Macworld Paying monthly for apps you’ve used for years feels like a bad deal… because it is! With Microsoft 365 charging $10 every month, those fees add up fast. There’s a reason so many people are leaving the subscription service behind for the lifetime version of Microsoft Office.

Microsoft has quietly created and tested a free, ad-supported version of its Office 365 suite, just months after Australian users were slugged with a price hike.

Microsoft is quietly testing the waters with an ad-supported version of its Office suite. On offer are desktop versions – Windows-only by the looks of things – of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. The ad-supported, free version only shows up for a subset of users.

Microsoft is testing a free, ad-supported version of Office, featuring Word, PowerPoint, and Excel — but with several catches.

Microsoft is taking another stab at a free Office app, allowing you to create documents in Word, PowerPoint, and Excel at the cost of some features.

The free version of Microsoft features a 15-second ad that plays every few hours and locks away useful features behind a paywall.

TL;DR: Ditch subscription costs and buy a lifetime license for Microsoft Office 2024 for $159.97. Save on access to your favorite Microsoft Office programs when you buy a Microsoft Office 2024 Home & Business for Mac or PC Lifetime License for $159.