Choosing the right Microsoft Office edition
Updated November 1, 2026
Three questions settle it: do you use Office for paid work, do you need Outlook, and are you on a Mac?
Office 2024 editions compared
| Item | Home 2024 | Home & Business 2024 | Professional Plus 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Outlook | No | Yes | Yes |
| Access | No | No | Yes |
| Commercial use | No | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Mac | Yes | Yes | No |
Quick picks
- Students and households: Office Home 2024.
- Freelancers and small businesses, PC or Mac: Office Home & Business 2024.
- Offices that use Access databases on Windows: Office 2024 Professional Plus.
- Diagrams and process maps: add Visio. Project schedules: add Project.
What about older versions?
Office 2021 lost Microsoft support on October 13, 2026, and Office 2019 and 2016 on October 14, 2025. They still work, but no longer receive security updates. Buy them only when a specific file, macro or add-in requires that version.
