Microsoft Excel 2019 Review & Pricing (August 2020)
Written by co-founder Kasper Langmann, Microsoft Office Specialist.
Just this year, Microsoft rebranded their Office 365 subscription service into Microsoft 365.
But not everyone likes the subscription model.
In fact, a lot of people still prefer buying a specific Microsoft Office application — like Microsoft Excel 2019 — once instead of paying for it every month.
That’s why Microsoft still has a one-time purchase plan for the Office apps both as a bundle and as per app.
Kasper Langmann, Co-founder of SpreadsheetoIn this article, let’s step back from the trending subscription service and take a look at how Microsoft Excel 2019 stacks up with its subscription counterpart.
Let’s get started!
How does Microsoft Excel 2019 compare Excel 365?
Excel 2019 is a part of Office 2019 which is sold as a one-time purchase. You pay once, up-front, to have it installed. Once a new version of the software is released, you will have to buy it again at full price.
Excel 365 is a part of Microsoft 365 which is a subscription service. With this model, you will receive the most up-to-date modern Office apps from Microsoft.
There’s no hiding it — Microsoft recommends users and even enterprises to use the subscription service. Those with a perpetual license, who availed of the one-time purchase, will not be able to use the cloud-based services.
This limitation makes Excel 2019 less popular than Excel 365 to those who would like flexibility in terms of being able to use the software program anywhere, on any device using the cloud.
Kasper Langmann, Co-founder of SpreadsheetoIn summary, here are the differences between Excel 2019 and Excel 365:
| Excel 2019 | Excel 365 | |
|---|---|---|
| Security updates | ✔ | ✔ |
| Feature updates | ✖ | ✔ |
| Installation | Once on a PC or Mac | On any devices but limited to five sign-ins |
| Mobile apps | ✔ | ✔ with extra features |
| Extra online storage | ✖ | ✔ |
| Technical support | Only for 60 days | At all time while subscription is active |
Pros and cons of Excel 2019
One of the greatest benefits of buying Excel 2019 is the perpetual license, which allows you to use the program indefinitely.
When you buy an Excel 2019 license, you own it forever. If you choose Excel 365, you’re actually renting a license to use that software.
In addition, organizations that are dealing with sensitive data usually opt with Excel 2019 since you’re not in any way connected to the cloud.
A lot of users also reported that funnel charts and pivot tables are more improved in Excel 2019 compared to Excel 365.
You also can’t ignore the fact that Office 2019 (and it’s predecessor, Office 2016) is more stable than their subscription counterparts. The reason for that is they don’t receive feature updates which are could be clunky (rarely happens).
On the negative side, since Excel 2019 doesn’t receive feature updates, you will have no access to new features added on Excel.
There’s also no way you would be able to collaborate with someone unless you exchange the Excel file itself back and forth.
Kasper Langmann, Co-founder of SpreadsheetoLastly, the price will set you back at least a hundred bucks for a year.
To summarize…
Pros:
- Perpetual license (indefinite use of the software application)
- Unlikely to be hacked
- Improved funnel charts and pivot tables
- More stable
Cons:
- No access to new features
- No collaboration options
- More expensive initially
How much does Excel 2019 cost?
When you buy Excel 2019 as part of Office Home & Student 2019, you only have to pay $149.99. This includes a one-time purchase for 1 PC or Mac of the classic 2019 versions of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
You can also buy Excel alone for almost the same price. You have to search for it on the Microsoft Store since it’s not publicly advertised. It costs $139.99.
With only a $10 difference, most users would obviously buy the set rather than pay more for a standalone.
Kasper Langmann, Co-founder of SpreadsheetoWrapping it up…
Depending on your need, Excel 2019 could be better or worse than Excel 365. If you want a more stable version for your critical work, buying a perpetual license will serve you better. Otherwise, Excel 365 seems better.
In addition, Excel 2019 costs more than a hundred dollars while you can get Excel 365 for as low as $5 per user per month with a Business Basic plan with a lot more benefits in terms of added services and apps.
If you’re not sure whether or not to buy Excel 2019, consider how often you use Excel and how much stability you would want (considering Excel 365 is already an awesome version) in addition to your budget. 😊
Kasper Langmann, Co-founder of Spreadsheeto