The subscription of Office 365 comes in two main plans for general customers which seem confusing for a lot of people. These two plans are Microsoft Personal and Microsoft Home.
Both the plans have numerous similarities but have distinct key differences too to suit different productivity suites and needs.
Key Takeaways
- Microsoft Personal is a subscription service for a single user, while Microsoft Home is a subscription service for up to six users.
- Microsoft Personal includes 1 TB of OneDrive cloud storage, while Microsoft Home includes 6 TB of OneDrive cloud storage.
- Microsoft Personal includes access to Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and OneNote, while Microsoft Home includes those apps plus Access and Publisher.
Microsoft Personal vs Microsoft Home
Microsoft personal is a subscription designed for a single individual that offers 1 TB of storage and connects up to 5 devices. It is a great plan for freelancers or teachers as it has features like AI-powered expansion to Microsoft editor. Microsoft home is a subscription designed for a group of individuals that offer 1 TB storage for each person. It offers a 30 day trial for users before committing to a long term plan.
Microsoft Personal offers 1 TB storage and the features and suites of Office. Since it is designed for single users, the allowance for the maximum number of users is one.
The maximum number of devices that can be connected is five, giving provision for all the devices that an individual can have.
On the other hand, Microsoft Home offers up to 6 TB of storage (1 TB per user). Since it is designed for groups, the total number of users that can be connected is six.
Each user can further connect five devices to the account. The subscription rate of Microsoft Home is more than Microsoft Personal due to its extra features.
Comparison Table
| Parameters of Comparison | Microsoft Personal | Microsoft Home |
|---|---|---|
| Audience | It is designed for single users | It is designed for a group of people relatively small or are family members |
| Maximum users | 1 user | 6 users |
| Maximum devices | 5 | 5 devices by each user at the same time |
| Advantages | Best plan for individual users, freelancers, students, or teachers and has features like AI-powered expansion to Microsoft Editor | Best plan for groups or families, and access to special features on OneDrive like Math Assistant, Ink Replay, Stickers, Researcher, and other |
| Disadvantages | Do not provide any trial before purchase | Expensive and won’t benefit single or less number of users |
What is Microsoft Personal?
Microsoft Personal is designed exclusively for one person only. It allows only one individual to access the account. The storage offered in this subscription plan is about 1TB.
Microsoft Personal has new experiences and features like AI-powered expansion to Microsoft Editor and design ideas in PowerPoint.
It cannot work for a group of many members of a family. The access to features like Word, PowerPoint, OneDrive, Outlook, Excel, and Skype. At a time, only five devices can be connected.
The subscription rate of Microsoft Personal is priced at $6.99 per month and about $69.99 per year and a provision of calling for 60 minutes on Skype every month.
Microsoft Personal allows a maximum of five devices to be connected. The plan works on all devices like tablets, PCs, Android, iOS, or multiple Macs. Collaboration through Microsoft Personal is easier.
The other parties of the collaboration can access the link and work on files together even without owning an account of Office 365. And is the best plan for freelancers who need a good interface to interact with clients.
Microsoft Personal also caters and gives access to advanced grammar features and refinements in writing style. So the suggestions to re-write and rephrase can deliver clear and better sentences.
What is Microsoft Home?
Microsoft Home is designed for a group of people or by the members of a family. The principle of the Microsoft home plan is to pay one price and provide access to multiple users under that same price.
The Microsoft home plan even provides a 30-trial to evaluate the suitability of the plan to the users.
Microsoft Home allows a maximum of six different users to access various features like Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Outlook, Skype, and OneDrive. With a single subscription, six Microsoft accounts can be linked.
The subscription rate of Microsoft Home is about $9.99 per month and $99.99 per year.
Microsoft home provides 1 TB storage per user which can go up to 6 TB of storage including all the members on OneDrive and since OneDrive is personal for every user, the other subscribers of the same Home plan would not be able to see each other’s files.
Microsoft Home has 360 minutes of call provision on Skype per month. The plan allows a maximum of five devices to be connected by a single user.
The plan of Microsoft Home is easy to upgrade. The user is not confined to one user and can opt for a change whenever required. It ensures security with all the non-commercial features provided.
Main Differences Between Microsoft Personal and Microsoft Home
- Microsoft Personal can be used only by a single individual user but Microsoft Home can be used by a group of people maximum of six people.
- There is only 1 TB of storage for a single user in Microsoft Personal while the additional terabyte is accessed only by the primary account holder in Microsoft Home.
- The subscription rate of Microsoft Personal is cheaper while the subscription rate of Microsoft Home is about $30 more.
- Microsoft Personal does not provide any 30-day trial while Microsoft home plan provides a 30-trial to evaluate the suitability of the plan to the users.
- Microsoft Personal offers 60 minutes of Skype calls per month while Microsoft Home offers 360 minutes of Skype calls per month.
- https://heinonline.org/hol-cgi-bin/get_pdf.cgi?handle=hein.journals/tlr78§ion=11
- https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/01972240600791390
Last Updated : 11 June, 2023
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Sandeep Bhandari holds a Bachelor of Engineering in Computers from Thapar University (2006). He has 20 years of experience in the technology field. He has a keen interest in various technical fields, including database systems, computer networks, and programming. You can read more about him on his bio page.
The informative content provided in this article is highly appreciated. It’s great to have detailed comparisons and descriptions of Microsoft’s subscription services.
I’m not fully convinced about the value proposition of these subscriptions. It’s important to weigh the costs against the specific needs of users.
Absolutely, it’s refreshing to see factual information presented in a clear and structured manner.
I am not entirely convinced that the differences justify the cost increase from Personal to Home. It seems that most of the features are tailored for collaborative work, which might not suit a single user.
I find this article to be rather argumentative, sounding almost like a sales pitch. It doesn’t seem to take into account other alternatives to these particular subscription plans.
I agree. It’s important to consider the bigger picture when evaluating the value of these Microsoft plans.
The distinctions in terms of storage and user limits are very useful to know. I can see how these differences could be important depending on an individual or a group’s needs.
I disagree, I think the options provided by both plans are quite limiting. Other services offer much more for less cost.
Yes, the comparison of features is excellent in this article. It has definitely clarified my understanding of these two plans.
Both plans seem quite expensive, especially considering there are other cloud storage and productivity tools available for free. The benefits would need to be very compelling to justify the cost.
The article is very informative and insightful. The breakdown of advantages and disadvantages is particularly helpful in making an informed decision about these plans.
Agreed! It’s great to have all this information in one place to compare these subscription plans.
It seems that the Home plan offers a lot for a reasonable price, especially when compared to what’s included in the Personal plan.
It’s very interesting to learn about the differences between Microsoft Personal and Microsoft Home. I appreciate the detailed descriptions and comparisons in this article. I am definitely considering which one to choose now.
It’s comical how the distinctions between these plans are presented as small differences when they could be significant depending on the user’s needs.
That’s a good point. The emphasis on these minor differences might cloud the reality of the financial commitment involved in choosing either plan.