Koopgids
· 9 min leestijd· Bijgewerkt op 2026-05-12Which Office version should you buy?
Office 2021, 2024 or Microsoft 365? A practical guide to picking the right Office edition by use case, hardware and budget.
- Office 2024
- Microsoft 365
- Buyer's guide
- Cheapest pick
- €34.90
- Best value/seat
- €13.98
- Lifetime
- Yes
- Refund window
- 14 days
The short answer
If you're buying Office today and your PC is reasonably modern (Windows 10 or 11), get Office 2024 Pro Plus. It's the newest perpetual release, ships every Microsoft 365 feature backport from 2021 through 2024, and costs a fraction of MSRP at €34.90 on this site.
If you need cloud storage and multiple devices for a family, pick Microsoft 365 Family — 6 users, 1 TB OneDrive each.
If you're already standardised on Office 2021, the 2021 Pro Plus key is still in stock at an even lower price.
By use case
Different users get different value from each edition. Here's how to match an edition to your real workflow.
- · Solo freelancer on Windows → Office 2024 Pro Plus 1-PC. All 7 apps, lifetime, €34.90.
- · Family of 4 sharing files → Microsoft 365 Family. 1 TB per user, runs on phones and tablets too.
- · Small office with 5 PCs → Office 2024 Pro Plus 5-PC pack. €69.90 total — about €14 per seat.
- · Mac user who needs Outlook → Office Home & Business 2024 — Mac.
- · Student / personal use only → Office 2024 Home & Student. Word + Excel + PowerPoint.
- · IT shop standardized on 2021 → Office 2021 Pro Plus account-bound (transferable).
Perpetual vs subscription — the long-term math
A perpetual Office 2024 license costs you once and stays valid forever on the licensed device. Microsoft 365 is a yearly subscription that stops working when you stop paying.
Over a 5-year horizon, a single perpetual license costs ~€35 total. A Microsoft 365 Personal subscription costs roughly €85 × 5 = €425. M365 Family at €109 × 5 = €545.
Subscription wins only if you genuinely use the cloud storage (1 TB OneDrive per user), cross-device sync, or share with multiple people.
- Office 2024 Pro Plus (perpetual)€35 · one-time
- Office 2021 Pro Plus (perpetual)€28 · one-time
- Microsoft 365 Personal€425 · €85/yr × 5
- Microsoft 365 Family (€109/yr ÷ 6)€91 · per user share
Edition lineup at a glance
Microsoft sells Office in three tiers — Home & Student (3 apps), Home & Business (4 apps with Outlook), and Pro Plus (the full 7-app suite).
Pro Plus is the volume-licensed edition normally reserved for enterprise customers. We sell it because the per-seat price drops dramatically at volume tier and the apps are identical to retail Pro.
| App | Home & Student | Home & Business | Pro Plus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Word | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Excel | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| PowerPoint | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Outlook | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| OneNote | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Access (Windows) | — | — | ✓ |
| Publisher (Windows) | — | — | ✓ |
| Commercial use | — | ✓ | ✓ |
Decision flow — pick in 30 seconds
Walk these four questions top to bottom and stop at the first 'yes'.
- · 1. Do you need 1 TB+ cloud storage or 5+ devices? → Microsoft 365 Family.
- · 2. Do you only need Word/Excel/PowerPoint on one PC? → Office 2024 Home & Student.
- · 3. Do you need Outlook for business email on one PC/Mac? → Office 2024 Home & Business.
- · 4. Anything else (multi-PC, Access, Publisher, best €/seat)? → Office 2024 Pro Plus 1- or 5-PC.
Veelgestelde vragen
- Is Office 2024 a one-time purchase?
- Yes. You pay once, activate on the licensed PC and keep the apps for life. Security updates are delivered free until Microsoft's mainstream support ends in October 2029.
- Can I use one Office 2024 key on two computers?
- A 1-PC key activates one device. For two or more devices, the 3-PC or 5-PC Pro Plus packs are cheaper per seat than buying multiple single keys.
- Does Office 2024 include Copilot?
- No. Copilot is a Microsoft 365 subscription feature. The standalone Office 2024 release ships without AI features.
- Will Office 2024 open .docx files made in Microsoft 365?
- Yes — both editions share the same Open XML file format. Files round-trip cleanly between perpetual and subscription Office.
Aanbevolen licenties
Office Professional Plus 2024 — 1 PC
Perpetual · 1 PC · Windows
The latest perpetual Office suite for one Windows PC.
Office Professional Plus 2024 — 5 PCs
Perpetual · 5 PCs · Windows
Five-device pack — best value per PC.
Microsoft 365 Family — 6 users · 30 devices
6 users · 1 year · 30 devices
Premium Office for up to 6 people with 1 TB OneDrive each.
Office Home & Business 2024 — Mac & Windows
Perpetual · 1 device · Mac or PC
Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook for Mac or PC.
Verwante gidsen
- Office 2024 vs Microsoft 365 — which is better?
Head-to-head comparison of Office 2024 (one-time purchase) and Microsoft 365 (subscription) — total cost of ownership, cloud storage, multi-device support and feature differences.
- Office 2024 vs Office 2021
Three years of feature backports separate Office 2024 from Office 2021. Here's what's actually new and whether the price gap justifies the jump.
- Best Office for students in 2026
Free Microsoft 365 from your university, perpetual Office 2024 Home & Student, or LibreOffice — the right pick by budget and degree.
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