I’m Ditching My Microsoft Office Plan On Valentine’s Day For This Much Cheaper Alternative

Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority

Microsoft just pushed me to do something I should have done months ago. I was already questioning paying £5.99 each month for Microsoft 365 Personal, but it was just about low enough not to cause me to seek out an alternative. It’s an unwritten agreement I have with various services — if they don’t try to take too much out of my account each month, I won’t bother to give it further thought. But now I’ve received an email saying my Microsoft 365 subscription with Office is going up to £8.49 on Valentine’s Day, so it’s time to reevaluate the relationship.

Talk about high maintenance. Microsoft says the 41% price hike is to “address rising costs and enable us to continue delivering new innovations.” To me, this sounds like code for how much more the company needs to pour into an AI black hole. Meanwhile, I still mostly use the Office suite the same way I did 20 years ago, so I’m not interested in funding further folly.

More than the extra money, it’s a matter of principle.

More than the extra money, it’s a matter of principle because I still resent the fact that I have to pay a monthly fee at all. I’m sure many of you feel the same way. Moving from actually owning a product to these subscription models is just another way that Big Tech makes my life worse, not better.

What also baffles me about this is how Microsoft knows it won’t drive many more customers like me to find an alternative. Microsoft 365 is more than just the Office suite, and while the many other tools may look to my eyes like padding in order to justify fleecing punters, perhaps many of its clients are locked into a Microsoft ecosystem now. Getting people hooked and then jacking up the price has been a viable business model for centuries, albeit a contemptible one.

I don’t use any of the services I’m apparently paying for in the screenshot above. That includes my “AI credit balance,” which I just discovered is a thing that I have. As for the Office tools, Google offers a viable alternative for free. I use Sheets and Docs all the time. Microsoft might have a few extra facets I like, but not at any price.

Luckily, there are still versions of Microsoft Office that you can own or at least get the license for a one-time fee. I’ve got my eye on one Microsoft Office Professional 2021 deal in particular, so that’s where I’ll be taking my money on Valentine’s Day. One of the places you can get it is our TechDeals page, where it’s on sale for just $59.97.

It’s certainly an older version of Office, but long-time Word or Excel users will know that not many big changes have happened in that world. It has the vast majority of the functionality we see today, including everything I use. As my credit balance will attest, I should be fine without the AI. The link is below if you want to join me in the exodus.

Microsoft Office Professional 2021 for Windows

Microsoft Office Professional 2021 for Windows

Get lifetime access to Word, Excel, Powerpoint, and more. Microsoft Office 2021 Professional is the perfect choice for professionals or students who need to handle data and documents.

This is the official Office Suite, which contains Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and several other popular tools. If you favor Apple machines, you’ll find a link to Microsoft Office Home & Business for Mac 2021 for around $25 more.

It looks insanely cheap, but other than the previous-generation factor, this is down to one particular catch. It’s a big one, but it’s made very clear on the page — the deal is for a single license that can only be installed on one Windows PC. That means it won’t last you decades, and you shouldn’t buy it just yet if you’re planning to upgrade your laptop anytime soon. Otherwise, it’s the real deal, with verified reviews to prove it.

This license will pay for itself in a matter of months.

For me, it’s a no-brainer. Compared to what I’m being asked to fork out for my Microsoft 365 subscription from next week, this license will pay for itself in a matter of months.

Sorry, Microsoft. You’re still getting a bit of my money, but only as a one-off parting gift this Valentine’s Day. Take care, and good luck in your future endeavors.