We explain the difference between Office 365 and Office 2016 with table. Originally released in 1990, Microsoft’s Office suite has undergone an immense amount of change and development. As a result, it can be very difficult to decide which type of Office subscription to choose.
Office 2016 is a Microsoft software product that works as a one-time purchase, that is, one can buy the software once and install it on a computer respectively.
Office 365, on the other hand, provides cloud services by providing access to a number of tools, applications and services, depending on the subscription plan that has been chosen.
In addition to this, Office 365 is used online, while Office 2016 is available offline, even without an available internet connection.
The difference between Office 2016 and Office 365 is that Office 2016 can be accessed through a laptop and has a version of the basic Office applications such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc., while Office 365 provides a subscription based in the cloud with all programs, including Office 2016, that is, one can buy Office 2016 alone or as part of the Office 365 subscription.
Comparison table between Office 365 and Office 2016 (in tabular form)
| Applications | Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Outlook, Onedrive, OneNote, Publisher and Access (both on PC only), Skype | Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Outlook, OneNote, Publisher, and Access (both on PC only) |
| Prices | Pay per month / year. Prefer annually as they are cheaper than monthly subscriptions. | one-time cost per user |
| Upgrades | Comes with new updates and features / versions that can be installed | Comes with security updates but no features / versions available |
| Storage | Provides 1 TB of cloud storage via OneDrive | No storage |
| Browser compatibility | It can be accessed from a browser (Chrome, Firefox, etc.) that can be run on various devices, such as PC, Mac, Android and Apple devices. | It can be accessed through a desktop version. It is not compatible with browsers. |
What is Office 365?
A very popular Microsoft product, Office 365 is software that provides cloud-based services with the help of a subscription plan.
It can be paid monthly or annually, depending on your needs; although annual subscriptions are cheaper than long-term monthly subscriptions. It can also be shared with other users. It is important to note that once you stop paying, you will lose access to the applications and files stored on OneDrive.
Office 365 provides access to a variety of cloud services and Microsoft office applications such as Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Outlook, Onedrive, OneNote, Publisher and Access (both only on PC), skype.
To access these services, you need to have a Microsoft account. In addition, it offers 1 TB of cloud storage through OneDrive. This, in turn, allows you to quickly and easily share and retrieve files, back up important documents, and much more.
Due to the fact that Office 365 uses a subscription model (monthly or yearly), one can easily install the latest updates and features and is never out of date. Another important feature of Office 365 is that its applications can be accessed through a browser. (Chrome, Firefox, etc.) that can be accessed from various devices, such as PC, Android and Apple devices.
What is Office 2016?
Another amazing product from Microsoft is Office 2016, it is a standalone version that is paid once, that is, a one-time cost per user. Only one user can have access to this product, be it a PC or Mac computer. The cost is paid once, instead of monthly, so it is expensive.
Office 2016 offers applications such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Publisher, and Access. These applications can be installed separately in case the entire Office suite is not required.
Another great feature is that you can get apps based on your preferences. For example, Office 2016 Home and Student is a lighter version for use at home, while Office 2016 Professional works better for office areas and workplaces.
In addition, instead of purchasing software on a per seat basis, you can purchase additional user licenses.
Another important feature is that you can integrate Office 2016 and Office 365 together by creating a Microsoft account. If not required, it can also be used without an Office 365 account.
It is important to note that Office 365 provides its users only for security updates. Cannot access new features or updates. It also doesn’t offer cloud storage space like OneDrive in Office 365.
Also, it is important to note that Office 2016 users can contact their support representative only during the installation process.
On top of that, Office 2016 can only be accessed offline, that is, through a desktop version rather than through a browser like Office 365.
Main differences
- In terms of provided apps, each of them offers Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Outlook, OneNote, Publisher, and Access (both on PC only), but Office 365 also offers Onedrive and Skype.
- Office 365 qualification is monthly or yearly, while Office 2016 is a one-time payment.
- Office 365 offers both updates and new versions, but Office 2016 only includes security updates and has no features.
- In terms of storage, Office 365 provides 1 TB of cloud storage through OneDrive, while Office 2016 does not offer storage options as such.
- Office 365 can be accessed from a browser that can run on multiple devices, while Office 2016 can be accessed through a desktop version.
Final Thought
You can see how Microsoft is trying to get people to move to Office 365 as it has a lot more features and applications compared to Office 2016.
But still, for users who have poor internet connectivity or just can’t keep up with subscription management, Office 2016 is the best option.
Depending on one’s needs and preferences, one can make a rational decision to opt for Office 365 or Office 2016. Both have their pros and cons, but they are Microsoft’s best software products so far.
