Other productivity apps like Microsoft Teams, Forms, and Sway are included in the list of Office Online offerings too. With Office Online, you gain access to online versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, and Outlook at no cost. This is more affordable (starting around $7/month), but the subscription still adds up over time. Nowadays, Microsoft wants you to subscribe to a paid Microsoft 365 plan. Traditionally, you had to pay upfront for a standalone copy of the latest version of Office (like Office 2021 or Office 2019), which could cost $100 or more. This is the easiest way to get Microsoft Word for free and legally. The biggest benefit of Office Online is that you can use it without paying. Accordingly, the Office Online name is no longer used, in favor of 'Microsoft 365 for the web.' We've used the historical name of Office Online here since that's what most people currently know it by. Starting in 2023, Microsoft Office is now known as Microsoft 365, except for legacy versions.
