Office 365 vs Office 2021 vs Office 2019: Which Should You Buy?

Microsoft sells three Office editions side-by-side in 2026: Microsoft 365 (subscription), Office 2021 (perpetual), and the increasingly-deprecated Office 2019. Each has a different math for different buyers.

Microsoft 365

Subscription. $69.99/yr Personal, $99.99/yr Family. Includes 1 TB OneDrive, Copilot, continuous feature updates, multi-device per user. Best for users who want the latest.

Office 2021

Perpetual. $249.99 Home & Business, $439.99 Pro Plus. Includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote, Access, Publisher (Pro Plus). No Copilot, no continuous updates. Frozen at the October 2021 feature set.

Office 2019

Perpetual. End-of-extended-support October 2025. Increasingly hard to find legitimate licenses. Save your money — go 2021 instead unless you have specific compatibility reasons.

Discount marketplace cost math

M365 Family at retail $99.99/yr → discount price $40-60/yr. Office 2021 Pro Plus at retail $439.99 → discount price $35-50 one-time. For 1-2 users, Office 2021 via discount is unbeatable. For 3+ users, M365 Family via discount edges ahead due to OneDrive 1 TB per user.

Wrapping up

Microsoft 365 for the modern household with cloud sync needs. Office 2021 for cost-conscious individuals. Office 2019 only for legacy compatibility. Browse /best/cheap-microsoft-office for current discount prices.