Microsoft Office 2021 vs 365: Which One Should You Get?

Microsoft gives you two ways to get Office: buy it once (Office 2021) or subscribe (Microsoft 365). Both get you Word, Excel, and PowerPoint — but the similarities end there.

Office 2021 Professional Plus

This is the classic "buy it and own it" model.

What you get:

• Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Access, Publisher
• One-time payment, use forever
• No cloud storage included
• No future feature updates (security patches only)

Best for: People who want to pay once and forget about it. If you use Office for basic document work and don't need cloud features, this is the move.

Current best price: check our Office 2021 Pro Plus comparison.

Microsoft 365

The subscription model that gives you everything.

What you get:

• All Office apps, always updated to the latest version
• 1TB OneDrive cloud storage
• Works across up to 5 devices
• Premium mobile apps
• New AI features as they launch

Best for: Anyone who works across multiple devices, needs cloud storage, or wants the latest features. Especially good for students and families.

Current best price: check our Microsoft 365 (1 Year) comparison.

The Math

Let's do some quick numbers with discount key prices:

Office 2021 wins on raw cost if you plan to use it for 2+ years. But 365 gives you cloud storage and constant updates — that 1TB of OneDrive alone would cost $24/year separately.

Our Recommendation

• Budget pick: Office 2021 Pro Plus — pay once, own forever
• Best value: Microsoft 365 — if you use OneDrive or multiple devices

Either way, buying from discount sellers saves you 70-80% compared to Microsoft's retail prices.