Office 2024 is the newest one-time-purchase version of Microsoft Office, supported until 9 October 2029. It comes in three main editions, and picking the wrong one usually means missing Outlook or quietly breaking the licence terms for business use. Here's the difference in two minutes.
Side-by-side comparison
| Office Home 2024 | Home & Business 2024 | Professional Plus 2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Word, Excel, PowerPoint | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| OneNote | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Outlook | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Access (database) | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ |
| Business / commercial use | ❌ Home use only | ✅ | ✅ |
| Windows / Mac | Windows or Mac | Windows or Mac | Windows |
Office Home 2024 — for students and families
Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote for one PC or Mac. It's the successor to "Home & Student". The licence is for personal, non-commercial use — homework, household budgets, your child's project.
{product:office-home-2024-windows-mac}Office Home & Business 2024 — freelancers and shop owners
Adds Outlook and, importantly, commercial use rights. If you send invoices, run a business email, or use Office for paid work, this is the edition the licence terms expect. Works on Windows or Mac.
{product:office-home-business-2024-windows-mac}Office Professional Plus 2024 — the full Windows suite
Everything above plus Access, the database tool many accountants, schools and inventory systems still depend on. This is the edition most of our business customers buy. Note that Microsoft dropped Publisher from the 2024 suite.
{product:office-2024-professional-plus}Office 2024 vs Office 2021 — is the upgrade worth it?
Office 2024 adds dynamic charts and new functions in Excel (like IMAGE and improved array functions), better accessibility tools, a refreshed look, and performance improvements. The bigger reason to choose 2024 today is support: Office 2021 support ends on 13 October 2026, while 2024 is supported until 2029.
On a tight budget, Office 2021 still does 99% of what most people need:
{product:office-2021-professional-plus}What about Microsoft 365?
Microsoft 365 is a subscription with always-latest apps, Copilot AI and 1 TB OneDrive. It's great if you want cloud storage and AI features, but costs more over time. See Office 2021 vs 2024 vs Microsoft 365.
Frequently asked questions
Does Office Home 2024 include Outlook?
No. Outlook is included only in Office Home & Business 2024 and Professional Plus 2024.
Can I use Office Home 2024 for my business?
The Home edition's licence is for non-commercial use. For business use, choose Home & Business or Professional Plus.
How many devices can I install Office 2024 on?
One-time Office 2024 licences cover one PC (or one Mac for the Windows/Mac editions).
Is Office 2024 a one-time purchase?
Yes. You pay once and keep it. Microsoft provides security updates until 9 October 2029.