Table of Contents

• Quick Answer: Which Office 2024 Should You Buy?
• Office 2024 Editions at a Glance
• Feature-by-Feature Comparison
• Who Needs Which Edition?
• Price Comparison: Retail vs Licendi
• Licence Types Explained: Retail vs OEM
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Final Verdict

Quick Answer: Which Office 2024 Should You Buy?

If you only need Word, Excel, and PowerPoint for personal use, Office Home 2024 does the job. But here is what surprises most buyers: Office 2024 Professional Plus includes more applications and costs less when you buy from a licensed EU reseller like Licendi. Professional Plus starts at €60.32 — nearly half the price of Office Home 2024 at €120.00.

How is that possible? It comes down to licence type. We explain everything below so you can make the right choice and save up to 86% compared to Microsoft's retail prices.

→ Buy Office 2024 Professional Plus from €60.32

Office 2024 Editions at a Glance

Microsoft sells Office 2024 in three main perpetual-licence editions for Windows. Each one is a one-time purchase — no subscription, no annual renewal.

*Microsoft does not sell Professional Plus directly to consumers. It is available through volume licensing and authorised EU resellers like Licendi, thanks to the UsedSoft ruling by the EU Court of Justice.

Feature-by-Feature Comparison

Core Applications (All Editions)

Every Office 2024 edition includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote. These are the same full-featured desktop applications — there is no "lite" version in the cheaper editions. You get the complete programme with all formatting, formula, and presentation tools.

Outlook — Email and Calendar

Office Home 2024 does not include Outlook. If you manage email, calendars, or contacts through Outlook, you need either Home & Business or Professional Plus. For anyone who uses email professionally, this alone is a deciding factor.

Access — Database Management

Only Professional Plus includes Microsoft Access. If you work with databases, customer records, inventory tracking, or any structured data management, Access is the tool you need. Small businesses often underestimate how useful Access is for replacing complex spreadsheets with proper relational databases.

Publisher — Desktop Publishing

Only Professional Plus includes Publisher. This is Microsoft's layout and design tool for creating brochures, newsletters, business cards, and marketing materials. If you create printed or PDF marketing collateral, Publisher saves you from needing a separate design application.

Commercial Use Rights

Office Home 2024 is licensed for personal and non-commercial use only. If you use Office in a business context — even as a freelancer — you legally need Home & Business or Professional Plus. This is an important distinction that many buyers overlook.

Who Needs Which Edition?

The surprising choice for most buyers: Unless you specifically need Mac support or are strictly using Office for personal tasks, Professional Plus is the best value. At Licendi, it costs €60.32 — less than Home (€120.00) and less than Home & Business (€160.00) — while including more applications.

→ Get Office 2024 Professional Plus — €60.32 at Licendi

Price Comparison: Retail vs Licendi

Here is what you pay at Microsoft's official store compared to Licendi:

*Professional Plus is not sold at a fixed retail price by Microsoft. The €439 figure represents the comparable cost of acquiring equivalent applications individually or through Microsoft's volume licensing programmes.

The savings on Professional Plus are the most dramatic: 86% off compared to buying the equivalent software from Microsoft. This is possible because Licendi sells EU-legal volume licences under the UsedSoft ruling, which allows the resale of legitimately acquired software licences within the European Union.

Is It Legal?

Yes. The EU Court of Justice ruled in 2012 (Case C-128/11, UsedSoft GmbH v Oracle International Corp) that reselling software licences is legal in the EU. Licendi is a Microsoft Partner listed on Microsoft AppSource, with a 4.8-star rating on Trustpilot from over 220 verified reviews. Every licence comes with a lifetime warranty and personal support via chat, email, phone, and WhatsApp.

Licence Types Explained: Retail vs OEM

The reason Professional Plus costs less than Home at Licendi comes down to licence type:

• Retail licences (Home, Home & Business): Transferable between devices. You can move the licence to a new PC if you replace your computer. Higher base cost.
• OEM/Volume licences (Professional Plus at Licendi): Bound to one device. Cannot be transferred to a different PC. Lower cost because they were originally sold in bulk.

For most users, this trade-off is straightforward: if you plan to keep your PC for 3-5 years (the typical Office lifecycle before the next version), an OEM licence at €60.32 makes far more sense than paying double for transferability you may never use.

Want to understand licence types in depth? Read our complete guide: OEM vs Retail vs Bound Licences Explained.

Frequently Asked Questions

Final Verdict

For personal use on a budget: Office Home 2024 (€120.00) covers the basics — Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote.

For everyone else: Office 2024 Professional Plus (€60.32) is the clear winner. You get seven applications instead of four, commercial use rights, and you pay 50% less than Office Home. The only trade-off is a non-transferable licence and Windows-only support.

For Mac users who need Outlook, Office Home & Business 2024 (€160.00) is the right pick.

→ Buy Office 2024 Professional Plus — €60.32 with lifetime warranty

→ Buy Office Home 2024 — €120.00

→ Buy Office Home & Business 2024 — €160.00