Activation key VS Digital license for Office: which are the differences?

Question

I want to install and activate Microsoft Office on a Windows 7 Home Premium pc.

I have to chose between:

1) purchasing an activation key;

2) buying a digital license from another user; this second option would let me activate Office on 5 different devices but I don't need it (I just want to install it on a single pc) and I wonder if there are other differences between the two methods. My question:

• Which are the advantages / disadvantage of installing and activating Microsoft Office through a serial key (1) VERSUS a digital license, i.e. a new account provided by another person (2)?

Answer 1

Digital license key is probably for Microsoft Office 365 for five devices and will need yearly payments to Microsoft to keep on using it. It will mean that you are always using the latest Office version (for good or bad, this means the latest features but also the latest bugs.)

An Activation Key is most probably for Office 2019 and is a permanent license for one computer, although transferable between computers (within reason). Limited updates, mostly for bugs and security, will be available from time to time.

If the current version of Office 2019 will be enough for several years to come, it might be the better choice. But you need to decide yourself between the two license models, product or service.