


See Also: Office 365 Global Affordability survey Single licence – no swapping Office 2019 has less support than Microsoft’s own ‘fixed’ policy requires.

There’s less competition on the perpetual license products compared to Microsoft 365 Home ‘subscription’ which is usually available for less than the headline price. The retail prices are high and there’s less chance for retail discounts. At this cost, it takes a little over six months for you to get a full return on the investment compared with buying the subscription, so the risk factor isn't super high here.Microsoft’s prices for Office 2019 bundles make one thing clear, Microsoft really doesn’t want people buying Office 2019. But versions of Stack's deal have been running for more than a year - the one we bought in early 2022, for instance, still works fine. To that last point: Though this is listed as a "lifetime license" - that is, the lifetime of the computer you installed it on - it's worth noting there's always a risk that Microsoft could terminate the license. And while the apps should continue to work as long as your computer does, Microsoft's support for this version of Office ends on Oct. You won't get any OneDrive Cloud Storage, nor will you get the fancy new cloud-based AI features like Microsoft Copilot. Likewise, you're passing up on other benefits you'd get as a 365 subscriber. First, this key is good only for a single computer, so you won't be able to install it on various machines in your home, and if your current computer happens to die, you could run into a snag when trying to transfer it. Now, a deal this good comes with some caveats. (Separately - and notably - Apple users should note that Outlook is now a free app for the Mac.) There's a free online version of Microsoft Office that you can use as well, but it isn't nearly as feature complete. StackSocial's deal is a great bargain when compared with the online Microsoft 365 subscription suite that starts at $7 a month or $70 a year for individuals.
