Since computers became tools of productivity, software applications have played a pivotal role in shaping productivity and how work is done for businesses, students and home users.

Among the various applications coming and going over the years, none has presented a more profound influence on productivity than Microsoft Office, especially in one of its latest iterations, Microsoft Office Home and Student 2021.

First introduced in 1989, Microsoft Office has ingrained itself as a fundamental component of Windows computers by consistently delivering exceptional benefits, a tradition upheld by the feature-rich Microsoft Office Home and Student 2021 suite.

The features you want in the applications you need

Microsoft Office Home and Student 2021 offers more than just simple word processing and presentation software in its suite of applications. The modern study and home require several different applications to keep up with the digital age and help you get things done. Here are the essentials included in Microsoft Office Home and Student 2021 to get work done:

Word: a feature-rich word processor used for creating, editing and formatting documents.
Excel: a spreadsheet and data-analysis programme for calculation, analysis and visualisation features, especially useful for financial and statistical purposes.
PowerPoint: presentation software allowing users to create slideshows with text, graphics and other multimedia elements.
OneNote: a note-taking application enabling users to capture, organise and share notes containing text, images and audio.

While Microsoft 365 may include more apps than Microsoft Office Home and Student 2021, you still get the classic Microsoft Office experience with Word, Excel and PowerPoint. You gain access to applications that have demonstrated their importance and continuously improved over the decades without requiring you to commit to a subscription.

The benefits of Microsoft Office Home and Student 2021

With these time-tested applications at your side, you can do everything a modern home user and student may need. Some benefits include:

Easy learning curve: Microsoft Office Home and Student 2021 is designed to be intuitive even for people who don’t have much experience in using computers. The user interface is kept consistent across applications as much as possible to allow users to easily learn and work.
Powerful functions for advanced users: While it’s easy for new users to use Microsoft Office Home and Student 2021, it doesn’t sacrifice powerful features for advanced users. The deeper you dive, the more advanced features such as VBA programming you discover.
Get things done like a pro: These applications are the same being used in business workplaces around the world and provide you with the same standard of excellence to allow you to work like a professional.
Flexible accessibility features: Everyone can use Microsoft Office Home and Student 2021 to achieve their goals in whatever way works best for them with flexible accessibility features.
Permanent access to the classic apps we all love: Microsoft Office Home and Student 2021 offers no-frills access to the classic Word, Excel and PowerPoint apps everyone has come to love over the decades. These apps are all available offline and don’t require internet access to work after activation.

Lifetime vs subscription: what’s the difference?

Microsoft Office Home and Student 2021 involves a one-time payment for a lifetime licence, unlike Microsoft 365 which is a subscription-based service with monthly or annual fees. The one-time fee is cost-effective for home users who do not require the additional features and services offered by the subscription plans and find a single payment more affordable.

Your lifetime licence will never expire, however you will not receive free upgrades to new versions as with a Microsoft 365 subscription. As such, you do not have access to the same cross-platform and web-based apps and features that come with Microsoft 365 such as Outlook, Microsoft Defender, Microsoft Editor, Clipchamp, Microsoft Teams, OneNote and the 1TB of OneDrive cloud storage.

Microsoft Office Home and Student 2021 is packed with all the tools any home user or student will need to create and edit documents, presentations, spreadsheets and notes. It’s perfect for those who see themselves only needing these features over a long period.