Office 2024 is best if you use one computer and want Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint for a single payment. Microsoft 365 is best if you use several devices, share with family, or want cloud storage and Copilot AI, and you’re happy to pay every year. LibreOffice is best if you want a free office suite for everyday documents and spreadsheets, especially on Linux, and you rarely exchange complex files with Microsoft Office users.
Choosing between Office 2024, Microsoft 365 and LibreOffice comes down to three questions: how you want to pay, how many devices you use, and how closely you need to match Microsoft’s file formats. All three can write documents, build spreadsheets and create presentations. They differ in price model, features, support and compatibility.
This guide compares Office 2024 vs Microsoft 365 vs LibreOffice in detail, using October 2026 prices and versions. You’ll see the real five-year cost of each, exactly which apps you get, how well LibreOffice handles Microsoft files, what happens when a Microsoft 365 subscription ends, and a clear recommendation for students, families, freelancers and small businesses.
The Short Answer: Which Office Suite Should You Choose?
Choose Office 2024 if…
- you work on one Windows PC or Mac;
- you’d rather pay once than every year;
- you need full compatibility with Word, Excel and PowerPoint files from clients or colleagues;
- you don’t need Copilot AI or 1 TB of cloud storage.
Choose Microsoft 365 if…
- you use Office on several devices, including a tablet or phone;
- you want to share with family (up to six people on the Family plan);
- you want Copilot AI, OneDrive cloud storage and new features every month;
- you’re comfortable paying an ongoing yearly fee.
Choose LibreOffice if…
- you need an office suite that’s completely free;
- you mostly write letters, essays, CVs and simple spreadsheets;
- you use Linux, or want no account and no AI;
- you rarely exchange complex files or Excel macros with Microsoft Office users.
What Is the Difference Between Office 2024, Microsoft 365 and LibreOffice?
The core difference is how you pay and what you keep. Office 2024 is a perpetual licence you buy once. Microsoft 365 is a subscription you rent yearly or monthly. LibreOffice is free, open-source software built by a non-profit foundation.
What is Office 2024?
Office 2024 is Microsoft’s current one-time purchase version of Office, released in October 2024. Microsoft sells Office Home 2024 (Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote) for $149.99 and Office Home & Business 2024 (adds Outlook and business use rights) for $249.99. Office 2024 Professional Plus also includes Access and is available for Windows. Each licence covers one computer. According to Microsoft’s Office 2024 FAQ, it receives security updates until October 2029 but no new features.
What is Microsoft 365?
Microsoft 365 is Microsoft’s subscription version of Office. It includes the same desktop apps plus OneDrive cloud storage, Outlook, Clipchamp, Copilot AI and continuous updates. On Microsoft’s plan comparison page, the home plans are Personal ($99.99 a year or $9.99 a month, one person, 1 TB), Family ($129.99 a year, up to six people, 2 TB shared) and Premium ($199.99 a year, up to six people, 2 TB shared, with much higher Copilot limits). Copilot’s AI features are for the subscription owner only.
What is LibreOffice?
LibreOffice is a free, open-source office suite developed by The Document Foundation and a global community. It includes Writer (documents), Calc (spreadsheets), Impress (presentations), Draw (diagrams), Base (databases) and Math (formulas). The latest version, LibreOffice 26.8, was released in August 2026 with a new paragraph composer for better justified text, variable font support and improved handling of newer Excel chart types. It saves in the OpenDocument format by default, but opens and saves Word, Excel and PowerPoint files.
Office 2024 vs Microsoft 365 vs LibreOffice: Side-by-Side Comparison
| Office 2024 | Microsoft 365 | LibreOffice | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | From $149.99 once | From $99.99 a year | Free |
| Payment model | One-time purchase | Yearly or monthly subscription | Free, open source |
| Documents, spreadsheets, slides | Word, Excel, PowerPoint | Word, Excel, PowerPoint | Writer, Calc, Impress |
| Outlook email | Home & Business, Pro Plus | Yes | No |
| Database app | Access in Pro Plus | Access on Windows | Base |
| Devices | 1 PC or Mac | 5 signed in at once | Unlimited |
| Linux | No | No | Yes |
| Cloud storage | 5 GB free OneDrive | 1 TB (Family: 2 TB shared) | No |
| Real-time co-authoring | Via OneDrive files | Yes | No |
| Copilot AI | No | Account holder only | No |
| New features | No | Every month | Twice a year |
| Excel VBA macros | Yes | Yes | Partial |
| Works offline | Yes | Checks in every 30 days | Yes |
| Support ends | October 2029 | While subscribed | Each version ~9 months |
| Official support | Microsoft | Microsoft, incl. chat | Community, paid partners |
How Much Does Each Cost?
Current prices in 2026
| Edition or plan | US price | |
|---|---|---|
| Office 2024 · one-time purchase | ||
| Office Home 2024 | $149.99 once | |
| Office Home & Business 2024 | $249.99 once | |
| Microsoft 365 · subscription | ||
| Microsoft 365 Personal | $99.99 a year | |
| Microsoft 365 Family | $129.99 a year | |
| Microsoft 365 Premium | $199.99 a year | |
| LibreOffice · free | ||
| LibreOffice 26.8 | Free | |
The real cost over five years
The yearly price of Microsoft 365 looks small next to Office 2024, but subscriptions add up. Here’s what each option costs over five years at current US list prices, assuming no price rises:
When does Office 2024 pay for itself?
- Against Microsoft 365 Personal: Office Home 2024 pays for itself in about 18 months. Home & Business takes about two and a half years.
- For a family: Microsoft 365 Family covers six people for $129.99 a year. Buying Office 2024 for six computers would cost far more.
- If you’d pay for storage anyway: Microsoft 365’s 1–2 TB of OneDrive narrows the gap considerably.
- With a reseller licence: an Office 2024 Professional Plus licence from Noxkeys costs a fraction of Microsoft’s list price, so the one-time option pays for itself even faster.
Which Apps Do You Get With Each?
| What you need | Office 2024 | Microsoft 365 | LibreOffice |
|---|---|---|---|
| Documents | Word | Word | Writer |
| Spreadsheets | Excel | Excel | Calc |
| Presentations | PowerPoint | PowerPoint | Impress |
| Notes | OneNote | OneNote | No |
| Email and calendar | Outlook in H&B, Pro Plus | Outlook | No |
| Database | Access in Pro Plus | Access, Windows only | Base |
| Diagrams and drawing | No | No | Draw |
| Maths formulas | Built into Word | Built into Word | Math |
| Video editing | No | Clipchamp | No |
For everyday work, the core apps are equivalent. Word and Writer, Excel and Calc, and PowerPoint and Impress all handle letters, budgets and slide decks. The real differences are at the edges: Outlook is only in Microsoft’s suites, while LibreOffice adds Draw and Math, which Office doesn’t offer as separate apps.
Is LibreOffice Compatible With Microsoft Word and Excel?
Yes, for most everyday files. LibreOffice opens and saves .docx, .xlsx and .pptx files, and simple documents convert reliably. Compatibility drops as files get more complex, and some Excel features have no LibreOffice equivalent. Here’s what to expect:
How to save Word files correctly in LibreOffice
When you save a Word document in LibreOffice, it asks whether to keep the Word format. Choose Word if you’re sending the file to someone who uses Microsoft Office:
How Long Is Each One Supported?
Once Office 2024 is activated, Word’s File › Account page shows a permanent licence with no renewal date:
What Happens If You Stop Paying for Microsoft 365?
This is the biggest practical difference between owning Office and renting it. When a Microsoft 365 subscription ends, the desktop apps switch to reduced functionality mode: you can still open and print files, but you can’t edit or create them. Your OneDrive storage also drops back to the free 5 GB, so anything above that becomes read-only until you free up space or renew.
Office 2024 and LibreOffice don’t have this risk. Once installed, they keep working for as long as your computer does.
Do Office 2024 and LibreOffice Have Copilot AI?
No. Copilot is only built into Microsoft 365. In the Personal, Family and Premium plans, it can draft text in Word, summarise long email threads in Outlook, suggest formulas and charts in Excel and turn notes into slides in PowerPoint. Copilot is available to the subscription owner, not other family members, and Premium allows much heavier use.
Cloud Storage and Sharing
- Microsoft 365 is built for sharing: real-time co-authoring in Word, Excel and PowerPoint, OneDrive storage (1 TB on Personal, 2 TB shared on Family and Premium) and simple share links.
- Office 2024 can co-author files stored in OneDrive or SharePoint, but only includes the free 5 GB of OneDrive storage.
- LibreOffice has no real-time co-authoring in the desktop app and no built-in cloud storage. You can save files to any cloud folder, and organisations can run Collabora Online, a LibreOffice-based online editor, for shared editing.
Does It Work on Mac, Linux and Mobile?
| Office 2024 | Microsoft 365 | LibreOffice | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Windows PC | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Mac | Home and H&B only | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | No | No | Yes |
| iPhone, iPad, Android | Free basic apps | Yes | Limited viewer apps |
| Web browser | Free Office on the web | Yes | Via Collabora Online |
Using a Mac? Office 2024 Professional Plus doesn’t have a Mac version. Read whether an Office 2024 key works on Mac before you buy.
Which Is Best for Privacy?
LibreOffice is the most private by design: it needs no account and works without an internet connection. Office 2024 saves files to your computer by default and needs the internet only to activate and update. Microsoft 365 is built around a Microsoft account and OneDrive, and Copilot processes your content in Microsoft’s cloud to generate responses.
Pros and Cons of Office 2024, Microsoft 365 and LibreOffice
Which Is Best for You?
60-Second Decision Guide
Other Alternatives Worth Knowing
- Google Docs, Sheets and Slides: free in a browser with a Google account and excellent for real-time collaboration, but limited offline and with fewer advanced features than desktop Office.
- OnlyOffice Desktop Editors: a free, open-source suite that uses Microsoft’s file formats natively and looks closer to Microsoft Office than LibreOffice does.
- WPS Office: a free, Office-like suite supported by ads, with paid plans to remove them.
- Microsoft 365 on the web: free browser versions of Word, Excel and PowerPoint with a Microsoft account, useful for light editing.
Our Verdict: Office 2024 vs Microsoft 365 vs LibreOffice
There’s no single winner. Office 2024 is the best value for anyone who works on one computer and wants genuine Microsoft Office without a subscription. Microsoft 365 is worth its yearly fee for families, multi-device users and anyone who wants cloud storage and Copilot. LibreOffice is a capable free suite for everyday documents, privacy-conscious users and Linux.
If Office 2024 fits you, a licence from Noxkeys gets you the full Professional Plus suite, including Outlook and Access, for a fraction of Microsoft’s retail price, delivered instantly by email with activation instructions.
Setting up a new PC first? Follow our guide to clean install Windows 11 from USB. Having trouble activating Office? See Office 2024 key not working: 7 fixes. Browse all Microsoft Office licences, check our FAQ, or contact us for help choosing. LibreOffice is free from libreoffice.org; only download it from the official site.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Office 2024 better than Microsoft 365?
Neither is better for everyone. Office 2024 is cheaper over time on one computer and needs no subscription. Microsoft 365 adds new features every month, OneDrive storage, Copilot AI and use on several devices, for a yearly fee.
Is Office 2024 a one-time purchase?
Yes. You pay once and can use Office 2024 on one PC or Mac for as long as you like. It receives security updates until October 2029.
Is LibreOffice as good as Microsoft Office?
For letters, essays, budgets and simple presentations, yes. For complex Word layouts, Excel VBA macros, Power Query or frequent file exchange with Microsoft Office users, Microsoft Office is more reliable.
Is LibreOffice really free?
Yes. LibreOffice is free and open source for personal, educational and business use, on any number of computers. Download it only from libreoffice.org.
Can LibreOffice open Word and Excel files?
Yes. LibreOffice opens and saves .docx, .xlsx and .pptx files. Everyday files convert well; complex formatting, macros and some newer Excel features may differ.
Does Office 2024 include Copilot?
No. Copilot in the Office apps is only included with Microsoft 365 subscriptions, and only for the subscription owner.
What happens if I stop paying for Microsoft 365?
The desktop apps switch to reduced functionality mode: you can open and print files, but can’t edit or create them. OneDrive storage drops back to the free 5 GB.
How much storage does Microsoft 365 include?
Microsoft 365 Personal includes 1 TB of OneDrive storage. Family and Premium include 2 TB shared between up to six people.
Which is cheapest over five years?
LibreOffice, at no cost. Among Microsoft options for one person on one computer, Office Home 2024 at about $150 costs far less than five years of Microsoft 365 Personal at about $500.
Can I use Office 2024 on a Mac?
Office Home 2024 and Office Home & Business 2024 have Mac versions. Office 2024 Professional Plus is Windows-only.
Does LibreOffice work on Linux?
Yes. LibreOffice runs natively on Linux, as well as Windows and macOS. Office 2024 and Microsoft 365 desktop apps don’t run on Linux.
Can I switch from LibreOffice to Microsoft Office later?
Yes. Save your files in Word and Excel formats (.docx and .xlsx) and they’ll open normally in Office 2024 or Microsoft 365.