Is Microsoft 365 the right office suite software to fulfill your needs? We will help you answer that question by reviewing Microsoft Office 365 in terms of its features, pricing, and pros and cons.
Read: The Top Task Management Software for Developers
What are Microsoft Office 365’s Features
Before we jump into what this suite has to offer, let us discuss its name. Microsoft 365 is the new moniker that replaces Office 365, so if you see both names floating around the Internet, know that they are essentially discussing the same product. As for Microsoft 365’s features, here are some of the highlights that you will get to access once you purchase a subscription.
Microsoft Word
Microsoft Word really needs no introduction, as it is one of the top word processors around. As one of the top and most widely used features of Microsoft 365, Word offers:
- Microsoft Editor to provide writing assistance as it checks your grammar, spelling, punctuation, and capitalization
- Document sharing with real-time comments and suggested changes
- Accessible documents from any device when saved to OneDrive
- Customizable templates
- Voice commands and dictation
Read: Microsoft Word Tips and Tricks
Microsoft Excel
While Word may be Microsoft 365’s most popular offering, Excel is not far behind. Excel is regarded by many to be the top spreadsheet software thanks to these capabilities:
- Create spreadsheets from scratch or get a running head start with one of many templates
- Perform calculations
- Charts and graphs to easily understand data
- Real-time collaboration
- Image recognition that lets you snap a photo of a table and convert it into a fully-editable one so you can skip the time-consuming task of manually entering data from hard copies
Read: Microsoft Excel Tips and Tricks
Microsoft PowerPoint
Presentation is the name of the game with PowerPoint. With this Microsoft 365 feature, you can:
- Design information-filled and eye-catching slides
- Insert embedded animations and 3D objects
- Get AI recommendations via Presenter Coach to ensure the speeches accompanying your PowerPoint presentations are on point in terms of word choice, pacing, etc.
- Track changes made by other collaborators with the while you were away feature
Read: Microsoft PowerPoint Tips and Tricks
Microsoft Teams
Although you can use many of Microsoft Office 365’s features to collaborate with others, Teams is the software that specializes in this department. With Microsoft Teams, you can:
- Connect and collaborate regardless of your location
- Share your screen
- Be in the same space virtually via together mode
- Make and receive calls (including voicemail)
- Enjoy group calling
- Share and edit files from other Microsoft 365 offerings like Word and Excel
- Chat to share ideas (complete with emojis, stickers, and GIFs)
You can learn more by reading our Microsoft Teams Collaboration Tool Review.
Outlook
Microsoft Outlook helps you stay organized by providing a calendar and email service in one place. With Outlook’s email as part of Office 365, you can:
- Use the built-in calendar to never miss an appointment or important event
- Send, receive, and manage email messages
- Enjoy enterprise-grade security
- Quickly search for contacts or vital messages and documents
- Use Microsoft To Do to prioritize tasks
Read: Microsoft Outlook Tips and Tricks
OneDrive
Microsoft 365 gives you the power to create and share tons of content and ideas, but where can you save them? That is where OneDrive enters the picture with its personal cloud storage that lets you:
- Access, edit, and share files regardless of location or device
- Enjoy the peace of mind of knowing your files and photos are saved in the cloud in case you lose a device
- Collaborate in real-time with others as you share your docs and photos via links versus thumb drives or huge email attachments
Read: Microsoft OneDrive Tips and Tricks
OneNote
Your days of jotting down important notes on paper will be over if you subscribe to Microsoft Office 365, as its OneNote feature can help you do it all digitally. OneNote lets you:
- Organize your life and daily tasks via notebooks that can be divided into sections and pages
- Find essential notes within seconds
- Add to-do tags to the most essential tasks
- Revise and highlight notes with ease
- Collaborate by sharing notes and ideas
- Insert online videos
- Record audio notes
- Add files
SharePoint
As you can tell by its name, SharePoint is a Microsoft Office 365 feature centered on collaboration. With SharePoint, you can collaborate with people both inside and outside of your organization via productive team sites that let you:
- Share files, data, and resources
- Manage content
Read: Project Management Software for .NET Developers
How Much Does Microsoft Office 365 Cost?
Microsoft offers several pricing plans for Office 365 subscribers that differ according to need and user. Here is how the pricing breaks down:
- Microsoft 365 Family: (for one to six people) $9.99 per month
- Microsoft 365 Personal: (for one person) $6.99 per month
- Microsoft 365 Business Basic: $6 per user, per month
- Microsoft 365 Apps for Business: $8.25 per user, per month
- Microsoft 365 Business Standard: $12.50 per user, per month
- Microsoft 365 Business Premium: $22 per user, per month
- Microsoft 365 E3 (Enterprise): $36 per user, per month
- Microsoft 365 E5 (Enterprise): $57 per user, per month
- Microsoft 365 F3 (Enterprise): $8 per user, per month
What are Microsoft Office 365’s Pros And Cons?
What are Microsoft 365’s strengths and weaknesses? Have a look:
Pros
- Tons of powerful apps to choose from to cover varying needs, including content creation, collaboration, organization, and productivity
- The ability to access your information and apps anywhere and from any device
- Great for users who travel often or work remotely and who need to access apps and content on the go
- Tight integration between Microsoft apps that sync across all devices, which eliminates the need to install third-party apps
- Top-notch security via mobile device management, data loss prevention, hashed passwords, threat intelligence, and two-factor authentication
- Automatic updates to ensure every app runs smoothly and securely
- Multiple pricing plans to fit varying budgets and needs
Cons
- Having to pay for features that you may not use due to the monthly subscription format (if not, you will still have to pay an annual fee for features that may not suit you)
- Regular updates that may take some getting used to (such as new versions or layouts)
- Compatibility problems for older devices
- The need for an Internet connection to access apps and services that sit in the cloud (there are higher-priced plans that allow for offline use)
Is Microsoft 365 Right For You?
As far as office suite software goes, it is hard to top Microsoft 365. You get so many user-friendly, productivity-boosting features for one price to help you create content, collaborate with others, share your work, and more, whether you are online or offline.
Is Microsoft 365 the only office suite you can choose from? No, so if you are not sold on its set of features, pricing, or other characteristics, check out similar office suites like Google Workspace, iWork (for Apple fans who are loyal to their devices), WPS Office, and Zoho Workplace.
