Microsoft Office Cost

Many people would like to become better at using Microsoft Office applications but feel apprehensive about the perceived costs of taking courses for comprehensive training. While access to Microsoft Office does have a cost if an individual doesn’t have free institutional licensing, there can also be high costs for courses for enhancing skills with many Office programs. However, free or low-cost resources are available for beginners who would like to improve on knowledge with those applications to fortify their career ambitions.

Various free resources and tutorials are available to help you learn Microsoft Office.

What is Microsoft Office?

Microsoft Office is an essential tool for working environments across a spectrum of businesses. Its software bundle provides various functions for word processing, building databases, creating spreadsheets, or designing promotional material. Working with Microsoft Office suite applications provides skills for gaining employment as, for example, a technical writer for composing, editing, saving, and printing documents. Microsoft Office offers a variety of applications that include Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Excel for use on PCs or Macs, as well as the cloud, through a subscription to Microsoft 365.

Microsoft Office is the most widely used software application around the world. Microsoft Office allows users to manage email accounts, calendars, and to-do lists. Microsoft Office will enable users to get work done remotely or onsite through chats, calls, hosting meetings, or sharing documents in the cloud. Several online learning providers can learn skills in Microsoft Office for basic knowledge and certifications with training in various applications.

Read more about what Microsoft Office is and why you should learn it.

What Can You Do with Microsoft Office?

Microsoft Office provides features and tools that allow users to organize tasks ranging from creating presentations with PowerPoint, analyzing and visualizing data using Excel, communicating through email with Outlook, or composing documents using Word. These are only a few examples of the programs that have made Office an essential tool for professionals worldwide.

Microsoft PowerPoint has become the industry standard for designing presentations, allowing users to customize their projects by designing layouts, creating tables and charts, modifying text, or inserting images, shapes, animations, and layered objects.

Excel allows users to create formulas, PivotTables, macros, and other techniques, including calculations, essential functions, charts, formatting, and printing.

Outlook can handle email functions as well as managing calendars, organizing contact lists, managing junk email, configuring calendar settings, or creating appointments and meetings.

Finally, Microsoft Word is the most widely used word-processing application worldwide and likely the most used software application. Word offers a trove of features waiting to be unlocked that help users compose, edit, and produce material in a variety of document formats. Through training, students will learn shortcuts, tips, and techniques for optimizing professional or personal use of Word. Training includes lessons in formatting techniques, creating hyperlinks, setting bookmarks, or inserting images, video, and audio.

In-Depth Review of the Cost

Microsoft Office is available through Microsoft 365, a subscription version of Office that provides the same core desktop applications along with additional apps and online services for secure cloud storage, communications, and collaboration. Microsoft 365 is available through several methods, including individual applications, suites, channels, and licensing for professional, educational, or personal use at work, school, or home. Options for purchasing Microsoft 365 include:

• Eligible education institutions provide students and educators with Office 365 Education at no cost. Office 365 includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote, SharePoint, and Microsoft Teams, which can facilitate live online training.
• Microsoft 365 Personal is available for $6.99 monthly or $69.99 a year.
• Microsoft 365 Family costs $9.99 a month or $99.99 a year.
• Microsoft 365 Business Basic costs $6 per user monthly for an annual subscription that auto-renews.
• Microsoft 365 Business Standard costs $12.50 per user a month for an annual subscription.
• Microsoft 365 Business Premium costs $22 per user a month for an annual subscription.
• Microsoft 365 Apps for Business costs $8.25 per user a month for an annual subscription. 

Free Trials

Microsoft 365 includes free trials that give users access to 1TB of cloud storage per user that allows individuals to download and install Office apps to multiple PCs, Macs, tablets, or smartphones. It’s important to note that the credit card used to participate in this free trial will be charged after the trial period ends.

Alternatives to Microsoft Office

Because some people may find the cost of licensing Microsoft Office or Microsoft 365 prohibitive, there are alternatives to many Office applications and services that are free or less expensive and are usually compatible with Microsoft Office.

For example, Google Docs is an online word processing tool that is a popular alternative to Microsoft Word and is available free as part of the web-based Google Docs Editors suite. Among Google Docs’ biggest assets is that it allows for seamless document sharing, which is a convenient benefit for any working environment that requires collaboration and rapid turnaround for creating content. Another alternative for Word would be Apple’s Pages, a word processing application included with most Apple devices. It allows users to compose documents, design illustrations, or collaborate with co-workers or friends in real-time on iPhones, iPads, or Mac computers.

Google Sheets is an online spreadsheet program that is also available free as part of Google Docs Editors, which also facilitates collaboration by allowing several people to read, edit, or work with content simultaneously.

Google Slides is another free program offered through Google Docs Editors that allows users to create, edit, and present online presentations in real-time using any number of devices and collaborate with associates in designing and developing content.

Why Learn Microsoft Office?

Microsoft Office not only serves as a staple in workplaces worldwide but also helps with essential household functions, including logging bills or collecting recipes. Microsoft Office offers applications like Word, PowerPoint, Publisher, Outlook, OneNote, and Excel for tasks involving word processing, presentations, email communications, note-taking, or data analysis. Anyone from a corporate office to a freelance agency to an academic institution uses the Microsoft Office suite for everything from basic workplace organizing to producing design functions. This means that training in Microsoft Office applications can deliver the skills required for designing, creating, saving, printing, or uploading documents to maintain an efficient working environment.

Microsoft Office is a suite of software applications designed to handle a variety of office functions, including creating documents, building databases, organizing spreadsheets, and developing promotional materials. This includes Microsoft Word for word processing, Excel for spreadsheet functions, including charts and graphs, Access for creating and maintaining databases, and PowerPoint for creating professional-looking presentations. Training in Microsoft Office can provide you with the core skills needed to help with finding the right job.

Read more about why you should learn Microsoft Office.

Free Introductory Microsoft Office Course Online 

Noble Desktop offers free classes if you don’t feel ready to handle a fully loaded Microsoft Office training course. This includes a free online Excel course and a free online PowerPoint Presentation Design seminar. The Excel class offers advice on techniques for helping users save time using the spreadsheet application for day-to-day work, school, or home activities. The PowerPoint class provides help for creating appealing presentations.

You can also find other education providers that offer free online Microsoft Office training. Udemy offers a group of Microsoft Office courses that fit whatever an individual is looking for regarding basic lessons for a variety of Office desktop software applications. Coursera trains students in Office features and interfaces that include how to perform basic tasks for Word, PowerPoint, or Excel.

You can also find a basic introduction to Microsoft Office applications through online training with video tutorials from YouTube channels or other video outlets.

Read more about free Microsoft Office videos and online tutorials.

Learn Microsoft Office with Hands-on Training at Noble Desktop

If you’re looking to enhance your skills in using Microsoft Office, Noble Desktop has courses that provide training for a better understanding of Office applications. This includes in-person classes available in New York City and live online courses in various timeframes and costs.

Noble Desktop offers in-person and live online Microsoft Office classes that provide hands-on training from expert instructors. Courses offered include Excel, PowerPoint, Word, Project, and Outlook training available inside a classroom or through virtual learning.

Microsoft Office courses include the Excel Bootcamp, training on functions, formulas, PivotTables, and macros, along with time-saving techniques. Excel courses offer training from the fundamental level up through advanced classes available in various durations, with tuition ranging from $229 to $549.

Students can also enroll in the PowerPoint Bootcamp to learn how to design everything from slides for multimedia presentations to customizing text or using images, shapes, animation, layered objects, and creating tables and charts. Noble Desktop also offers the PowerPoint Level I course that teaches individuals fundamentals, such as how to apply images and SmartArt or insert tables and graphs for designing professional-looking presentations.