Microsoft sells Office 2024 in three main perpetual-license editions, and the differences matter more than most buyers realize. The wrong choice means either paying for apps you will never use or discovering too late that a critical feature is missing.
This comparison breaks down exactly what each Office 2024 edition includes, who each one actually serves, and where the real value lies.
What all three editions share
Every Office 2024 perpetual license — regardless of edition — gives you the same core desktop applications: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote. These are the full-featured desktop versions, not stripped-down web alternatives. You install them once, activate with a product key, and use them indefinitely without a subscription.
All three editions receive security updates through Microsoft's support lifecycle. None of them receive new feature additions after release — that distinction belongs to Microsoft 365 subscriptions.
The fundamental differences come down to three things: which additional apps are included, whether you get commercial use rights, and which platforms are supported.
The editions at a glance
| Feature | Office Home 2024 | Office Home & Business 2024 | Office Professional Plus 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Word | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Excel | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| PowerPoint | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| OneNote | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Outlook | No | Yes | Yes |
| Access | No | No | Yes |
| Publisher | No | No | No (removed from 2024) |
| Teams | No | Yes | Yes |
| Commercial use | No | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Mac | Yes | Yes | No |
| Devices | 1 PC or Mac | 1 PC or Mac | 1 PC |
A few things jump out from this table. Office Home 2024 does not include Outlook, which immediately limits its usefulness for anyone who manages email or calendars professionally. Professional Plus adds Access but drops Mac support entirely. And Publisher, despite being listed in older comparisons, was discontinued for the 2024 release — no edition includes it.
Office Home 2024
Best for: Students, home users, and anyone who only needs Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote for personal tasks.
Office Home 2024 is the entry point. You get the four core applications and nothing else. There is no Outlook, no Access, no Teams integration, and no commercial use rights.
The licensing restriction is the detail that catches people off guard. Office Home 2024 is licensed for personal and non-commercial use only. If you use it for work — even freelancing from your kitchen table — you are technically violating the license terms. Microsoft does not define how strictly they enforce this, but the restriction exists and it is explicit.
For students writing essays, families managing budgets, or anyone who genuinely uses Office only for personal purposes, this edition covers the basics. It works on both Windows and Mac, and it activates on one device at a time.
If you need Outlook for email, or if there is any chance you will use Office for business, this is not the right edition.
Office Home & Business 2024
Best for: Freelancers, small business owners, and anyone who needs Outlook alongside the core Office apps.
Office Home & Business 2024 adds two things that Office Home lacks: Outlook and commercial use rights. That is essentially it. You do not get Access, and you do not get Publisher. But for many users, those two additions change the equation entirely.
Outlook handles email, calendar, and contact management in a single desktop application. If you run a business, manage client communications, or simply prefer a dedicated email client over webmail, Outlook is not optional — it is necessary.
The commercial use rights mean you can legally use this edition for work. Freelancers, consultants, small business employees, and self-employed professionals all need this license type. Office Home 2024's personal-only restriction does not apply here.
This edition works on both Windows and Mac, which makes it the only perpetual Office 2024 edition with Outlook that supports macOS. If you are on a Mac and need Outlook, this is your only option among the perpetual licenses.
For a deeper look at what this specific edition includes, see our Office 2024 Home & Business overview.
Office Professional Plus 2024
Best for: Power users, businesses that need Access, and anyone who wants the most complete Office suite available.
Professional Plus is the most feature-rich perpetual Office 2024 edition. It includes everything in Home & Business plus Microsoft Access, the relational database management tool.
Access is the primary differentiator. It lets you build database applications, manage structured data, create forms and reports, and connect to external data sources. Small businesses often use Access for inventory tracking, customer records, and operational dashboards that have outgrown spreadsheets. If your workflow involves databases in any form, Access is the reason to choose Professional Plus.
The trade-off is platform support. Professional Plus is Windows only. There is no Mac version. Microsoft has never offered a Mac equivalent of the full Professional Plus suite, and that has not changed with Office 2024.
Professional Plus also includes more advanced Excel capabilities. Features like Power Query, Power Pivot, and advanced data modelling tools are available in this edition but not in Home or Home & Business. For users who work with large datasets, complex formulas, or data transformation workflows, these Excel features alone justify the upgrade.
One thing to note: Professional Plus is typically sold through volume licensing channels rather than Microsoft's consumer store. It is widely available through authorized resellers, which often makes it less expensive than Home & Business despite including more applications.
Bigbl offers Office 2024 Professional Plus for 1 PC as well as a 5-PC license for teams and small businesses.
Office LTSC Professional Plus 2024
Best for: Organizations that need a feature-frozen deployment, regulated industries, or environments with restricted internet access.
Microsoft also sells an LTSC (Long-Term Servicing Channel) variant of Professional Plus. LTSC editions receive security and quality updates but no new features after release. The feature set is frozen at the time of purchase.
For most individual buyers, the difference between standard Professional Plus and LTSC Professional Plus is negligible. Both include the same applications. The LTSC designation matters primarily for organizations that need predictable, stable deployments — think government agencies, healthcare systems, manufacturing environments, or any workplace where software changes must be controlled and audited.
LTSC is also the edition designed for disconnected or restricted environments. If a workstation cannot reach Microsoft's update servers regularly, LTSC's servicing model accommodates that scenario.
Bigbl carries Office LTSC Professional Plus 2024 in multi-PC packages suited for organizational deployment.
For a detailed comparison between LTSC and standard perpetual licenses, see our Microsoft 365 vs Office 2024 guide.
Which edition should you choose?
The right edition depends on three questions:
1. Do you need Outlook?
If yes, eliminate Office Home 2024 immediately. Your choices are Home & Business or Professional Plus.
2. Do you need Access or advanced Excel features?
If yes, Professional Plus is the only option. Home & Business does not include Access or the advanced data tools.
3. Are you on a Mac?
If yes, Professional Plus is not available. Home & Business for Mac is your only perpetual-license option with Outlook.
Here is a practical decision path:
Personal use only, no email client needed → Office Home 2024
Freelancer or small business, needs Outlook → Office Home & Business 2024 (Windows or Mac)
Business user who needs Access or advanced Excel → Office Professional Plus 2024 (Windows only)
Organization requiring feature stability → Office LTSC Professional Plus 2024
The most common mistake is buying Office Home 2024 for business use. The price savings are not worth the licensing violation. If you use Office for work, you need Home & Business or Professional Plus — full stop.
The Mac question
Mac users face a constrained set of options. Professional Plus has never been available for macOS, and that has not changed. If you use a Mac and need Outlook, Office Home & Business 2024 for Mac is the only perpetual license that works.
Mac users who need Access have no perpetual-license option. They must either switch to Windows, use a virtual machine, or subscribe to Microsoft 365, which includes browser and cloud-based Access functionality but not the full desktop application.
This is not a limitation of Office 2024 specifically — it reflects Microsoft's longstanding approach to Mac development. Access and Publisher have never been ported to macOS.
Pricing reality
Microsoft's retail pricing for Office 2024 creates an unusual situation. Office Home 2024 retails at $179.99. Office Home & Business 2024 retails at $249.99. Professional Plus is not sold directly to consumers through Microsoft's store.
However, Professional Plus is widely available through authorized resellers at prices that often undercut Home & Business. The licensing model differs — Professional Plus keys are typically volume-license or OEM keys distributed through authorized channels — but the resulting product is the same full application suite.
This means the edition with the most features is sometimes cheaper than the mid-tier option, depending on where you purchase. It is worth comparing prices across editions before assuming that "more features costs more money."
At Bigbl, you can compare current pricing across all Office 2024 editions to see how the numbers actually stack up.
What about Office 2021?
Office 2021 is the previous perpetual-license release. It includes similar editions (Home, Home & Business, Standard, Professional Plus) with the same general app differences. The main distinctions are that Office 2021 is older, receives a shorter support window, and lacks some of the performance and design improvements introduced in 2024.
For new purchases, Office 2024 is the better investment. The support timeline alone makes it the more future-proof choice. Office 2021 reaches end of support in October 2026, while Office 2024 receives security updates through at least 2029.
If you already own Office 2021 and it meets your needs, there is no urgent reason to upgrade. But if you are buying for the first time or replacing an older version, Office 2024 is the current standard.
Frequently asked questions
Can I upgrade from Office Home 2024 to Home & Business later?
No. There is no upgrade path between Office 2024 editions. You would need to purchase a new license for the higher edition and install it separately. Your documents and templates transfer, but the license itself does not upgrade.
Does Office 2024 include Microsoft Teams?
Office Home & Business 2024 and Professional Plus 2024 include Teams. Office Home 2024 does not. However, Teams is available as a free download regardless of your Office edition, so this is not a hard blocker — just a convenience difference.
How long does Office 2024 receive security updates?
Microsoft supports Office 2024 with security updates through October 2029. This applies to all editions. You will not receive new features during this period, but your installation remains protected against known vulnerabilities.
Can I install Office 2024 on more than one computer?
No. Each Office 2024 license covers one person using one PC or one Mac. If you need Office across multiple devices, a Microsoft 365 subscription is the intended solution.
Is Office Professional Plus available for Mac?
No. Professional Plus is a Windows-only edition. Mac users who need Outlook must choose Home & Business 2024 for Mac. Users who need Access have no Mac-compatible perpetual-license option.
What is the difference between Office 2024 LTSC and standard Office 2024?
LTSC (Long-Term Servicing Channel) editions receive only security and stability updates after release — no new features. Standard Office 2024 editions also do not receive new features, but they follow a different servicing model. For individual buyers, the practical difference is minimal. LTSC matters primarily for organizational deployments that require controlled, predictable software environments.