Buy Office 2021 – Professional Plus, Standard, Home & Business for PC & Mac Compared (2026)

Buy Microsoft Office once and use it forever – with no subscription and no monthly costs: that is exactly what an Office 2021 perpetual licence makes possible. Office 2021 is the proven one-time-purchase version of Microsoft Office and is legally available from just 10,90 €. In this guide we compare the three Windows editions Professional Plus, Standard and Home & Student, show the two Mac variants – and you will learn which edition suits you best.

Straight to the bestseller: Office 2021 Professional Plus 11,90 € – Instant download by email

What is Office 2021 – and what does perpetual licence mean?

Office 2021 is what is known as a one-time-purchase version of Microsoft Office. You pay for the licence once and use the programs for an unlimited time – no term, no renewal, no follow-up costs. That is exactly what a perpetual licence is.

The opposite model is the subscription: with Microsoft 365 you pay again every year and lose access to Word, Excel and co. as soon as you stop paying. Office 2021, by contrast, stays yours permanently. Please note: Office 2021 is a locally installed version – the programs run without a permanent internet connection, there is no forced cloud binding and no Copilot AI features as in Microsoft 365.

The three Office 2021 editions compared

Edition	Included programs	Ideal for	Price
Professional Plus	Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Access, Publisher, OneNote	Freelancers & power users – the full package incl. Access	11,90 €
Standard	Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Publisher, OneNote	Classic office users with no database needs	10,90 €
Home & Student	Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote	Home users & students who do not need Outlook	24,95 €

In short: Professional Plus is the full package with the Access database and the layout program Publisher, Standard brings the classic office suite including Outlook – just without Access – and Home & Student is aimed at home users who need Word, Excel and PowerPoint for everyday use but do not require Outlook.

Which Office 2021 edition suits whom?

• Professional Plus – for freelancers, small businesses and power users who also need the Access database and the layout program Publisher.
• Standard – for the classic office routine with Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook, without a database.
• Home & Student – for households, pupils and students who need the core programs for documents, spreadsheets and presentations.

Buying Office 2021 for Mac

Working on an Apple computer? Office 2021 is available for macOS too as a permanent purchase licence – entirely without a subscription. Two editions are available for the Mac:

• Office 2021 Home & Business for Mac – 19,90 € – with Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and OneNote. Ideal for private users and small offices that also want to manage email via Outlook.
• Office 2021 Standard for Mac – 29,99 € – the classic office suite for the Mac, designed for professional, long-term use.

System requirements for Office 2021

Office 2021 has modern demands on the operating system. The Windows editions run exclusively on:

• Windows 10 or Windows 11 (64-bit in each case)
• Around 4 GB of free hard-drive space
• Current processor and memory setup (at least 4 GB RAM recommended)

The Mac editions (Home & Business for Mac, Standard for Mac) require a current version of macOS and run on Apple computers with an Intel or Apple silicon processor.

End of support: how long does Office 2021 get updates?

Microsoft will supply security updates for Office 2021 until 13 October 2026. That makes Office 2021 secured considerably longer than the older Office 2019, whose support already ended in October 2025. After support ends the programs continue to run completely normally and can be used without limits – but there will then be no new security updates.

If you are looking for a purchase version with the longest update horizon, it is also worth a look at Office 2024. Which version makes more sense for you is answered in our comparison Office 2021 vs. 2024 – which version suits you?.

Office 2021 download & installation in 5 steps

After purchase you will receive your licence key and the download link by email. Here is how to install Office 2021:

1. Remove old Office versions: Uninstall any older Office trial or previous versions via Windows Settings or the Applications folder on the Mac.
2. Download the installation file: Download the Office 2021 installer using the link in your order email.
3. Start the installation: Run the file and follow the wizard. Office will be set up on your device.
4. Open a program: Launch Word, for example. On first start you will be prompted to activate.
5. Enter the key & activate: Enter your 25-character product key – Office is activated permanently right away.

If you have any questions about installation or activation, our German-language support is always happy to help.

Why are the licences so cheap? The legal position

The low prices come from pre-owned volume licences: companies originally acquired these licences lawfully in the EU and no longer need them. The resale of such “exhausted” licences is expressly permitted in the EU – decided by the European Court of Justice (EuGH, ruling of 03.07.2012, C-128/11 “UsedSoft/Oracle”) and confirmed by the German Federal Court of Justice. The decisive factor is the copyright principle of exhaustion under § 69c UrhG. You receive the identical software – just without the new-product price.

How to spot a reputable seller

• Immediate key delivery by email – with download link and instructions
• Invoice with itemised VAT
• Clear statement of the licence type (e.g. pre-owned volume licence following UsedSoft)
• German-language support and a genuine legal notice (Impressum)
• Money-back guarantee for unactivated keys

Frequently asked questions about Office 2021

Does an Office 2021 licence eventually expire?
No. You pay once and use Office 2021 for an unlimited time – there is no expiry date and no follow-up costs.

How long does Office 2021 still receive updates?
Microsoft supplies security updates for Office 2021 until 13 October 2026. After that the programs keep running but receive no further updates. This makes Office 2021 secured longer than Office 2019.

Which Office 2021 edition do I need for Outlook?
Outlook is included in Professional Plus and Standard. The Home & Student edition does not include Outlook. On the Mac, Home & Business for Mac comes with Outlook.

Is there an Office 2021 for Mac too?
Yes. For macOS, Office 2021 Home & Business for Mac (19,90 €) and Office 2021 Standard for Mac (29,99 €) are available as perpetual licences.

What is the difference between Professional Plus and Standard?
Professional Plus additionally includes the Access database. Standard otherwise offers the same package including Outlook, but without Access.

Is buying pre-owned licences legal?
Yes. The resale of pre-owned software licences is expressly permitted in the EU by the EuGH ruling “UsedSoft” (C-128/11) and § 69c UrhG.

Get your Office 2021 perpetual licence now

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Microsoft Office 2021 Professional Plus – full version for Windows | Perpetual licence

11,90 €

Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Access, Publisher and OneNote as a permanent purchase licence – pay once, use without time limit, no subscription costs. For Windows 10 and Windows 11 (64-bit), delivered in minutes by email.

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Conclusion

An Office 2021 perpetual licence is the honest alternative to a subscription: pay once, use permanently. Professional Plus for 11,90 € offers the full package with Access, Publisher and OneNote, Standard covers the classic office routine with Outlook, and Home & Student is the affordable basis for home users. For Apple computers, the two Mac editions are available. Security updates are provided until 13 October 2026 – longer than with Office 2019. The key thing is to buy from a reputable retailer with instant delivery, a VAT invoice and a genuine guarantee.