What’s the Difference Between Microsoft Office’s Desktop, Web, and Mobile Apps?

Microsoft offers several different ways to run different Office programs, such as desktop applications, mobile applications for Android or iPhone / iPad, and online in a web browser. As you can imagine, the versions of the online and mobile application are not as robust as the desktop version, but they might still be useful. And for some of you, they may be all they need. Here is the breakdown.

The different versions of Microsoft Office

Microsoft offers can sometimes be a bit, shall we say, disconcerting. Office is not an exception. You can buy or subscribe to the full desktop version. The subscription option also offers access to your mobile applications for iPhone, iPad, Android and (in turn) Chromebooks. And you can use a free online version in your browser.

Office 365 Desktop (or Office 2016)

The desktop version of Office is the full version you've probably been familiar with for years. These are the complete desktop applications that you install on your Windows PC or Mac. You can buy this version in one of two ways:

•      Office 2016: this is the traditional standalone application. You pay the initial cost, get a license and install it on your computer.
•      Office 365: This is the newest subscription model. You pay a monthly (or annual) subscription fee. While you keep your subscription active, you will always have the latest version of Office, including major new updates. The subscription also comes with some additional benefits, such as a large amount of OneDrive storage, a monthly allowance of Skype minutes, and access to mobile application versions of Office applications.

We've already covered the difference between Office 365 and Office 2016 in detail, so if you want more information on which version may be best for you, we suggest you read that guide.

Office 365 mobile applications (for iPhone, Android and Chromebooks)

 Office 365 mobile applications include versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, and Outlook for the iOS and Android platforms. You can also use most Office Mobile for Android applications on a Chromebook, assuming you have a Chromebook compatible with Android applications (although some are not compatible with PowerPoint).

To use mobile applications, you must have a paid Office 365 subscription. That subscription gives you access to both the desktop and mobile applications; you do not need a separate subscription.

Mobile apps offer a more limited set of features than their full desktop counterparts (more on that in a moment), but the appearance is pretty much the same. Mobile apps also offer offline access, which means you can view and edit documents even when you're not connected to the Internet.

Office 365 Online

 

Office 365 Online allows you to view and edit Office documents for free in your web browser (such as Google Docs, but from Microsoft). All the same applications: Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote are available. You do not need a subscription to use the online applications, although you must log in with a free Microsoft account.

Office 365's online applications offer virtually the same set of features you would find in mobile applications. The big difference (apart from being free) is that Office 365 Online does not offer offline access; You must be connected to the Internet to view and edit documents.

All three versions (desktop, mobile and online) offer seamless integration with OneDrive, so keeping track of documents is easy when moving between platforms.

Are the Non-Desktop Versions Good Enough?

Let's be clear at the beginning: the non-desktop versions of Office do not replace the full desktop version. Office 365 Online and Office 365 Mobile Apps offer a set of features similar to those found in their Google Docs counterparts. They are excellent if you only need the basic functions, or if you occasionally need to see or make minor editions in the documents (without the compatibility problems you would encounter when using Google Docs, LibreOffice or another set of programs).

For example, some of the main features that are missing in online and mobile applications include:

•     Word: You can not create legends, citations, bibliographies, tables of contents. You can not create or apply styles. And you will not have access to some of the most advanced tools for review, revision or page layout.
•     Excel: You can not create dynamic tables, apply conditional formatting, create connections or external data references, or access many of the advanced formulas.
•     OneNote: You can not edit embedded files, use optical character recognition (OCR) to translate handwriting into text, use Outlook task integration or take advantage of template support.
•     PowerPoint: You can not create custom animations, use headers and footers, or integrate Excel graphics. Neither can you take advantage of advanced design or revision tools.

And there are many more features, somewhat smaller, that you will not be able to take advantage of in the online or mobile Office versions of the application. For a complete list, see the Description of the Office Online Service on Microsoft TechNet. While that list speaks specifically about the Office 365 online experience, most of the same exclusions also apply to mobile applications.

NOTE: Some of these features that we mentioned can be seen in the versions of mobile and online applications of Office; you just can not create them there. For example, you can not create a table of contents form in the online or mobile application versions, but you can see one that was created in the desktop version.

Which Version of Office Should You Use?

Which version of Office is best for you depends on your needs. If you need the full desktop version, decide if you want to go with Office 2016 independently or with Office 365 based on subscriptions. Keep in mind that if you also want to use mobile applications, you will need that Office 365 subscription, anyway.

When it comes to using Office 365 online or the Office 365 mobile apps, we realize that they really are good enough if you only need to access the basic functions or if you need to see (and perhaps make small edits) documents created with the full desktop version.

If you already have an Office 365 subscription, we recommend using mobile applications mainly because they offer the possibility of working offline. You can use them very well on Android, iPhone or iPad, or even on the Chromebook.

If you still do not have a subscription to Office 365 and really do not care about offline access, we recommend that you keep the free online application: it will allow you to at least do the basics, free of charge, with nothing more than a web browser . .