Have you ever had to choose which Microsoft Office is better to install on your home or work computer terminal, because today there are a lot of available versions of it? Yes of course! However, not all users clearly understand which software product should be preferred not only on the basis of its basic capabilities, but also taking into account some of the subtleties of working with it, not to mention the configuration of their own computer (laptop) in terms of installed hardware and operating system. Let's try to figure out which of all the packages available for installation is better and installing which one will be the best solution in each case.
Which Microsoft Office is better: general description of packages
To date, on the Internet, including the official Microsoft resource, you can find several basic modifications of this office suite. Mostly versions 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016 and 2019 are offered for download and installation. However, it’s worth immediately paying attention to the fact that support for the 2007 modification, as well as the obsolete set in the form of Office 2003, is almost completely discontinued. Nevertheless, many successfully install outdated versions, since they believe that they are much more convenient in work. But is it really so?
To figure out which Microsoft Office is better, let's briefly go over the main characteristics of the latest packages and look at some of the nuances of their use and innovations that were introduced by the developers as more and more modifications came out:
- Office 2007 is the most acceptable solution for everyday tasks, designed for ordinary users, since all applications have a fairly simple interface and do a good job of processing documents of any supported type, even on relatively outdated computers.
- "Office 2010" is an improved modification of the 2007 product, the main changes of which were related to improvements in the HTML editor, as well as optimization of the architecture (license 300 rubles).
- “Office 2013” is a fully modified version with a changed interface in which small buttons disappeared, animation effects were added when switching between the main menu items, and the touch control appeared (license 800 rubles).
- "Office 2016" is the version that is optimized as much as possible for touch control, but more designed for design developments using programming tools. Unlike previous modifications, this version has a more convenient search engine (license 1290 rubles).
- “Office 2019” is a completely new software product that is still in the testing phase, on the whole strongly reminiscent of the 2016 modification, but it’s too early to talk about it, since few people installed it on their computer (license 2000 rubles).
What to consider when choosing an office suite?
These are the main versions of the office suite that are offered for installation by Microsoft itself. Which Microsoft Office is better if only the presented versions are taken into account? In principle, answering this question is quite difficult, because you still need to consider which operating system you have installed and what hardware is used in the computer.
For example, it is believed that for Windows 7 the best choice would be to install Office 2013. If you always follow technical innovations and want to use the latest versions of the package, immediately pay attention to the hardware, because the packages of 2016 and higher are very resource-demanding. Do not forget that the operating system can consume them just incredibly much. Therefore, if your PC or laptop meets only the minimum requirements of Windows itself, do not chase innovations and install an office suite easier.
Which Office is Preferred for Windows XP?
Despite the fact that the version of the XP operating system is already hopelessly a thing of the past, it is still used very widely. Which Microsoft Office is better for Windows of this modification? It is believed that even version 2007 can be installed in this OS, however, after eliminating some of the vagaries of the system itself.
But the best solution is still to use Office 2003, which practically does not load system resources, and for many users who are not used to the interface of new packages, it seems much more convenient to work with. In principle, if you are a supporter of this particular version, you can install it at least in Windows 10. All the same, all the latest modifications of the Office have full support for the standard formats of 2003, and save the created documents in new formats used by default (DOCX, Xlsx, etc.), completely optional. If you want to open files of new formats, in addition to the main package, you can install a special converter that allows you to work with documents of new standard extensions.
Choosing a Standard Office for Windows 7
About which version of Microsoft Office is better for the "seven", partially already been said. In principle, if you do not need advanced functionality, you can really stop at the 2013 modification. By and large, all subsequent versions of the office suite do not differ much from each other - either by interface or by the available means of working with documents. There is absolutely no sense in putting versions optimized for touch control, since the operating system itself does not support this input method.
Which Microsoft Office is better for Windows 10?
Despite the fact that for Windows 7 and newer versions the system requirements are at about the same level, office suites released simultaneously with new versions of the system themselves seemed to be “tailored” for them.
As for the G8 and Tens, you can install some kind of modification like 2016 and higher, although in practice there will be no tangible advantages compared to previous modifications of the main office suite, unless you perform specific tasks .
Alternative as MS Office Blue Edition
Which Microsoft Office is better, if we consider the standard versions of the package, a little understood. Now let's try to figure out alternative solutions. Apparently, it is not necessary to say that all the described packages are paid. It is recommended to purchase them officially. However, our users are in no hurry to lay out large enough amounts of money for such software products, and for activation they use semi-official utilities like KMSpico or KMSAuto Net. However, as it turns out, Microsoft has one official release, which is absolutely free and works no worse than the standard versions of the package.
This is a modification of the Blue Edition, which is based on the 2007 version. Many experts recommend it to ordinary users for installation, considering the package both easy in terms of consuming computer resources and simple management.
Cloud Office 365
A relatively new development in the form of the Office 365 cloud service for use by ordinary users is not provided, especially since it costs very well (you need to pay every year).
By and large, this development can come in handy when processing documents at large enterprises, when documents need to be shared with several dozen employees in branched corporate networks (possibly even located in different regions). But this service can boast of an improved security system to a very high extent.
Epilogue
So which Microsoft Office is better? The answer to this question is quite complicated, since it all depends on the preferences of the users themselves, and on the computer configuration, and on the goals or objectives. But if we talk about “home” users, so to speak, regardless of the modification of Windows used, it’s easier and best to install versions 2003-2013, which are not as “voracious” as newer versions, even though support for some of them has been discontinued.