How to choose Microsoft Office for Mac ?

Sara Alsaqaf on
How do you settle on the right Microsoft Office for Mac suite that fits your needs - school, home, or work? Follow our guide, and you will know how to choose.
How to choose Microsoft Office for Mac ?

The Mac Software


Your Mac comes with certain pre-installed apps, which make your experience quite unique. Apple’s list of apps includes Safari for web browsing, Mail for email communication, Pages, Keynote and Numbers.

All the above are the equivalent to the Microsoft Office apps, which are also available for Mac users. How to choose the right office for your needs? Follow our guide and you will be an expert when you are done!

Which Microsoft Office Suite is the most suitable for you? Learn more by choosing from the four following options:

1. Office 365 Home, which will cost you 99.99$ per year or 9.99$ per month.

  • You get fully installed Office applications for 5 users, which are Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, Outlook, Publisher (PC only) and Access (PC only).
  • This office subscription is perfect for a big household since up to 5 family members or friends each receive 1TB cloud storage and 60 monthly Skype minutes.
  • Office 365 Home functions on all of your devices. For that price, you can install on up to 5 PCs or Macs, 5 tablets, and 5 phones.
  • Furthermore, it includes ongoing access to updates of office applications and extra OneDrive storage for up to 5 users.
  • The rest of your installs can be shared with your friends or family. Alternatively, you can use the same Microsoft account to install Office on your other computers. The steps to install are the same for all 5 users.
  • Compatible with Mac OS X 10.10. All languages included.

2. Office 365 Personal, for the price of 69.99$ per year, or 6.99$ per month.

  • For this price, you receive a fully installed Office for PC/Mac. However, you can only install on 1 PC or Mac, 1 tablet, and 1 phone.
  • You also get 1TB of OneDrive cloud storage, which is only also available for 1 user. Best for individuals.
  • Includes always-up-to-date Office applications, which is perfect since you will never have to worry about old versions.
  • You also get OneDrive storage for 1 user.
  • Compatible with Mac OS X 10.10. All languages included. Also includes 60 monthly Skype minutes for 1 user.

3. Office Home & Student 2016 for Mac costs 149.99$ and gets you installed applications for 1 Mac.

  • For this one-time purchase, you get Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote. And voilà your fully installed office for 1 Mac.
  • Compatibility with Mac OS X 10.10.
  • All languages included. Office 2016 for Mac is great for the latest Mac features, such as Retina display, full-screen view support, and even scroll bounce.

4. Office Home & Business 2016 for Mac costs 299.00$

  • This Office option will get you the fully installed versions of Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote for 1 Mac user.
  • It also allows you to store files in the cloud with OneDrive.
  • Compatible with Mac OS X 10.10.
  • All languages included.
  • This office is designed for users with business purposes. Except for the basic applications, it gives its users the advantage of Outlook for email, calendars, and contacts.

* Please note that for a one-time purchase of Office 2016 such as Office Home & Student, Office Home & Business, or Office Professional: You can install Office on only one computer. Nevertheless, you can transfer Office 2016 to the next computer you purchase or another device you own.

What is the difference between office 365 plans and Office 2016?

Office 365 will get you fully installed with all of the Office applications. Moreover, it includes extra cloud storage with OneDrive and Skype minutes. Another advantage is that Office 365 plans offer both monthly and annual subscriptions. Regular updates are included as part of your subscription.

Office 2016 suites, such as Office Home & Student and Home & Business, only come with Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote.

They are available as a one-time purchase and for use on only one PC or Mac. However, the applications are not automatically updated. To get the latest version, you must purchase Office again once the new version is released.

* Your Mac requires a certain amount of free disk space to complete the Office installation. Take a look at the requirements to install Office on a Mac:

  • Intel processor, Operating system: Mac OS X 10.10 or later
  • iOS: Office for iPad and iPhone requires iOS 8.0 or later. Office for iPad Pro requires iOS 9.0 or later.
  • Memory: 4GB RAM
  • Required Hard Disk Space: 6GB HFS+ hard disk format
  • Required Display resolution: 1280 x 800.
  • Graphics Hardware Acceleration requires a DirectX 10 graphics card.

In our opinion, choosing Office for Mac is a life-changing experience regarding your everyday office needs. If you are already used to the practicality of Apple’s devices, you will love how well-integrated this Office suite is.

Once you have followed our guides and gotten your hands on Office for Mac, nothing is left for us except to congratulate you on joining perhaps the best side of both worlds!

Tags: Tips