Which MS Office for a one off purchase?

[Technique]

MS Office seems to be different now to when i last looked at it. Subscription fees, ongoing payments ... not something i'm ever really interested in. I prefer one off payments. Buy it and it's yours.

 

I currently have MS Office 2010. At some point in the near future, since we're on lock down and i've little else to do, i'll be preparing my PC to move from W7 to W10. I was considering a newer MS Office in the process but first off, i don't want anything subscription based.

 

What should i be looking at in that case?

 

Then we get on to questions 2 & 3...

 

2) What would that version give me over MS Office 2010

 

3) Do i even need it, or rather would it be beneficial over MS Office 2010?

[jnelsoninjax]

Unless you really need MS Office, there are plenty of open source office suites, such as Libreoffice that work the same way that MS Office does. But if you are determined to keep MS then I believe that 2010 will work in Windows 10

[adrynalyne]

Office 2019 is a one-time purchase.

[+devHead Subscriber²]

1 hour ago, Technique said:

MS Office seems to be different now to when i last looked at it. Subscription fees, ongoing payments ... not something i'm ever really interested in. I prefer one off payments. Buy it and it's yours.

 

I currently have MS Office 2010. At some point in the near future, since we're on lock down and i've little else to do, i'll be preparing my PC to move from W7 to W10. I was considering a newer MS Office in the process but first off, i don't want anything subscription based.

 

What should i be looking at in that case?

 

Then we get on to questions 2 & 3...

 

2) What would that version give me over MS Office 2010

 

3) Do i even need it, or rather would it be beneficial over MS Office 2010?

There are a ton of improvements in the last decade with Office.  Office 2019 can be purchased for businesses for a one-time fee of $249 per user / license.

https://products.office.com/en-us/get-started-with-office-2019#office-ContentAreaHeadingTemplate-eri5pno

 

For home use, I have Office 365, which gives me 6 licenses (me plus 5 more people) for $99 a year and each one also includes 1 TB of OneDrive space.  At that rate, it's essentially $16.50 per user per year.  At that rate, I would reach $249 per user in 15 years.  I realize that the idea of subscription software is unpalatable to some, and I would not have a subscription to Adobe's products.  But Microsoft has a pretty compelling offer with their Office Suite.  Just my 2 cents...

[techfreak]

The current version of Microsoft Office is a comprehensive set of cloud offerings paired with a set of desktop clients. NOT the other around. The stand-alone licenses are anachronistic and you forgo 2/3rds of the benefits and functionality.

 

 If you require simply to edit documents locally and forgo the cloud features then there are many free and low cost document editors out there: libreoffice.org, freeoffice, onlyoffice, etc. in fact, why use windows at all and simply use Linux.

[Tuskd]

Depends on your needs. What kind of work would you be doing? Based on that your options are:
1) Office 2010. It might still work absolutely fine for simple documents and spreadsheets.
2) Office Online. It is the most basic and FREE version of the modern Office. It has all the basic features but I am not sure whether all Office 2010 features are in here (even if so, only certain advanced features in Office 2010 may be missing). All you need is a free Microsoft Account (Outlook/Hotmail/Live account). Remember, this needs an active Internet connection to work. Files are stored in OneDrive which can later be downloaded. This is how the modern Office suite looks and feels like, so give it a try and see if it suits you. Go to https://www.office.com

3) Office Home & Student 2019. $149.99 If you just need the latest Word, Excel and PowerPoint for personal use. However, Microsoft really wants you to buy Office 365 . Go to https://products.office.com/en-us/compare-all-microsoft-office-products?activetab=tab:primaryr1
4) Office Home & Business 2019. $249.99 You get Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote for commercial use. However again, Microsoft really wants you to buy Office 365 . Go to https://products.office.com/en-us/get-started-with-office-2019#compare_table

5) Office 365 Personal/Home/Business. This is the subscription service that offers always-up-to-date versions of Office and at least 1TB OneDrive storage based on the plan. I understand that you don't want subscriptions but if you use Cloud storage (OneDrive/Google Drive/Dropbox/iCloud/Box) considerably, it is a very good deal.

I seriously doubt Microsoft would offer Office as a standalone product in another 10 years time, so if you absolutely don't want subscriptions ever, buy options 3 or 4 for future-proofing. For simple needs go for Option 2, else Option 5.

There are always open source software like OpenOffice and LibreOffice but they will have compatibility issues when you are trying to share your files with others, even if you convert them to the Office file formats. They are good if you only work on your PC and don't send/share the file to someone else. (But this is my opinion, others may differ)

Edited March 30, 2020 by Tuskd
Explained more about Office Online

[Technique]

To be honest, subscription really is not an option. I'm not a fan of it one bit. If that puts me in prehistoric times then i'm a happy dinosaur.

This whole idea of subscribing to absolutely everything is beyond me. This whole idea of this only costs that much, that only costs this much. No wonder people are in so much debt. Fine if you earn a nice amount and everything you're subscribing to can easily be afforded, but if it can't then there's a problem.

 

You take out car insurance. Yeah but if you just stretch to this you can cover that as well. Oh ok then.

But now you've stretched to that if you just add on a bit more than you can cover this, it's a great deal. Oh ok then, it's only an extra £5.

Ok now you've done that, if you add another £5 you can cover this also. Hmm well it's only £5. Go on then.

See where i'm going? Before you know it that £5 has actually turned in to £250.

 

Same with this subscription lark. This cloud payment is £xyz. Not so bad. That subscription for that software is £xyz not so bad. That subscription for that Apple product is £xyz-z (has to be an extra bit since it's Apple ;)) not so bad. That insurance for that Apple product is £xyz, not so bad.

 

Put them all together and you've actually saved no or little money from your wage that month.

 

Roof needs repairing on your house? Damn, i've no money. But at least i've got cloud storage.

 

I'm not totally against this subscription thing. For some people it works. They can afford it AND everything else they want. That's  great. I prioritise my money in other areas and i'm only saying all this so you understand the angle i'm coming from. So until MS Office becomes subscription based with no other option then i'll be going standalone. And if it comes subscription based, i'll be looking at other products.

 

 

 

On the topic of which .... LibreOffice and similar. Everyone and their dog seems to use MS Office. It's so annoying when you're emailed a file and can't open it because it's in a different format. Not only that, i don't like change (can you tell? lol) - i'm familiar with MS Office and for now i wish to stay that way. I appreciate the alternative suggestion though.

 

 

As for my usage. Well this may be where MS Office 2010 could still do me fine. I'm no office worker, i'm not at school. I work outside in a manual job. I use MS Word when i need to type up a document. I use MS Excel when i need to do some spreadsheeting, although that may or may not reduce if i ever get round to using a product like MS Money/AceMoney for finances (depends if i like the software or not). I don't use Access or PowerPoint. I could use Outlook, it depends if this would offer me anything serious and beneficial over Windows Live Mail (i know it's dated, i'll be looking at moving to Thunderbird perhaps).

So you may well then suggest i just stick with MS Office 2010.

 

 

Two things though...

 

1) When i bought MS Office 2010 which would've probably been roughly 10 years ago now, someone on another forum linked me to a site selling legit copies for about £30-£50 IIRC. Serial number with it and everything. It was possibly a student version, i can't remember. I've tried searching through my emails for more info but can't find it. Is there no such option these days? Everything costing well over 3 figures?

Just asking, as i had to be linked to it back then, i wasn't aware of it at the time.

 

2) So aside from all this cloud stuff, does MS Office 2019 offer any worthwhile benefits over MS Office 2010 or are you really only paying for this Cloud stuff (both in the initial payment and then the ongoing payment)? Just that reading through the thread, i can't actually see what MS Office 2019 will give me beyond the option of cloud storage.

[Technique]

Here's another question. Why would you buy a licence for £12 https://www.gamekeydiscounter.co.uk/microsoft/microsoft-office/office-2019/microsoft-office-professional-plus-2019/pc

 

When i look up to download this MS Office 2019 (not that i'm going to do it today, i was just doing a dummy run as though i would be doing it today) i can only find to buy it direct from Microsoft at a hefty cost which i imagine also comes with the key.

 

Or would you only use a link like that if you want to install it on additional machines?

[Nick H. Supervisor]

I would be wary of purchasing a key from somewhere other than the official seller. I always work with the idea that if it's too good to be true - and the difference in price there is quite significant - then it probably is. But at the same time, if you have £16.50 to spare then maybe give it a go. Worst case scenario is you're only out £16.50.

 

Something else that you could try is speaking to your employer to see if they are a member of the Microsoft HUP (Home Use Program). You'll get a similar discount to the one you listed - I think I paid 20CHF for the Office 2016 suite - but at least you know that it is reputable.

 

I wouldn't pay $440 for the suite, but I hardly ever do that kind of thing with my computer. I maybe edit a document once every couple of months.

[Jim K Global Moderator]

HUP is only 365 .... no longer the one time purchase.  Fairly recent change...I was able to get Office 2019 before they made it 365 only.

[Nick H. Supervisor]

5 minutes ago, Jim K said:

HUP is only 365 .... no longer the one time purchase.  Fairly recent change...I was able to get Office 2019 before they made it 365 only.

Damn, that's a shame to hear. 🙁

[Jim K Global Moderator]

9 minutes ago, Nick H. said:

Damn, that's a shame to hear. 🙁

Yep.  I had been getting Office that way since Office 2010 (I believe..maybe 2007 as well) ... I'll be on 2019 for a long time.

 

The HUP for 365 is just a 30% (or somewhere around there) sub discount.  😞 

[Brandon H Supervisor]

4 hours ago, Technique said:

On the topic of which .... LibreOffice and similar. Everyone and their dog seems to use MS Office. It's so annoying when you're emailed a file and can't open it because it's in a different format. Not only that, i don't like change (can you tell? lol) - i'm familiar with MS Office and for now i wish to stay that way. I appreciate the alternative suggestion though.

most of the open-source alternatives like LibreOffice can open MS Office formats now though so that part shouldn't really be an issue for you 🙂

 

There are only two pieces that LibreOffice doesn't have an alternative to, Access and Outlook. It has an alternative version to everything else including Visio and can open the MS Office formats.

 

LibreOffice also has 2 views, the classic toolbar view and it has a ribbon view now to be similar to the newer MS Office look if you're more familiar with that 🙂

[dipsylalapo Supervisor]

If you really don't wanna pay for the sub, then I'd go for one of the free alternatives. As Brandon pointed out, most of the support MS formats so you're good to go. 

 

I recently thought about ditching O365 for a free alternative, but then realised I'm probably not going be able to find 5TB storage online for less 😂

[waysidesc]

I probably would stay with Office 2010 ...

 

Based on your experiences and usage ... it does not seem that you would need any thing more than Office 2010 ...

 

The only issue about which I would be concerned is that all support for Office 2010 ends later this year ...

 

If you must upgrade to a perpetual version for Windows 10 I would recommend Office 2019 ...

[Brandon H Supervisor]

1 minute ago, waysidesc said:

I probably would stay with Office 2010 ...

 

Based on your experiences and usage ... it does not seem that you would need any thing more than Office 2010 ...

 

The only issue about which I would be concerned is that all support for Office 2010 ends later this year ...

 

If you must upgrade to a perpetual version for Windows 10 I would recommend Office 2019 ...

yes, Office 2016 or 2019 are your best bet for continued support if you must stay with the MS Office Suite. Both offer classic standalone licenses. (2019 will be the last standalone version I hear)

[waysidesc]

14 hours ago, Brandon H said:

yes, Office 2016 or 2019 are your best bet for continued support if you must stay with the MS Office Suite. Both offer classic standalone licenses. (2019 will be the last standalone version I hear)

For what it is worth ... or not ... I still use the beautiful and legendary and venerable  Office 2003  here and there ...

 

( Apropos of legacy versions, Office 2007 was the 'best bang for the buck' as it had the vast majority of apps which were removed in later versions of the suite ( goodbye, Microsoft Groove ... ) ).

[Technique]

Thanks.

Googling comparisons between 2010 and 2019 i'm not really sure what 2019 gives me over 2019 other than 'new stuff' that i actually probably wont need based on what i use the office suite for. If i was a suit & tie business guy then maybe but i'm not. On that note it may be better then that i just stick with 2010 but i thought i'd at least look in to an alternative.

 

If i can acquire 2019 cheaply like i did with 2010 then maybe but otherwise probably not.

 

Regards the support, i'm not totally sure why that'd be a big issue for someone like me. I just create a few documents and spreadsheets here and there. Perhaps it would become an issue if i was using Outlook which i may or may not do when i shift to W10. I'm more than happy with Windows Live Mail and since Thunderbird looks a lot like WLM, i'll probably opt for that.

 

Still, thanks for the feedback.

[Dick Montage]

18 minutes ago, Technique said:

Regards the support, i'm not totally sure why that'd be a big issue for someone like me

"Security" would be my go-to response.  Keeping your software patched is a major part of that.  

[samw61]

I understand and agree with the "if it ain't broke, why fix it" mentality of sticking with something you know. If you stick with your same workflow, there is zero benefit to upgrading (other than security). However if you change your workflow, or how you operate, some of the new features may surprise you and allow you to work in ways you haven't thought of before. It mightn't apply to you, but for many of us, this is why we update and embrace new tech as there is usually a benefit. 

For one, I work outdoors as a park ranger. For the most part I just do day to day outdoor work, asset improvements, community engagement and other things that don't need much IT support. However I also deal with event permits for major events we host, or may need to refer to a building drawing/schematic as part of an audit or repair. OneDrive allowed me to have access to those documents while out in the field, and the new features of Outlook allowed me to quickly communicate between staff and managers rather that heading back to the office. Some people don't use it as they haven't changed their workflow, so rather than looking up the calendar with event permit details, they call me instead (taking up both of our time), but for the most part, it works much better for most of us. 

Reconsider how it could help you operate faster or more flexible. Mightn't work for you, but it's worth looking into it at least.

[margrave]

https://betanews.com/2020/03/30/microsoft-365-consumers/

[Brandon H Supervisor]

4 hours ago, Human.Online said:

"Security" would be my go-to response.  Keeping your software patched is a major part of that.  

yeah security would be the main reason to go with a version newer than 2010. That's why I recommended 2016 as you should be able to find some cheap keys for that now that it's not the newest but will still be supported for some time.

 

Once support ends on 2010 you'll stop getting security patches on it leaving you potentially vulnerable to maliciously coded files and such.

 

edit: looking on Amazon you can get an Office 2016 Pro Plus key for $40 https://www.amazon.com/Office-Professional-English-Lifetime-Download/dp/B0851YDPCF/ 🙂

ebay usually has even cheaper keys too as some groups buy in bulk and then sell them cheaper.

[dipsylalapo Supervisor]

4 hours ago, Technique said:

Thanks.

Googling comparisons between 2010 and 2019 i'm not really sure what 2019 gives me over 2019 other than 'new stuff' that i actually probably wont need based on what i use the office suite for. If i was a suit & tie business guy then maybe but i'm not. On that note it may be better then that i just stick with 2010 but i thought i'd at least look in to an alternative.

 

If i can acquire 2019 cheaply like i did with 2010 then maybe but otherwise probably not.

 

Regards the support, i'm not totally sure why that'd be a big issue for someone like me. I just create a few documents and spreadsheets here and there. Perhaps it would become an issue if i was using Outlook which i may or may not do when i shift to W10. I'm more than happy with Windows Live Mail and since Thunderbird looks a lot like WLM, i'll probably opt for that.

 

Still, thanks for the feedback.

If that's what you need the software for, I'd just look at the online version of Office found at office.com. It's pretty much the same and has all the basic features.

 

[Brandon H Supervisor]

16 minutes ago, dipsylalapo said:

If that's what you need the software for, I'd just look at the online version of Office found at office.com. It's pretty much the same and has all the basic features.

 

can you save/open local documents with the web apps? been awhile since i've tested them but for some reason I'm thinking you could only save/open docs on your OneDrive. (the web apps are blocked at my work so can't check right now)

[dipsylalapo Supervisor]

2 minutes ago, Brandon H said:

can you save/open local documents with the web apps? been awhile since i've tested them but for some reason I'm thinking you could only save/open docs on your OneDrive. (the web apps are blocked at my work so can't check right now)

Fair point, just had a look. 

 

You can upload and open documents from your local machine. Once you're done editing, you're able to download a copy. 

 

But given that it's a cloud service, I think it's driven primarily for docs stored in your OneDrive

[Sulphy]

I also had this dilema, and ended up going for a home o365 subscription, which gives you 5 installs of office local, or using the web apps. Convenient side of it is, that if a newer version of office comes out, you automatically get it. No more worrying about storing product keys etc etc.... 

 

So now i can hand out office to my family, and share one-drive with them, so if someones laptop goes bang, i dont care about backups anymore for them... just store it all on one drive, pictures, desktop documents etc.... just so much less hassle at the end of the day.!