Office 365 Home
The Home version really shines for families and households with multiple members wanting Office access. Apart from the expanded installs, Home offers useful family sharing capabilities:
– Share calendars to coordinate schedules
– Collaborate on family documents and media
– Manage kids’ screen time and app usage with Family Safety features
– Streamline bills and expenses with Microsoft 365 Family Finance
– Advanced security features like ransomware detection and recovery with Microsoft Defender
With all members covered on a single subscription, Office 365 Home offers a lot of value and convenience for families. Extra security protection also appeals to parents managing kids’ devices.
Comparing Personal and Home Plans
To recap the key differences:
– Personal allows 1 PC/Mac, 1 tablet, 1 phone
– Home allows up to 5 PC/Mac, 5 tablets, 5 phones per household
Both plans give you the full Office app suite and 1 TB of OneDrive storage per user. But Home has extras like family sharing, security protection, and premium features.
Personal runs $6.99 monthly, while Home costs $9.99 per month. Yearly subscriptions bring the lowest upfront cost.
Choosing the Right Plan for You
When deciding between Personal and Home plans, first consider the number of people who need Office access in your family.
The Personal plan works well for individuals who just require Office on a laptop plus one mobile or tablet device. But as soon as you have two or more family members needing Office, the Home plan becomes the better value with its expanded device installs and family-oriented features.
If you have kids at home for remote learning or lots of at home Office use, paying a little more for the flexibility of Home makes sense. But single users or those who just need Office occasionally can stick to a Personal subscription.
Transitioning to Office 365
Migrating existing Office documents like Word files and spreadsheets into OneDrive is straightforward. Office 365 subscriptions unlock the latest apps and functionality for creating content across devices, while still accessing your legacy Office content.
For those accustomed to one-time license purchases of Office suites, the shift to a subscription model takes adjustment. But the continually updated apps, abundant cloud storage, and flexible device access make Office 365 a smart long-term investment for home users.
With the Personal versus Home choice, weigh your current and future needs. Home supports the whole family, while Personal suits solo use cases well. Either delivers a robust Office experience.
The Bottom Line
Office 365 Personal and Home plans both enable full use of Office apps like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint on desktop and mobile. If you’re the only one who needs access, a Personal subscription is the most affordable at $6.99 per month. But for families with multiple devices, Home really shines at only $9.99 per month.
Evaluate your specific usage needs. But for many households, Office 365 Home’s family sharing tools and expanded device installs make it the ideal plan for enjoying Office across all screens.
