Microsoft 365 Personal is $99.99/year ($9.99/month) covering Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneDrive, and Teams. Microsoft 365 Family extends this to 6 users for $129.99/year. For anyone who needs Office apps regularly, it's a core tool. But there are cheaper routes.
What Microsoft 365 Includes
Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and the full desktop app suite. 1TB OneDrive cloud storage per user. Microsoft Teams (personal). Copilot AI integration across all apps (2026 update). Publisher and Access (Windows only). Mobile apps included.
Option 1: Microsoft 365 Family Plan
The Family plan ($129.99/year) covers 6 people. Split between 6 that's $1.81/person/month — the cheapest official route. Needs 6 people willing to share a plan, each with their own Microsoft account.
Option 2: Education Plans (Free)
Students and educators can get Microsoft 365 Education free through their institution. Check if your school or university provides it — most do via Microsoft's academic licensing program. See our guide on how students can get premium AI tools at massive discounts.
Option 3: One-Time Purchase (Office 2024)
Microsoft Office 2024 is a one-time purchase (~$149) that includes Word, Excel, and PowerPoint without a subscription. No cloud features or regular updates, but if you just need the core apps indefinitely, it's cheaper over a 3+ year horizon.
Option 4: Discounted Access via Norths Clearance
For professionals who need the full 365 subscription with cloud features and regular updates, Norths Clearance offers discounted software subscriptions across productivity tools. Browse the full AI tools collection for current availability and pricing.
Also worth comparing: Notion AI vs Microsoft Copilot: Which productivity AI is better in 2026? and how remote workers can cut software costs without losing productivity.