You have plenty of options if you are planning to buy Outlook [Microsoft Office]. But to understand the difference can be little confusing notably between Outlook 2016 and Office 365 Outlook. Below is the comparison between the two, weigh your options and go for the one suits you best.Office 365 Outlook
Office 365 is a subscription service, that will make sure you have the latest tools from Microsoft. It is available for home & personal and also for small, mid-size and large business, with applications like Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Outlook, plus additional online storage, continuous technical support all without extra cost. You can share the subscription to maximum four members and choose to pay the subscription on a yearly or monthly basis.
Office 365 for Business includes all fully installed apps, but there are some basic plans which Microsoft offers like online version of Office, email and file storage. You can decide what suits you best.
Outlook 2016
Outlook 2016 is not a stand-alone product, its a part of Office 2016 which also includes other applications like Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote. It is a one-time purchase, which implies you pay one time for Office Suite for one PC and is available for both Windows and Mac. In this you dont have upgrade option meaning if you want to upgrade to the latest release or version, you have to purchase it at full cost. Furthermore, youll have access to tech support only during installation process.
Which Is Best for You? Features to Consider:
#1 Latest Features and Programs
Office 365: Youll get all latest updates and features from Microsoft. Your application will be improving always. Any major upgrades to upcoming versions will also be included.
Outlook 2016: Only security features will be updated, but not the new or latest features that are added to Outlook 2016. Major upgrades arent included.
#2 Multiple Installation
Office 365: With Office 365 Home & Business version, you can install desktop application on five computers with a combination of PC and Mac. You can even share them with your household members if you dont want all those installations for yourself.
Outlook 2016: Since its a one-time purchase, you can install it only once either on Pc or Mac based on the copy of your Office 2016.
#3 Cost
Office 365: You dont have to pay huge amount upfront. Since its subscription service, you can either pay a small fee monthly or pay for full year and save money.
Outlook 2016: You have to pay one-time cost which means a large amount to pay upfront.
#4 Cloud Storage
Office 365: Is cloud based service. Which means you dont have to worry about the servers. Once you subscribe to Office 365, leverage the benefit of connecting from anywhere on any device with internet connection. Yes, be it your Windows phone, Android, iPhone, iPads even on your watches and Xbox and you dont have to worry about back up. Of course you have to back up data and there are third-party tools to microsoft office 365 backup, but you dont have to worry about it all the time.
Outlook 2016: Is set on server and you need to take a time to time back up to save your data. Any issues with exchange server can sometimes result in inaccessibility to your Outlook profile. Again, you can get a quick solution for repairing MS Outlook profile with the help of third-party tools but, theres always a worry.
These are some of the differences between Outlook 365 and Outlook 2016. Both have unique and useful features accordingly. Its your decision to choose on which fits in your box. Check out and select the one that suits your needs the best.
Also Read:
- How to backup PST file in Outlook 2016 using Import/Export option?
- How to Upgrade to Outlook 2016
- Best Practices to Address Outlook 2016 Temporary Mailbox Error
- Transfer Outlook AutoComplete NK2 File to Outlook 2016, 2013, and 2010