Our verdict: Microsoft 365 is the safest choice if you exchange Word and Excel files with work or school, because it is the format everyone else uses. The one-month trial is the full Family plan, but it renews automatically, and after that you pay every year. If you only edit simple documents, the free web apps or LibreOffice cost nothing.
About Microsoft 365
Microsoft 365 is Microsoft's subscription for home users. Microsoft 365 Personal, the cheapest plan with desktop apps, costs $99.99 a year or $9.99 a month for one person and includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and OneNote for Windows and Mac, Access on PC, 1 TB of OneDrive storage, Microsoft Defender and Copilot features with higher usage limits than the free tier. Microsoft 365 Family ($129.99 a year) covers up to six people with 2 TB of shared storage.
The free trial is one month of Microsoft 365 Family. You need a Microsoft account and a payment method, and the subscription renews at the full price unless you cancel it in your Microsoft account before the month ends. If the subscription lapses, the desktop apps switch to reduced functionality: you can open and print documents but not edit or create them. A one-time purchase, Office Home 2024, is also sold for a single PC without cloud storage or Copilot.
What it does well
- Desktop Office apps. Full Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and OneNote, plus Access on Windows.
- 1 TB of OneDrive. Cloud storage with ransomware protection and file version history.
- Five devices at once. Sign in on up to five PCs, Macs, tablets and phones at the same time.
- Copilot in the apps. AI help to draft, summarize and analyze documents, with usage limits.
- Real-time co-authoring. Edit the same file with other people when it is stored in OneDrive.
Who it is for
Good fit
Students and office workers who must open and send Word, Excel and PowerPoint files without formatting problems.
Look elsewhere
People who write a few letters a year, or anyone who does not want another yearly subscription.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Best compatibility with Word, Excel and PowerPoint files
- 1 TB of OneDrive storage included
- Same apps on Windows, Mac and mobile
- Regular feature updates
Cons
- Trial needs a payment method and renews automatically at $99.99 a year
- After the subscription ends the apps only open and print files
- Installs all apps at once; you cannot pick only Word
How to install Microsoft 365
Start the trial on the Microsoft 365 page, sign in with your Microsoft account and add a payment method. Then open microsoft365.com, choose Install apps and run the downloaded setup file; it installs all desktop apps together. Set a reminder to cancel in your Microsoft account if you do not want to pay after the first month.
Questions about Microsoft 365
Is Microsoft 365 free?
No. There is a one-month free trial of Microsoft 365 Family that needs a Microsoft account and a payment method. After that, Microsoft 365 Personal costs $99.99 a year. The web versions of Word, Excel and PowerPoint are free with a Microsoft account.
What happens when the trial ends?
If you did not cancel, the subscription renews and you are charged. If you cancel, the desktop apps go into reduced functionality mode: documents can be viewed and printed but not edited.
Is there a one-time purchase instead?
Yes. Office Home 2024 is a one-time purchase for one PC or Mac with Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote, but without OneDrive storage, Copilot or feature upgrades.
