MS Outlook is a popular email manager from Microsoft. It is available to users in different ways – as a part of MS Office Suite for purchase and as a part of Office 365 subscription.
Let us have a general idea about the differences between the two Outlook applications.
| Microsoft Outlook | Office 365 Outlook | |
| Availability | Is a part of MS Office Suite | Comes with Office 365 subscription |
| Cost | One-time cost when MS Office is purchased | Subscription price that depends on Office 365 Subscription plan (Home, Business, Professional). Can be paid monthly or yearly |
| Installation | Available for a single PC or Mac | Can be installed on about 5 PCs or Macs (or in combination) |
| Upgrades | No upgrade option | Can upgrade or switch to another Office 365 plan |
| Sharing | No sharing option | Can share the subscription with up to 4 users |
| Updates | No updates except for security | The latest updates are always available for subscribers. Also, has regular updates and feature additions. |
How to Know the Version of Outlook You are Using?
- In Outlook, go to File menu, and click Office Account or Account.
- Under Product Information, you can see the version of Outlook you are using.
Which Outlook Version Should be Your Choice?
Now, that we have learned the general differences between Microsoft Outlook and Office 365 Outlook, it is completely on you to choose the version of Outlook you want to work with. If you want to utilize a complete suite of applications like SharePoint, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Publisher, Outlook, Access, and more on a monthly or yearly subscription, then Office 365 is the best choice; it has the advantage of cloud integration. If you want to simply work with an email client (along with MS other Office applications) without any need of any other cloud applications, and is ready to pay upfront, then go for MS Office Suite.
Office 365 has more applications and cloud integration and has the facility to share the same subscription to more people. Also, Office 365 is more flexible with plans and subscription options. Basically, it is your choice. Now, over to you, make a good decision!
Conclusion:
Outlook email client application is available to users with Microsoft Office Suite as well as Microsoft Office 365. But due to the difference in origin, there are some differences between them, and they are explained here.