


These apps have been the standard for home office productivity for a long time, but they aren't always included with your device, and getting access on your own may cost more than you think.Īssuming the barebones online freebie version of Office won't work for you (see below), your options essentially boil down to paying a rolling monthly or yearly fee for a Microsoft 365 subscription or punting for a one-time Office license, which typically costs as much as $430 with the full panoply of apps.

There's also Microsoft PowerPoint for creating presentations, Microsoft Outlook for email and scheduling and Microsoft Access for database management (though that last one is available only on the Windows edition). And for spreadsheets, Microsoft Excel offers a higher level of functionality than you'll generally find in Google Sheets. Microsoft Word, for instance, is the industry standard when it comes to word processing. They might work for a while, but they are definitely not a legal option.Microsoft Office is used by businesses, schools and individuals around the globe and is often considered the default when it comes to productivity apps. Don’t fall for the eBay sellers that offer Microsoft 365 or Office 365 subscriptions for $1. When you’re looking for these deals, make sure they are from a legitimate site. After discounts, you might get the Home plan for around $80 ($20 off) from Amazon. If you monitor the deals, you’ll find some discounts for the Office 365 Personal Home plans online. Microsoft’s website is not the only place where you can sign up for an Office 365 subscription. Instead of paying for it out of your pocket, you can ask for it to be covered as a company expense. If the Microsoft Office suite is important for you to get work done, you can make the case to your employer. If you can convince them to add you for free, that’s an even better option. That means you can get the entire Microsoft Office 365 experience for around $17/year.

That way you can split the $99/year cost between six users. Hey, if you can share your Netflix account, why not your Office account too? If you find a professional or a small business-person who uses the plan, you can ask them to add you to it. Speaking of the Microsoft 365 Home plan, you can ask around to see if you know anyone that already uses it. You can find Windows laptops that cost less than $500 that come bundled with a free Office 365 Home plan that can be shared with up to 6 users. Yes, this is not the most cost-effective option, but if you’re shifting to working from home, or if you’re in the market for a new PC, you can look for ones that come with a Microsoft Office 365 subscription.
