What defines an Office perpetual license
A perpetual license, technically also called a perpetual license, grants the right to permanent use of a specific Office version. You buy once, activate once and use it with no time limit. There is no expiry date, no auto-renewal and no feature that gets switched off after a while.
The difference from a subscription: a subscription grants usage only as long as you keep paying. A perpetual license belongs to you. What a perpetual license does not include are the ongoing new features and the cloud storage of the subscription. For most users who use Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook in their everyday work, this is no loss.
Which Office perpetual license suits you
- Office 2024. The current perpetual license, security updates until 09.10.2029. The standard recommendation for new purchases.
- Office 2021. The previous version, updates until 09.10.2026. A sensible choice on a tighter budget.
- Choosing the edition. Home & Business for the four core apps, Standard additionally with Publisher and OneNote, Professional Plus additionally with Access.
- Mind the platform. There are separate perpetual licenses for Windows and for Mac. Make sure you choose the right platform when buying.