Microsoft Office 2024 Coming for Preview, But Should You Opt for 365?

Microsoft brings Office 2024 to life. It picks up three years after Office 2021, the company's last standalone release, as it has focused on the Office 365 subscription since then.

However, in the world of subscription services for premium app access, a standalone license that is available only once in one's lifetime stands out against other experiences.

That being said, Office 2024 would still have its purpose, with its three-year release windows offering a stable software experience for those who prefer it.

Microsoft Office 2024 is Coming to Preview Soon

Microsoft announced last week that Office 2024 will soon be available for preview, and it will also soon introduce the LTSC 2024 (Long Term Servicing Channel) for the software suite.

This commercial preview of the Office LTSC release will begin next month, centering on the Microsoft 365 apps available in the service, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and more.

The Redmond giant promises "significant improvements" over the company's last Office LTSC release, which was Office 2021 three years ago.

Its mainstay apps will arrive with the exception of the Microsoft Publisher, which the company retired, and Teams will not be part of this release but could be downloaded separately by the user.

Microsoft Office 2024 vs. 365 Subscription?

Office 2024 is Microsoft's upcoming suite. It promises a perpetual version for the owner, meaning that it will be licensed to them and their Microsoft account for life. It will feature five years of support and security updates, and its LTSC offers a stable experience for users or IT administrators who prefer this build.

It would be unlike Microsoft Office 365, which is a subscription-based service. Office 2024's files do not save on the cloud, and there is no real-time collaboration, AI features on the productivity apps, or cloud-based security.

Microsoft's Office and Suite

The world knows significantly about the Microsoft Office brand and the Office suite, which offers a plethora of software that delivers productivity experiences on the PC platform and, later, for the mobile and web.

The last release from Microsoft was Office 2021. Microsoft is best known for its three-year gaps between releases, which center on stable builds for computers.

However, Microsoft also evolved the Office suite to adhere to the massive shift in the tech industry, which centers on subscription models, specifically the Office 365 model, which is available for all.

In this case, it still provides the renowned productivity apps available from Microsoft, but it goes beyond offering more new products and experiences as long as one is paying for the service.

The three-year gap was then again followed by Microsoft in this latest confirmation that Office 2024 is coming, showcasing that the renowned suite still lives on.

In the upcoming preview, users will see what Microsoft has in store for the world, centered on the stable version of the Office suite for both home and business use, with five-year support, and licensed for life.