Originally launched in 1990, Microsoft’s Office suite has gone through an immense amount of changes and developments. As a result, it can be very difficult to decide which type of Office subscription to go for.
Office 365 vs Office 2016
The main 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. whereas Office 365 provides cloud-based subscription with all the programs including Office 2016 i.e. one can either buy Office 2016 alone or as part of Office 365 subscription.
Office 2016 is a software product from Microsoft that works as a one time purchase i.e. one can buy the software once and install it on one computer respectively.
Office 365 on the other hand gives cloud services by giving access to a number of tools, apps, and services depending on the subscription plan one has picked up.
In addition to this, Office 365 is used online while Office 2016 is available offline, even without an internet connection available.
Comparison Table Between Office 365 and Office 2016 (in Tabular Form)
| Parameter of Comparison | Office 365 | Office 2016 |
|---|---|---|
| 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) |
| Pricing | Pay per month/ year. Prefer yearly as they are cheaper than monthly subscriptions. | one-time cost per user |
| Updates | Comes up with new updates and features/ versions that can be installed | Comes up with security updates but no features/versions are available |
| Storage | Provides 1TB of cloud storage through OneDrive | No storage |
| Browser compatibility | Can be accessed from a browser (chrome, firefox etc) that can run in multiple devices such as PCs, Macs, Android and Apple devices | Can be accessed through a desktop version. Does not support browsers. |
What is Office 365?
A very popular Microsoft product, Office 365 is a software that provides cloud-based services with the help of a subscription plan.
It can be paid monthly or yearly, depending on your needs; though yearly subscriptions are more cheaper than the monthly subscriptions in the long run. It can also be shared with other users as well. It is important to keep in mind that once you stop paying, you will lose access to applications and files stored on OneDrive.
Office 365 gives access to a variety of cloud services and Microsoft’s office applications such as Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Outlook, Onedrive, OneNote, Publisher and Access (both on PC only), skype.
In order to get access to these services, one needs to have a Microsoft Account. Also, it gives 1TB of cloud storage through OneDrive. This in turn makes sharing and retrieving files, backing up important documents quickly and easily and so much more.
Due to the fact that a subscription model is used by Office 365(monthly or yearly), one can easily install the latest updates and features and never becomes outdated Another important feature of Office 365 is that its applications can be accessed over a browser (Chrome, Firefox etc.) which can be accessed on various devices, such as PCs, Android and Apple devices.
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What is Office 2016?
Another amazing product of Microsoft is Office 2016 is a stand alone version that is paid once i.e. one-time cost per user. Only one user can get access to this product, either a PC or Mac computer. The expense is paid once, rather than on a monthly basis, so it is expensive.
Office 2016 gives applications such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Publisher, and Access.These apps can be installed separately in case the entire office suite is not required.
Another great feature is that you can get applications depending on your preference. For instance, Office 2016 Home and Student is a lighter version for use at home whereas Office 2016 Professional works best for office and workplace areas.
Moreover, instead of purchasing software per seat, one can purchase licenses for additional users.
Another important feature is that one can integrate Office 2016 and Office 365 together by creating a microsoft account. If not needed, one can use it without an Office 365 account also. It is important to note that Office 365 provides its users with security updates only. No new features or updates can be accessed. It also does not give cloud storage space like OneDrive in office 365.
Moreover, it is important to keep in mind that users of office 2016 can contact their support representation during the installation process only. In addition to that, Office 2016 can only be accessed offline i.e. through a desktop version rather than through a browser support like office 365.
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Main Differences Between Office 365 and Office 2016
- In terms of applications provided, each of them offer Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Outlook, OneNote, Publisher and Access (both on PC only), but office 365 provides Onedrive and Skype too.
- Office 365 rating is either monthly or yearly basis whereas office 2016 is a one-time value payment.
- Office 365 gives both updates and new versions but office 2016 comes up with only security updates and no features.
- In terms of storage, office 365 provides 1TB of cloud storage through OneDrive whereas office 2016 gives no storage options as such.
- Office 365 can be accessed from a browser that can run in multiple devices whereas office 2016 can be accessed through a desktop version.
Conclusion
It can be seen how Microsoft is trying to make people move toward Office 365, as it has much more features and applications in comparison to Office 2016.
But still for users who have bad internet connectivity or just can’t keep up with managing subscriptions, Office 2016 is the best option.
Depending on one’s needs and preference one can make a rational decision for going for either Office 365 or Office 2016. Both have their pros and cons, but they are the best software products of Microsoft till far.
References
- https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=XkjuCQAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PP1&dq=Office+365+and+Office+2016&ots=c2kKMGnb5P&sig=uGUEXTv7ayud9ndmkMLlbEbFo94
- https://daoudisamir.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Moving-to-Office-365-Intro-and-Ch-2.pdf
Last update on 2022-04-03 / Amazon Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API