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If you're tired of subscription-based software but still need Microsoft Office, this lifetime license for Office 2024 (Home & Business for Mac or PC) might be worth considering. It's currently on sale for $159.97 on StackSocial until March 30 (down from $249.99) and is a one-time purchase that gives you access to Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and OneNote without the recurring fees of Microsoft 365. After buying, the license ties to your Microsoft account, not a specific device, so you can reinstall it if you switch computers. The catch is that this version won't get future upgrades, meaning once Microsoft moves on to the next version, you'll still be stuck with this one. Of course, that might not be an issue if you just need core productivity tools without chasing every new feature.
This Office 2024 edition is faster and has some notable improvements over Office 2021, particularly in Excel, where handling large datasets is noticeably smoother. PowerPoint's got some solid upgrades, too, including the ability to record presentations with live camera feeds—useful for remote work or online courses. The newer Outlook offers better search functionality and an updated accessibility checker to flag emails that may not be easily readable for everyone. Microsoft also gave the whole suite a Fluent Design facelift, making everything look more polished and consistent across its apps. Unlike Microsoft 365, this version works entirely offline, which is a plus for users who don't want cloud dependency.
There are also some AI-powered features baked into this 2024 version. Word's Smart Compose can predict and suggest text, making writing faster, while Excel's AI Data Insights can analyze trends and recommend visualizations for your spreadsheets. PowerPoint has improved storytelling tools to make presentations more engaging with smoother transitions and built-in media support. And if you need real-time collaboration, Office 2024 does allow co-authoring within Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. However, it's not as seamless as the cloud-based version of Microsoft 365. Also, no Microsoft Teams subscription is included, so if that's part of your workflow, you'll need to factor that in. This deal makes sense if you want a no-subscription Office suite that works offline. But if you're after continuous updates and deep cloud integration, Microsoft 365 might still be the better choice.
