Netflix, Disney +, Discovery +, Spotify, Hulu, Gamefly. More than ever, people are happy to pay a monthly subscription to use content and its accompanying service rather than pay a higher rate and own the works for good. This is a system called the Subscription Economy. While this may make sense for TV shows and music, can the same be said for office products? In this piece, we’re going to look at some of the pros and cons of Microsoft Office 2019 and Office 365 to see which is better and for whom.
First, let’s clean up some confusion on the name.
“Aren’t Office 2019 and Office 365 the same?”
Office 2019: This is the name of Microsoft’s stand-alone suite of office-centric software programs. This is essentially a static piece of software that you would install on any computer. For one flat rate, you own the software indefinitely.
Office 365: As the name implies, this Office 365 is a suite of office products that are there for you whenever you need them — at home, in the office, or on the go. Unlike Office 2019, this is not a one-and-done payment, but it’s also not necessarily a static product. For a monthly fee, you subscribe to Microsoft’s suite of constantly evolving office products.
Should I buy Office 2019?
Those who would benefit from buying Microsoft Office 2019 are commercial industries. Because of a more expensive up-front cost, Office 2019 is usually purchased with larger volume licenses to save money. In essence, Office 2019 is an extremely solid version of your dad’s favorite suite of office tools. If your company is less concerned about cool new features or cloud connectivity, Office 2019 would be a solid choice.
Should I buy Office 365?
Just out of the gate, the idea of “buying” Office 365 isn’t quite accurate. Office 365 is a subscription-based service of office tools. While it may seem annoying to have to pay a rate every month for the use of the same tools, a major benefit of this route is the flexibility of the system. Office 365 works across an extremely wide variety of devices and services. The system is constantly being updated and allows for cloud access/collaboration on documents.
Wrapping Up
Microsoft put a lot of thought into developing both Office 2019 as well as Office 365. These two products are not meant to compete with one other but are meant to serve two different kinds of workers. For the more predictable company with a limited workforce, Office 2019’s no-nonsense cost structure and system may be all you need. For companies that are looking at an increased likelihood of expansion or need for cloud integration for storage and collaboration, Office 365 may be the more flexible option.
