What’s the difference between Office 365 and Office 2016?

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Looking to upgrade your Office software? Not sure whether to opt for the brand-new Office 365 suite or the classic Office 2016? You’ve landed in the right place.

In this article, we’ll look closely at the difference between Office 365 and Office 2016, so you can make an educated decision as to which software bundle will best suit your needs.

Ready? Let’s begin.

The difference between Office 365 and Office 2016: Overview

Before we look at the differences between Office 365 and Office 2016 in detail, here is a broad overview. In the table below, you can quickly and easily compare features offered by the two Microsoft software packages.

While both offer the same productivity applications (except OneDrive), there are some key disparities, one of the most significant being the pricing structure. Let’s have a look at this first.

Office 356 vs. Office 2016: Pricing

Unlike Microsoft Office 2016 – and the many versions of Office that came before – Office 365 uses a subscription pricing model. Users can pay per month or per year, with the yearly option working out cheaper in the long run.

Office 365 subscriptions can also be shared among users – whether that be between family members, friends, or colleagues. Here are the prices (as of March, 2018) in Australia:

• $129/year or $13/month for up to five users on Mac or PC
• $99/year or $10/month for one user on Mac or PC

Do keep in mind that, if you stop paying your subscription, you will lose access to Office applications and any files stored on OneDrive.

Office 2016, on the other hand, is purchased for a one-off fee of $199 for one user on either a PC or Mac computer.

Office 356 vs. Office 2016: Applications

Both Office 365 and Office 2016 offer all the classic Microsoft apps we know and love. With both options, you’ll have access to the following:

• Word
• Excel
• PowerPoint
• OneNote
• Outlook
• Publisher (PC only)
• Access (PC only)

In addition to the above, Office 365 offers OneDrive, a cloud storage application that makes backing up, sharing, and collaborating on files incredibly simple. We’ll look at OneDrive again in the ‘Storage’ section of this article.

Office 356 vs. Office 2016: Updates

Because Office 365 uses a subscription pricing model, your Office suite will never become outdated. Subscribers can download and install the latest updates and newest features.

While Office 365 will provide users with security updates, they will not have access to new features.

Office 356 vs. Office 2016: Storage

Access to a whopping 1TB of cloud storage via OneDrive is a huge selling point of Office 365. Office 2016 does not come with any storage space.

Cloud storage makes sharing and accessing files, collaborating, and backing up your important documents quick and easy. What’s more, 1TB of storage with a comparable cloud storage service could cost you upward of $20/month in itself!

OneDrive is an added bonus of Office 365 that’s hard to pass up, especially as cloud storage becomes the norm in schools, universities, and workplaces across the country.

Office 356 vs. Office 2016: Support

Subscribers to Office 365 are able to call on technical support throughout the entire duration of their subscription. This is fantastic, especially if you’re not a confident computer-user.

Office 2016 users are able to contact a support rep during the installation process only.

Office 356 vs. Office 2016: Which is best?

In our opinions, Microsoft Office 365 offers a number of practical advantages that make it the better option. With access to 1TB of cloud storage, technical support, and the capacity for new features in the future, Office 365 truly is the best productivity suite on the market.

Learn more about the benefits of Office 365 in our article 9 Reasons to Upgrade to Microsoft Office 365 Today.

If, however, you are looking for a set-and-forget Office option – something simple and straightforward – consider Office 2016. If you don’t want cloud storage, and are not interested in new features and updates, pay the cheaper one-off fee for Office 2016.