If you’ve been searching for a Microsoft 365 one-time purchase option, here’s the short answer: Microsoft 365 does not offer one, at any tier. It’s subscription-only, from the $19.99/year Basic plan up through the newer $199.99/year Premium plan. What Microsoft does sell as a genuine one-time purchase is perpetual Office — Microsoft Office 2024 and Microsoft Office 2021 — software you buy once and own permanently, with no recurring fees.
This guide breaks down exactly what each option costs in 2026, what you get, and which makes more sense for your situation.
Key Takeaways:
- Microsoft 365 is subscription-only at every tier — Personal is $99.99/year, Family is $129.99/year, and the newer Premium tier is $199.99/year. All three now bundle Copilot AI. There is still no one-time purchase version.
- Microsoft Office 2024 and Office 2021 are perpetual licenses — buy once, own forever. Office 2021 Home & Business starts at $54.99; Office 2024 Home & Business is $189.99 (Windows or Mac).
- Office 2021’s Microsoft support ends October 13, 2026 — under two months from now. The software keeps working after that date, but stops receiving security updates, so Office 2024 is the safer pick if you want years of patches ahead.
Is Microsoft 365 Available as a One-Time Purchase?
No. Microsoft 365 is only available as an annual or monthly subscription, across all four consumer tiers. There is no standalone, perpetual version of Microsoft 365 — that hasn’t changed in 2026, even as Microsoft has added new plans and folded Copilot AI into the lineup.
As of 2026, Microsoft’s consumer subscription tiers are:
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Microsoft 365 Basic | $19.99/year ($1.99/mo) | 100 GB OneDrive, ad-free Outlook — no desktop Office apps |
| Microsoft 365 Personal | $99.99/year ($9.99/mo) | Full desktop apps, 1 TB OneDrive, 1 person, Copilot included |
| Microsoft 365 Family | $129.99/year ($12.99/mo) | Same as Personal, shared across up to 6 people, 6 TB total |
| Microsoft 365 Premium | $199.99/year ($19.99/mo) | Everything in Family, plus extended Copilot usage and AI agents |
Source: Microsoft 365 for Individuals — Plans and Pricing
Notice that Basic doesn’t even include the installable Word, Excel, and PowerPoint apps — it’s a webmail-and-storage plan. If you need the actual desktop Office applications, Personal at $99.99/year is Microsoft’s cheapest subscription route, and every tier requires ongoing payment to keep editing documents.
You may also see this referred to as “Office 365” rather than “Microsoft 365” — Microsoft rebranded in 2022, and the two names still get used interchangeably online. Neither name, old or new, has ever included a one-time purchase option.
What you’re actually looking for is a perpetual Office license: Microsoft Office 2024 or Microsoft Office 2021. Those you do buy once. See our Office 2024 perpetual license vs subscription guide for the full cost breakdown.
What’s the Difference Between Microsoft 365 and One-Time Office?
Microsoft 365 is a cloud-connected subscription suite. One-time Office (2024 or 2021) is a locally installed, permanently licensed application. The core apps — Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook — are present in both, but the feature sets and ownership models differ significantly.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Microsoft 365 Personal | Office 2024 Home & Business | Office 2021 Home & Business |
|---|---|---|---|
| Word, Excel, PowerPoint | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Outlook | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| OneNote | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Teams | Yes | No (free standalone) | No (free standalone) |
| Copilot AI features | Yes | No | No |
| 1 TB OneDrive storage | Yes | No (5 GB free) | No (5 GB free) |
| Always current versions | Yes | No (version locked) | No (version locked) |
| Works offline | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Mac compatible | Yes | Yes | Yes (Mac version available) |
| License model | Annual subscription | One-time purchase | One-time purchase |
| Ownership | Rented | Owned | Owned |
| Price | $99.99/year | $189.99 (one-time) | $54.99 (one-time) |
The biggest practical difference: Microsoft 365 gets continuous feature updates, security patches, and now Copilot AI built into Word, Excel, and Outlook. Office 2024 and 2021 are version-locked — you get the feature set at launch plus security patches during the support window, but no new features and no AI assistant.
For most everyday users — documents, spreadsheets, email, presentations — Office 2024 or 2021 does everything needed. The extras in Microsoft 365 (expanded OneDrive, Copilot, always-latest updates) are genuinely valuable if you rely on cloud collaboration or want AI help built into your apps.
How Much Does Microsoft 365 Cost vs. a Perpetual Office License?
Over a 5-year period, a perpetual Office license is dramatically less expensive than a Microsoft 365 subscription. Here’s the full cost-over-time comparison:
Cost Over Time: Microsoft 365 vs. One-Time Office
| Product | Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | Year 5 | Year 10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Microsoft 365 Personal ($99.99/yr) | $99.99 | $199.98 | $299.97 | $499.95 | $999.90 |
| Microsoft 365 Family ($129.99/yr) | $129.99 | $259.98 | $389.97 | $649.95 | $1,299.90 |
| Microsoft 365 Premium ($199.99/yr) | $199.99 | $399.98 | $599.97 | $999.95 | $1,999.90 |
| Office 2024 Home & Business | $189.99 | $189.99 | $189.99 | $189.99 | $189.99* |
| Office 2024 Professional Plus | $199.99 | $199.99 | $199.99 | $199.99 | $199.99* |
| Office 2021 Home & Business | $54.99 | $54.99 | $54.99 | $54.99 | $54.99* |
| Office 2021 Professional Plus | $64.99 | $64.99 | $64.99 | $64.99 | $64.99* |
*Perpetual license — paid once, no further cost. At year 10, you may choose to upgrade to a newer version, but you are never required to.
Break-even point (against Microsoft 365 Personal at $99.99/year): Office 2021 Home & Business at $54.99 pays for itself in under 7 months. Office 2021 Professional Plus at $64.99 breaks even in under 8 months. Office 2024 Home & Business at $189.99 reaches break-even in about 1 year 11 months, and Office 2024 Professional Plus at $199.99 breaks even right around the 2-year mark.
If you use your software for 3 years or more — which most people do — a perpetual license wins on cost, every time, and the gap has only widened now that Microsoft 365 Personal costs $30/year more than it did in early 2025.
Can You Buy Microsoft Office 2024 as a One-Time Purchase?
Yes. Microsoft Office 2024 — Home, Home & Business, or Professional Plus — is a genuine one-time purchase. You pay once, activate a license key, and the software is yours permanently, with Microsoft’s own support window running through October 2029.
Office 2024 Pricing (one-time purchase):
| Edition | Platform | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Office 2024 Professional Plus | Windows | $199.99 |
| Office 2024 Home & Business | Windows or Mac | $189.99 |
| Office 2024 Home | Windows | $139.99 |
| Office 2024 Home | Mac | $149.99 |
Office 2024 Professional Plus includes the full suite: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote, Publisher, and Access — the most complete perpetual Office package available for Windows.
For comparison, Microsoft’s own direct listing for Office Home 2024 is $179.99; The Software City’s price for the same one-time Windows license is $139.99 ($149.99 for Mac). Because this is a retail license rather than an OEM one, it isn’t tied to your first computer forever, either — see our guide on how to transfer Microsoft Office to another computer if you upgrade hardware down the line.
As an authorized Microsoft Partner, The Software City delivers genuine Microsoft licenses digitally within 15-45 minutes of purchase, backed by a 180-day replacement warranty.
Can You Still Buy Microsoft Office 2021 Outright?
Yes. Office 2021 Home & Student, Home & Business, and Professional Plus are all still sold as one-time purchases, and they still work exactly as they always have. The catch: Microsoft’s mainstream support for Office 2021 ends October 13, 2026 — under two months from now — after which security patches stop, not sales.
Office 2021 Pricing (one-time purchase):
| Edition | Platform | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Office 2021 Professional Plus | Windows | $64.99 |
| Office 2021 Home & Business | Windows | $54.99 |
| Office 2021 Home & Business | Mac | $134.99 |
| Office 2021 Home & Student | Windows | $49.99 |
| Office 2021 Home & Student | Mac | $114.99 |
According to Microsoft’s own end-of-support page, Office 2021 apps “may continue to function” after October 13, 2026 — you won’t be locked out. What you lose is security patches, bug fixes, and technical support from Microsoft. For light, offline use on a personal machine, that’s a manageable trade-off, especially at Office 2021’s lower price. If you want years of security updates ahead of you, or you’re equipping a business machine, Office 2024 (supported through 2029) is the more future-proof one-time purchase.
Both versions install locally, work fully offline, and activate through Microsoft’s standard activation process — the same process as buying directly from Microsoft.
Can You Buy Just Microsoft Word or Excel as a One-Time Purchase?
Yes — Microsoft does sell standalone Word or Excel as a one-time purchase, at $179.99 each. But that’s the same price Microsoft charges for its entire Office Home 2024 bundle, which includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote together.
Microsoft’s standalone Word and standalone Excel listings are both genuine one-time purchases — no subscription, licensed for one PC or Mac, exactly like the full suite. There’s no functional catch. The catch is value: paying $179.99 for one app, when $179.99 buys four apps from Microsoft directly (or just $139.99 for that same four-app bundle through The Software City), rarely makes sense unless you have a very specific reason to install only one program.
That’s why The Software City doesn’t sell Word or Excel as standalone products — the full Office suites cost less than Microsoft’s single-app pricing. If Word and Excel are genuinely all you need, Office 2021 Home & Student at $49.99 still includes both, plus PowerPoint and OneNote, for a fraction of the price of standalone Word alone.
Which Is Better: Microsoft 365 Subscription or One-Time Purchase?
It depends on how you use Office. There is no single right answer — each model serves a different kind of user. Here’s how to think through it clearly.
Choose Microsoft 365 if you:
- Work across multiple devices constantly and need documents synced automatically via OneDrive (1 TB included)
- Want Copilot AI features built into Word, Excel, and Outlook, plus the latest updates as Microsoft releases them
- Are already paying for cloud storage separately — Microsoft 365 Personal bundles 1 TB, which may offset that cost
- Need to share an Office subscription across a household (Microsoft 365 Family covers up to 6 users for $129.99/year)
- Work in a business environment where collaboration in Teams and SharePoint is a daily requirement
Choose a one-time Office license if you:
- Use Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook as core tools without needing AI features or constant updates
- Prefer to own your software outright with no ongoing costs or billing
- Are equipping a small business with multiple workstations and want predictable, one-time licensing spend
- Work primarily offline or don’t rely on cloud document syncing
- Want a genuine license at a lower total cost of ownership over a 2+ year horizon
The honest take
Microsoft 365’s subscription pricing is reasonable if you fully use everything it offers — especially 1 TB OneDrive, cross-device sync, and Copilot. If you’re already paying separately for cloud storage or an AI writing tool, a Microsoft 365 Personal subscription at $99.99/year can absorb both of those costs into one bill.
But if you primarily run Office on one or two computers, work mostly offline, and don’t need AI features or continuous updates, there’s less reason than ever to pay $99.99 every year indefinitely — especially with that price having climbed from $69.99 in the last two years. Office 2024 Home & Business at $189.99 gives you a complete, licensed, functional Office suite that works for years — no subscription, no auto-renewals, no surprises.
What Happens If You Stop Paying for Microsoft 365?
If your Microsoft 365 subscription lapses, your Office apps enter a read-only, reduced functionality mode. You cannot create or edit documents in Word, Excel, or PowerPoint. You can still open and view files, but full editing is disabled until you renew.
Key consequences of a lapsed Microsoft 365 subscription:
- Office apps lock to view-only mode — no document editing in Word, Excel, or PowerPoint
- OneDrive storage reduces to 5 GB — files exceeding the free tier become inaccessible until you either delete files or resubscribe
- Outlook stops syncing new email if connected to a Microsoft 365 mailbox
- Copilot AI features disappear along with the rest of the subscription’s benefits
- Your files remain on your computer — you do not lose your documents, but you cannot edit them with Microsoft apps until you resubscribe or switch to a perpetual license
This is the fundamental difference between renting and owning. With a perpetual Office 2024 or Office 2021 license, your software keeps working regardless of what Microsoft does with its pricing, regardless of whether you maintain an active account, and regardless of your internet connection status. You paid for it once. It’s yours.
There is no equivalent “lock-out” scenario with a perpetual license — the software you purchased remains fully functional indefinitely. For the cheapest Office keys across all editions, see our cheap Microsoft Office key guide. Mac users looking for one-time options should check our Office 2024 for Mac guide or our Microsoft 365 one-time purchase for Mac guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Microsoft 365 a one-time purchase?
No. Microsoft 365 is subscription-only at every tier — $19.99/year (Basic, no desktop apps), $99.99/year (Personal), $129.99/year (Family), or $199.99/year (Premium). There is no one-time purchase version of Microsoft 365. For a one-time purchase, you need Microsoft Office 2024 or Microsoft Office 2021, which are perpetual licenses.
Can you buy Microsoft Office outright, without a subscription?
Yes. Microsoft Office 2024 and Microsoft Office 2021 are both sold as genuine one-time purchases — pay once, own the software permanently, no recurring fees. Microsoft also sells standalone Word or Excel one-time for $179.99 each, but a full Office suite typically costs the same or less.
What is the difference between Microsoft 365 and Microsoft Office?
Microsoft 365 is a subscription service that includes the latest Office apps plus cloud services like 1 TB OneDrive storage and Copilot AI. Microsoft Office 2024 and Office 2021 are standalone, one-time purchase software packages that install permanently on your computer. Both include core apps like Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook.
How much does a one-time Office license cost?
Microsoft Office 2021 Home & Student starts at $49.99 (Windows). Microsoft Office 2024 Home & Business is $189.99 (Windows or Mac). Microsoft Office 2024 Professional Plus is $199.99 and includes the full suite, including Publisher and Access. All are one-time purchases with no recurring fees.
Does a perpetual Office license ever expire?
No. A perpetual Office license does not expire or stop working. Microsoft provides security updates throughout the mainstream support period — Office 2021 is supported until October 13, 2026, and Office 2024 is supported through October 2029. After support ends, the software keeps running; it just stops receiving new security patches.
Is it worth paying for Microsoft 365 instead of buying Office once?
It depends on your usage. Microsoft 365 is worth it if you need 1 TB OneDrive storage, Copilot AI features, or want to cover multiple users (Family plan covers up to 6 for $129.99/year). For most home and small business users who primarily need Word, Excel, and Outlook on 1-2 computers, a one-time Office 2024 or Office 2021 license is more cost-effective within 2 years.
Ready to Own Your Office Software?
The Software City offers genuine Microsoft Office perpetual licenses — one-time purchase, instant digital delivery, 180-day warranty.
If you’ve decided a one-time purchase makes more sense than another year of Microsoft 365, Office 2021 Professional Plus is $64.99 for the full seven-app suite — Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote, Publisher, and Access — genuine and yours for life. If you’d rather start on the current generation with support running into 2029, Office Home 2024 is $139.99. Every order ships from The Software City, a verified Microsoft Partner, with your key delivered by email within 15-45 minutes and backed by a 180-day replacement warranty.
Pay once. Own it. No subscription required.
The Software City is a verified Microsoft Partner. View our partner listing on Microsoft AppSource.
All pricing accurate as of August 2026. Microsoft 365 pricing sourced from microsoft.com. Perpetual Office pricing reflects current The Software City catalog.
