By Mary J. Carey 
The Microsoft Office 2024 office suite allows you to use Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote without paying for a Microsoft 365 subscription. All these programs are among the best in what they do, so this is a great value for Windows and macOS users working on a single computer. The Home version has everything that freelancers and students need to be productive, while the Home & Business version is ideal for companies that want stable applications that continue to receive security patches. Don’t expect cloud storage space or major feature updates. In addition to Microsoft 365, Microsoft Office 2024 wins our Editors’ Choice Award because it makes the company’s best office apps more affordable in the long run.
How Much Does Microsoft Office 2024 Cost?
If you want to use Microsoft Office on a single PC or Mac, you can choose between the Home and Home & Business levels. The former offers you the “classic desktop versions 2024” of Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote on Windows 10 or 11 or one of the last three versions of macOS, while the latter (which I tested) adds Outlook and is suitable for commercial use. Microsoft promises security updates for these apps, but not much more. Note that there is no upgrade path from either level; if a new standalone version comes out, you will have to pay the full price for the upgrade.
Enterprise users can order volume licenses for Office Long Term Service Channel (LTSC), designed for systems that are not connected to the Internet. The only significant difference from the ltsc versions of Office applications is that they include an accessibility ribbon that allows them to meet the accessibility requirements of governments and enterprises (for example, compatibility with screen reading software).
I prefer to keep up to date with a Microsoft 365 subscription, but there are many reasons for a one-time purchase. For example, you don’t have to worry about losing access to your apps if your subscription expires unexpectedly. You also don’t have to deal with Microsoft’s potentially troubling changes to the application interfaces and features. In recent years, for example, the company has replaced the old search dialog with the navigation area and the spell checking dialog with the proof area.
Alternatives to Office 2024
Of course, Microsoft Office is not the only office suite available. Google’s pure online workspace (not to be confused with Google Docs editors) has its advantages for collaboration. Google’s apps are easy to navigate and work seamlessly with Gmail and web forms, but they don’t handle large files as well as Microsoft’s apps or they don’t work as well. Otherwise, LibreOffice carries the torch of the open source and government compliance crowd, and Apple’s simplified iWork suite is available for free to users of Apple devices. You can also contact Corel WordPerfect Office if your law firm or company is using this, or be tempted to save a little money with SoftMaker Office.
However, with an Office 2024 license or a Microsoft 365 subscription, most users are still better off. Yes, Microsoft Word can be very annoying if it unexpectedly formats your documents in a way that you can’t undo. But the document format is ubiquitous, and no other competitor is so good. For example, if you use regular expressions (extended placeholders) in the search and replace function or in style management to simplify the creation and maintenance of consistent documents, you can save hours of work. All other office applications have similar advantages.
How to get Office 2024
It took me a few minutes to find out that I had to go to the services and subscriptions section on my Microsoft account page and scroll two full screens to the product purchase list to download the software. There you will find a button to install. Alternatively, you can use an installation button to return to the place where you purchased the license for downloading.
For installation, you can choose the default option (32-bit Office installed on my 64-bit Windows 11 system), specify a 32 or 64-bit installer, or opt for a 5 GB disk image for offline installations. I tried the offline installer out of curiosity, but found that the software on the desktop image was not used because my system was online. Regardless of how you install it, Microsoft Teams will appear on your system if it does not already exist.