| Method | Cost | Pros | Cons | |--------|------|------|------| | | $69.99/year (Personal) | Always updated, 1TB OneDrive, works on multiple devices | Recurring cost | | Office 2016 Home & Business (one-time purchase) | $229–$299 (if found) | Own it forever, no subscription | Hard to find new; no feature updates | | Office 2021 or 2024 (one-time purchase) | $149.99 (Home & Student) | Modern version, one-time fee | No cloud services | | Free alternatives | $0 | LibreOffice, OnlyOffice, Google Docs | Less compatible with complex .docx/.xlsx macros | | Volume License (for businesses) | Varies | 5+ licenses, deployment tools | Requires minimum purchase through reseller |