Microsoft Office is a vital application suite that has been necessary to workers and students for many years, but its steep price point means its use is limited.
After all, $99 a year is an enormous cost for casual use, and students rarely have that much money. I've never found myself using Microsoft Office, and not because I don't want to, but because paying for it when I rarely need it is a waste of money.
Many are in this same position, which is why Microsoft Office's number one competitor, Google Workspace, has a 79.67% market share according to 6sense. However, the existence of a recent test from Microsoft could change everything.
Arjun Sha of Beebom reported on Monday that Microsoft has been pushing a limited test across India where users can install a feature-stripped version of Microsoft Office for free, but it's littered with advertisements.
Speaking to PC World on Monday, Microsoft revealed through an unnamed representative that the company had "been conducting some limited testing" and that "Currently, there are no plans to launch a free, ad-supported version of Microsoft Office desktop apps."
Microsoft Office's free, ad-supported version is still in limited testing, but we have no confirmation from the company regarding its eventual purpose. While it claims there are no plans to widely launch a free version of its software, it's likely that Microsoft would make it a reality if it's proven successful.
But what exactly are you giving up by using the free version of Microsoft Office?
What's different in this free version of Microsoft Office?
As mentioned, the free version of Microsoft Office is ad-supported and has limited features, but what will that actually look like?
Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint feature an everpresent ads banner at the right, and a 15-second video advertisement (that's apparently muted) plays once every few hours (via Beebom).
The frequency of shown ads doesn't seem that bad, but we imagine Microsoft will measure how far it can go with advertisements without discouraging use entirely. After all, the company wants to ensure these Office applications can stay profitable.
Even with this free version, there are changes. You cannot save files locally and must upload them to OneDrive, which is pretty inconvenient. Users can download those files from OneDrive, but it's a weird roundabout way to get your files.
There are several other limited features throughout Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Beebom compiled a full list of those features and it shows just how much the company is stripping away from this free version. For example, you cannot use line spacing, cover pages, headers, or footers in Microsoft Word.
A free version of Microsoft Office could challenge Google Workspace
Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and Google Workspace (Docs, Sheets, Slides) are the most frequently used suites for school and business. But there's no escaping how much Google has overshadowed Microsoft's userbase.
An in-depth comparison from 6sense shows that Google Workspace has 79.67% of the market share, while Microsoft Office only has 10.35%. But of course, there's no escaping that Google Workspace is entirely free, and Microsoft Office makes a lot of money per subscription to Microsoft Office.
However, even if Microsoft Office is more profitable than Google Workspace, the massive gap in userbase is impossible to ignore. Testing an ad-supported, feature-stripped version of Microsoft Office is likely a way to bridge that gap even a little, and by implementing advertisements, the company can try to keep the model profitable.
More from Laptop Mag
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.
