Office 2024 Professional Plus vs. Microsoft 365 – Which Is Worth More in 2026?
The Short Answer
Office 2024 Professional Plus is worth it if you prefer a one-off investment, want to work locally and don't need constant cloud features. The perpetual licence is cheaper than Microsoft 365 in less than 12 months.
Microsoft 365 is only worth it if you absolutely need OneDrive (1 TB), Teams integration, a new Office update every year and multi-device use.
For over 80% of SMEs, self-employed professionals and demanding home users, Office 2024 Professional Plus is the economically superior choice.
What Is Office 2024 Professional Plus?
Microsoft Office 2024 Professional Plus is the current full version of the classic Office suite, released in October 2024. It is distributed through the Microsoft Volume Licensing programme and is part of the Long Term Servicing Channel (LTSC). This means: stable features without forced feature updates, only security patches – guaranteed until 9 October 2029.
After your purchase, you'll find a detailed, illustrated step-by-step guide with download links and troubleshooting on our help page Office 2024 Professional Plus – Downloads & Installation Guide.
You receive a one-off perpetual licence with unlimited duration, installed locally on a Windows PC. The suite includes:
- Word 2024 – Word processing with improved layout features and Dark Mode
- Excel 2024 – Spreadsheets with dynamic arrays and Lambda functions
- PowerPoint 2024 – Presentations with Morph transitions and video recording
- Outlook 2024 – Email, calendar, contacts and tasks in one hub
- Access 2024 – Desktop database (exclusive to Professional Plus)
- Publisher 2024 – Desktop publishing for flyers and brochures
- OneNote – Digital notebook with full Office integration
At Karinex, you receive the licence as a verified, fully exhausted volume licence under the UsedSoft model (EuGH C-128/11) – legal, original and significantly cheaper than buying new from Microsoft.
What Is Microsoft 365?
Microsoft 365 (formerly Office 365) is Microsoft's subscription model: you pay monthly or annually and in return get access to the Office apps, cloud storage (OneDrive), Microsoft Teams and additional services. There are various plans:
- Microsoft 365 Single – approx. €69/year – 1 user, 1 TB OneDrive
- Microsoft 365 Family – approx. €99/year – up to 6 users, 6 TB OneDrive
- Microsoft 365 Business Basic – approx. €5.60/user/month – web apps only
- Microsoft 365 Business Standard – approx. €11.70/user/month – desktop apps + cloud
- Microsoft 365 Apps for Business – approx. €9.80/user/month – desktop apps, no Teams
As soon as the subscription ends, you lose access to all apps. Your documents remain readable, but can no longer be edited – a crucial difference from the perpetual licence.
The Direct Comparison at a Glance
| Criterion | Office 2024 Pro Plus | Microsoft 365 |
|---|---|---|
| Payment model | One-off – no follow-up costs | Subscription – monthly/annually |
| Duration of use | Unlimited | As long as the subscription runs |
| Karinex price | from €11.90 (one-off) | €69–140/year (ongoing) |
| Number of PCs | 1 PC | 1–6 devices (depending on plan) |
| Cloud storage | Optional (your own cloud possible) | 1 TB OneDrive included |
| Microsoft Teams | Separate (free app) | Fully integrated |
| Data sovereignty | 100% local | Cloud binding required |
| Internet for use | Not required | Mandatory check every 30 days |
| Feature updates | None (stable LTSC base) | Ongoing, automatic |
| Security updates | Included until 9 Oct 2029 | As long as the subscription runs |
| Access & Publisher | Included | Depending on plan |
| Commercial use | Permitted | Depending on plan |
| On hardware change | Transferable (after uninstall) | Linked to account |
| GDPR compliance | Local – fully controllable | Cloud-dependent |
Cost Comparison Over 5 Years – The Real Calculation
The decisive factor when choosing between buying and subscribing is the total cost over the typical period of use. An Office package is used for 5–7 years on average. Let's do the maths:
| Option | Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | Year 4 | Year 5 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Office 2024 Pro Plus (Karinex) | €11.90 | €0 | €0 | €0 | €0 | €11.90 |
| Microsoft 365 Single | €69 | €69 | €69 | €69 | €69 | €345 |
| Microsoft 365 Family | €99 | €99 | €99 | €99 | €99 | €495 |
| Microsoft 365 Business Standard (1 user) | €140 | €140 | €140 | €140 | €140 | €700 |
Your Savings with Office 2024 Pro Plus
up to €688over 5 years compared to Microsoft 365 Business Standard – that's 97% less.
After just 2 months, the cost of a Karinex licence has paid for itself compared to Microsoft 365 Single. With a business plan, after as little as 4 weeks.
Who Is Office 2024 Professional Plus Worth It For?
The perpetual licence is the right choice if even just one of these points applies:
- You work mainly on one PC or notebook
- You want to pay once and have peace of mind in the long term
- You need Access or Publisher
- Data protection and local data storage are important to you
- You use Office mainly offline or with your own IT infrastructure
- You don't want a dependent subscription model
- You run a law, tax or medical practice
- You are self-employed or own an SME with a predictable IT budget
Who Is Microsoft 365 Worth It For?
Microsoft 365 is the right choice if several of these points apply:
- You regularly work with Office on 3+ different devices
- You absolutely need 1 TB of cloud storage (OneDrive)
- Microsoft Teams is a central part of your everyday work
- You want to use Copilot AI features
- You run a larger team and use Microsoft Endpoint Manager
Our Clear Recommendation
After directly comparing all criteria – cost, feature scope, data protection, flexibility – the recommendation is clear:
For over 80% of users, Office 2024 Professional Plus is the economically superior choice.
You save several hundred euros over 5 years, retain full control over your data and get a proven, stable system without unwanted feature updates. At Karinex, Office 2024 Professional Plus is available as a verified, original Microsoft licence – legal under the UsedSoft model, with instant delivery by email and a 100-day money-back guarantee.
Ready for Office without a subscription?
Office 2024 Professional Plus as a perpetual licence – from just €11.90. Instant download by email, 100-day money-back guarantee.
Buy Office 2024 Pro Plus now →Frequently Asked Questions
How do I install Office 2024 Professional Plus after purchase?
Very easy: you receive your product key and download link by email. You'll find a detailed, illustrated step-by-step guide with download links, system requirements and troubleshooting on our help page: Office 2024 Professional Plus – Downloads & Installation Guide.
Can I switch from Microsoft 365 to Office 2024 Professional Plus?
Yes, without any problems. Cancel your Microsoft 365 subscription, uninstall the Office apps and install Office 2024 Professional Plus with your Karinex product key. Your documents remain untouched – .docx, .xlsx and .pptx are fully compatible.
What happens to my OneDrive files when I switch?
Your OneDrive files remain accessible for 90 days after the subscription ends. Download your files locally in good time or sync them with an alternative such as Nextcloud, pCloud or your own NAS solution.
Does Office 2024 Professional Plus continue to receive security updates?
Yes. Microsoft guarantees security updates for Office LTSC 2024 until 9 October 2029 – almost 5 years of free protection included.
Is the Karinex licence really legal?
Absolutely. Karinex trades in used, fully exhausted volume licences in accordance with the rulings EuGH C-128/11 "UsedSoft/Oracle" (2012) and BGH I ZR 129/08 "UsedSoft II" (2013), which expressly permit the resale of software licences within the EU.
Does Office 2024 Professional Plus work on Windows 10?
Technically yes. However, Microsoft ended official support for Windows 10 on 14 October 2025 – we therefore recommend switching to Windows 11 Pro for maximum security.
Conclusion
The comparison clearly shows: Office 2024 Professional Plus is the better choice for the vast majority of users. Microsoft 365 has its place for cloud-centric teams and multi-device power users – but anyone who works in the classic way, wants to store data locally and avoid follow-up costs is better served by the perpetual licence.
At Karinex, you receive Office 2024 Professional Plus as a verified, original Microsoft licence – with instant delivery by email, German-language support and a 100-day money-back guarantee. Switch to the purchase model today and save up to €688 over the next 5 years.
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