Business

Microsoft is releasing two different versions of Office that won’t require a subscription

This is good to see.

by
Josiah Motley
February 19, 2021

microsoft office with blurred background

Image: KnowTechie

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Subscription models have taken over, with everything from Photoshop to Office 365 requiring users to cough up monthly or yearly payments for their continued use. Sure, the subscription model means you are always getting the latest updates, but what if you don’t care about that or you work in a setting where you aren’t updating anyways?

Microsoft seems to be acknowledging that and in a new blog post details two new Office offerings that are one-time purchases. Called Office LTSC and Office 2021, both offer non-subscription models but each one serves a different purpose.

Office LTSC (Long Term Servicing Channel) is directed towards businesses and is really only something a small subset of people will be interested in. Basically, it’s for devices that don’t/can’t receive updates and “process control devices on the manufacturing floor that are not connected to the internet, and specialty systems that must stay locked in time and require a long-term servicing channel.”

Office 2021, on the other hand, is directed towards individuals and small businesses. This one-time purchase will be supported for five years and includes Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, and Word. The price should be the same as Office 2019, coming in at $149.

A commercial preview of LTSC will be available in April, and Microsoft says that more information about Office 2021 will be available later this year.

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