Microsoft 365 Review (2026): Is It Worth It for Excel Users?

Microsoft 365 is Microsoft’s subscription for its Office apps. You pay monthly or yearly, and in return you get the desktop apps (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and OneNote), OneDrive cloud storage, security features and Copilot, Microsoft’s AI assistant.

If you’re searching for “Office 365”, this is the same thing. Microsoft renamed Office 365 to Microsoft 365 back in April 2020, and the old name is gone from the consumer plans.

The big difference from the old days of buying “Office” in a box: as long as you subscribe, you’re always on the latest version. New Excel features show up in Microsoft 365, and the one-time versions don’t get them.

If you only want to know what Excel itself costs (including the free options), I’ve covered that in my Excel price guide.

Microsoft splits its plans into two groups: plans for home (Basic, Personal, Family, Premium and Pro) and plans for business.

Microsoft 365 for home

Here’s what each one is for:

• Basic is a storage plan. You get 100 GB of cloud storage and an ad-free Outlook inbox, but Word, Excel and PowerPoint only on the web, iOS and Android. No desktop apps and no AI features. Don’t buy it to get Excel.
• Personal is for 1 person. You can be signed in on 5 devices at once (PC, Mac, phone and tablet), and you get 1 TB of OneDrive storage plus Copilot in the apps. Paying yearly saves you $19.89.
• Family is everything in Personal for up to 6 people, with 2 TB of storage shared between you. Each person can use it on up to 5 devices. Note that the AI (Copilot) features are for the subscription owner only.
• Premium is everything in Family, plus much higher Copilot usage and agentic AI features such as advanced research and analytics.
• Pro has the highest Copilot usage and 5 TB of storage. For Excel alone, it’s overkill.

Personal, Family and Premium come with a one-month free trial. It turns into a paid subscription unless you cancel it.

When I first wrote this review in 2020, Personal cost $6.99/month and Family $9.99/month. Microsoft has raised prices since then, and Copilot is now part of the package.

Microsoft 365 for business

Business plans are priced per user. These are the prices per user/month on an annual subscription. Paying month to month costs 20% more (in brackets).

All four include 1 TB of OneDrive storage per user. Business Basic, Standard and Premium also include custom business email (you@yourbusiness.com) and Microsoft Teams.

Microsoft also sells versions without Teams, for example Business Standard (no Teams) at $10.79 per user/month paid yearly.

For Copilot at work, there are two bundles: Business Standard with Copilot ($23.50) and Business Premium with Copilot ($32.00), per user/month paid yearly. You can also add Microsoft 365 Copilot Business to an existing plan. Microsoft lists it at $18.00 per user/month (paid yearly) right now, down from $21.00. You don’t need any of these to use Excel.

Business plans are for up to 300 users. Larger companies look at the enterprise plans instead. Microsoft lists Microsoft 365 E3 at $39.00 and E5 at $60.00 per user/month, paid yearly on an annual commitment.

The desktop apps

Personal, Family, Premium and Pro all include the desktop versions of:

• Excel: spreadsheets, PivotTables, Power Query and everything else this site is about
• Word: documents
• PowerPoint: presentations
• Outlook: email and calendar
• OneNote: notes

They work on Windows, Mac, iPhone, iPad and Android. You install them once and they update automatically.

Excel on a Mac is not identical to Excel on Windows, though. If you’re on a Mac, read my Excel for Mac vs. Windows comparison first.

And if you’re wondering how the desktop app compares to the browser version, see Excel Online vs. Excel desktop.

OneDrive cloud storage

Personal gives you 1 TB of OneDrive storage. Family and Premium give you 2 TB that you share with the people on your plan. For comparison, a free Microsoft account comes with 5 GB.

Storage matters more for Excel users than you might think, because the cloud features in Excel (AutoSave, sharing and co-authoring) work on files saved in OneDrive.

Copilot in Excel

Copilot is now built into the Microsoft 365 apps for home users. In Excel, Microsoft describes it as a way to get “powerful analysis and insights” from your data. You ask a question in plain English and Copilot suggests formulas, charts or summaries.

How much you can use it depends on your plan. Personal and Family get “higher usage than free”, and Premium gets “extensive” usage. Microsoft 365 Basic has no AI features at all.

Two catches:

• In Family and Premium, Copilot is for the subscription owner only. The other people on your plan get the apps and storage, but not the AI features.
• Copilot in Excel needs AutoSave turned on, which means the file must be saved to OneDrive. It doesn’t work on unsaved files.

Everything else

On top of the apps, the home plans include identity, data and device security through Microsoft Defender, and Microsoft Teams for calls of up to 30 hours with up to 300 people.

If you don’t want a subscription, Microsoft still sells Office as a one-time purchase:

Microsoft is clear about the upgrade part: there are no upgrade options for the one-time versions, so when the next major version comes out, you pay full price again.

Is the one-time purchase cheaper? Office Home 2024 costs the same as about 1.8 years of Microsoft 365 Personal. So if you keep it for more than two years, and you’re happy with one computer, no cloud storage, no Copilot and no new Excel features, it works out cheaper.

You can also buy Excel on its own for $179.99, but that’s the same price as Office Home 2024, which includes Word, PowerPoint and OneNote too. More on that in my Excel price guide.

Pros:

• The full desktop version of Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Outlook and OneNote
• Works on PC, Mac, phone and tablet, on up to 5 devices at once
• Always up to date, with new Excel features as they come out
• 1 TB of OneDrive storage per person (2 TB shared on Family and Premium)
• Copilot built into the apps
• Family is great value if you share it with others

Cons:

• You keep paying, and prices have gone up since 2020
• Copilot is for the subscription owner only on Family and Premium
• Copilot in Excel only works on files saved to OneDrive
• Excel for Mac still lacks some Windows features
• Confusing plan names (Microsoft 365 Basic does not include the desktop apps)

Compared to free tools like Google Sheets, Microsoft 365 is not free. But for real spreadsheet work, the desktop version of Excel is still the most powerful tool you can get. Want to look at other options anyway? Here are the best Excel alternatives.

Here’s how I’d decide:

• You use Excel regularly, on your own: Microsoft 365 Personal ($99.99/year).
• Two or more people in your home need Office: Microsoft 365 Family ($129.99/year for up to 6 people).
• You use Copilot every day and hit the limits: Microsoft 365 Premium ($199.99/year).
• You run a small business: Business Standard ($14.00 per user/month, paid yearly), or Apps for business ($10.00) if you already have email elsewhere.
• You really don’t want a subscription: Office Home 2024 ($179.99), or Office Home & Business 2024 ($249.99) for work.

For most people reading this, my pick is Microsoft 365 Personal. It’s the cheapest way to get the full desktop Excel and keep it up to date.

Amazon sells Microsoft 365 as a download code, and the price there changes often. Compare it with Microsoft’s own price before you buy. Microsoft 365 renews automatically, but you can turn off recurring billing in your Microsoft account.

Once you’re set up, take my free Excel crash course to get the most out of it.

Is Microsoft 365 worth it?

If you use Excel, Word or PowerPoint regularly, yes. For $99.99/year, Personal gives you the full desktop apps on all your devices, 1 TB of storage, Copilot and every new feature. If you only open a spreadsheet now and then, the free web version of Excel may be enough.

How much does Microsoft 365 cost?

In the US, Microsoft 365 Personal costs $9.99/month or $99.99/year, Family $12.99/month or $129.99/year, and Premium $19.99/month or $199.99/year. Business plans start at $7.00 per user/month (paid yearly) for Business Basic.

Is Office 365 the same as Microsoft 365?

Yes. Microsoft renamed the Office 365 consumer and small business plans to Microsoft 365 in April 2020. “Office 365” reviews and prices you find online usually refer to the plans in this article.

Is Microsoft 365 Basic worth it?

Only if you want extra storage. Basic ($19.99/year) gives you 100 GB of cloud storage and ad-free Outlook, but no desktop apps and no AI features. To get desktop Excel, you need Personal or higher.

Can I use Microsoft 365 offline?

Yes. With Personal, Family, Premium and the business plans that include desktop apps, you install Excel, Word and PowerPoint on your computer and can work without internet. You need internet to install, activate and manage your subscription, and for OneDrive and Copilot.

Can I share Microsoft 365 Family?

Yes, with up to 5 other people (6 in total). Each person gets their own account and can use the apps on up to 5 devices at once. The 2 TB of storage is shared, and the Copilot features are for the subscription owner only.

Should I get Microsoft 365 Personal or a business plan?

If you need business email on your own domain, admin controls or several users under one company account, go with a business plan such as Business Standard. If you just need the apps for yourself, Personal is cheaper.