The standard pricing for Office Professional 2013, which includes the latest versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote, Publisher and Access, is $399.99 but if you’re an educator or student, Microsoft is offering a 4 year subscription exclusively for eligible higher education students, faculty and staff for just $79.99. This is great value for higher education students and faculty who want Office on up to 2 PCs and Windows 8 tablets, Macs, and up to 2 select mobile devices that do not count toward the 2-device limit. As with all educational software, proof of eligibility is required online before use.
An alternative for non academic users is to get the Office Home & Student 2013 version for $139.99. This is a slightly scaled down version that includes the latest versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote that can be installed on just one PC for household use. Businesses can purchase the Office Home and Business 2013 for $219.99. This is for one PC and includes Outlook as well as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote.
For large households who want Office on up to five PCs and Windows 8 tablets or Macs, the Microsoft Office 365 Home Premium 1yr Subscription for $99.99 may be another alternative. This also comes fully loaded and includes cloud services so you can have Office when and where you need it. Of course, the the only disadvantage is that you will have to renew your subscription each year so you never fully own your software.
With so many options, it may be hard to decide which version is best for you? If you’re trying to decide whether to buy a regular license or a subscription, there are different pros and cons to consider for each option. For example, Office 365 subscriptions can be installed on both Windows and Mac , whereas the Professional, Home and Student and Home and Business versions run on just Windows platforms only. You’ll pay a higher cost upfront for your regular license but you get to own the software. If you go with the Office 365, there’s a monthly or yearly subscription price but you get access to all the latest Office applications plus the cloud-based services.
Microsoft provides the following Chart to help you compare:
Compare Microsoft Office Products
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