Can You Buy Microsoft Office Without a Subscription? Yes, Here Is How (2026)

Reviewed 5 October 2026 by Esma, Technical Support Advisor at Nerdused.

Yes, you can buy Microsoft Office without a subscription. Office 2024 is a one-time purchase: you pay once, install Word, Excel and PowerPoint on your computer and keep using them with no monthly or yearly fee. Microsoft sells Office Home 2024 for $179.99 and Office Home & Business 2024 for $249.99, each for one PC or Mac. The volume-licence editions, Office Standard 2024 and Office Professional Plus 2024, start at $29.99 as single keys at Nerdused. Every edition gets security updates until 9 October 2029.

Buying Microsoft Office without a subscription: key facts

Can you buy Office without a subscription?	Yes. Office 2024 is sold as a one-time purchase
Current one-time version	Office 2024, on sale since 1 October 2024
Microsoft's prices (US)	Office Home 2024 $179.99; Office Home & Business 2024 $249.99
Nerdused prices	Office Standard 2024 and Professional Plus 2024 from $29.99 for one PC
Computers per licence	One PC or Mac for Home and Home & Business; 1, 3 or 5 Windows PCs for Standard and Professional Plus, depending on the option you buy
Updates	Security updates only; no new features
Support ends	9 October 2029
Not included	Copilot, 1 TB of OneDrive storage, upgrades to the next version
Subscription alternative	Microsoft 365 Personal at $99.99 a year (see our Office 365 cost guide)

Microsoft's prices and terms were checked on its Office 2024 page and its Microsoft 365 vs Office 2024 comparison on 5 October 2026. Nerdused prices were read from our store the same day. Local prices and tax vary by country.

Which Microsoft Office can you buy without a subscription?

Four editions of Office 2024 are sold as a one-time purchase. Home and Home & Business are the retail editions Microsoft sells directly. Standard and Professional Plus are volume-licence (LTSC) editions, which we sell as single keys.

Edition	Apps	Works on	Price
Office Home 2024	Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote	1 PC or Mac	$179.99 at Microsoft; $180 at Nerdused
Office Home & Business 2024	Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote	1 PC or Mac	$249.99 at Microsoft
Office Standard 2024	Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote	1, 3 or 5 Windows PCs	From $29.99 at Nerdused
Office Professional Plus 2024	Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote, Access	1, 3 or 5 Windows PCs	From $29.99 at Nerdused

Microsoft labels Office Home 2024 “for non-commercial use”, so choose one of the other three if you use Office for work. Standard and Professional Plus are volume editions: delivered digitally, activated with a product key instead of a Microsoft account, and Windows only. Our Office 2024 editions guide compares all four in detail.

What do you give up when you buy Office without a subscription?

A one-time licence is the same Word, Excel and PowerPoint, frozen at the version you bought. Microsoft's own comparison lists the trade-offs:

• No new features. In Microsoft's words, “security updates are included, but you won't get any new features”.
• No upgrade price. When the next version of Office is released, you buy it again at full price or stay on Office 2024.
• One computer per retail licence. Office Home 2024 and Home & Business 2024 install on one PC or Mac. A Microsoft 365 subscriber can install on every device they own and stay signed in on five at once.
• No Copilot and no 1 TB of OneDrive. Both are subscription benefits. A Microsoft account still gives you 5 GB of OneDrive storage at no cost.
• A fixed support window. The licence itself does not expire, but Microsoft stops issuing security fixes for Office 2024 on 9 October 2029.

Can I buy Microsoft Office without a subscription for a Mac?

Yes. Office Home 2024 and Office Home & Business 2024 both run on a Mac, and Microsoft describes each as a “one-time purchase for 1 PC or Mac”. Home & Business is the one that adds Outlook. Office Standard 2024 and Professional Plus 2024 are Windows only, so they are not an option on macOS.

Our Office for Mac collection shows what is in stock today.

How to buy Microsoft Office without a subscription

1. Check your computer. Office 2024 needs Windows 10, Windows 11 or macOS. Standard and Professional Plus need Windows.
2. Pick an edition. Use the table above: Home for personal use, an edition with Outlook for work, Professional Plus if you need Access.
3. Buy the licence. At Nerdused the product key and install instructions arrive by email in about 60 seconds.
4. Install and activate. For Home and Home & Business, go to microsoft365.com/setup, sign in with a Microsoft account, enter the key and download Office. For Standard and Professional Plus, run the installer, open Word and enter the key under File > Account.

Step-by-step instructions with screenshots are in our Professional Plus 2024 install guide and Standard 2024 install guide.

Is buying Office once cheaper than a Microsoft 365 subscription?

Yes, if you keep it for two years or more. Microsoft 365 Personal costs $99.99 a year, so two years of the subscription ($199.98) already costs more than Office Home 2024 at $179.99. A subscription earns its price when you use Office on several devices, share it with family, or want 1 TB of storage and Copilot.

Our lifetime licence vs Microsoft 365 comparison runs the numbers over one, three and five years, and Microsoft 365 subscription explained covers how billing and renewal work if you decide to subscribe.

Frequently asked questions

Is Microsoft Office 2024 a one-time purchase?

Yes. Every Office 2024 edition, retail or volume, is paid for once, with no renewal. Microsoft describes it as “a single, up-front cost”.

Can I still buy Office 2021 or Office 2019 without a subscription?

Yes, both are one-time purchases and still install. But Office 2019 left support on 14 October 2025 and support for Office 2021 ends on 13 October 2026, so Office 2024 is the version to buy now if you want security updates.

Does a one-time Office licence expire?

No. The licence has no end date and there is nothing to renew. What ends is Microsoft's support: Office 2024 gets security updates until 9 October 2029.

How many computers does a one-time Office licence cover?

Office Home 2024 and Home & Business 2024 cover one PC or Mac. The Standard 2024 and Professional Plus 2024 keys we sell come in 1, 3 and 5-PC options for Windows.

Does Office 2024 include Outlook?

Office Home 2024 does not. Home & Business 2024, Standard 2024 and Professional Plus 2024 all include Outlook.

Why are Nerdused Office keys cheaper than Microsoft's price?

Standard and Professional Plus are volume-licence editions, sold in bulk and delivered digitally with no box or retail margin. Every key activates directly with Microsoft, and Nerdused Ltd is a UK company (no. 16876657) in the Microsoft Partner Program (ID 6467441).

Can I use Word and Excel without buying anything?

Yes, in a browser. Microsoft 365 for the web gives you browser versions of Word, Excel and PowerPoint when you sign in with a Microsoft account, with 5 GB of OneDrive storage. Our Microsoft Office collection lists the desktop editions if you need the full apps offline.