Microsoft Office 2021 vs Office 2019: What’s the Difference  

As the world continues to evolve in the digital age, productivity software remains at the core of both personal and business workflows. Two of the most widely used suites in this category are Microsoft Office 2021 and Microsoft Office 2019 productivity tools. 

The main difference between MS Office 2021 and MS Office 2019 lies in their respective features, collaborative working and seamless synchronization. For example, Microsoft Office 2021 offers joint document creation, clear comment features for teamwork, and innovative real-time synchronization via OneDrive and SharePoint. While Office 2019 has some of these features, they may not appear the same. 

If you’re wondering whether to upgrade, this in-depth comparison will help you decide if the emphasis on collaboration warrants an upgrade from Office 2019 to 2021.

Overview of Microsoft Office 2021 vs Office 2019

Let’s start with a brief understanding of Microsoft Office 2021 vs Office 2019 office software.

What is Microsoft Office 2019?

 

Released in September 2018, Office 2019 is a perpetual license version of Microsoft Office software. It includes Office classic apps like:

• Word 2019
• Excel 2019
• PowerPoint 2019
• Outlook 2019 (in certain editions)
• OneNote

Microsoft Office 2019’s support ends in October 2025.

What is Microsoft Office 2021?

 

Microsoft Office 2021, released in October 2021, is also a perpetual license version of Microsoft Office. 

In addition to the popular Office apps, it also includes advanced features such as Teams for better collaboration and communication regardless of location. Plus, its design is adapted to the soft, modern look of Windows 11, including an extensive dark mode (darkened background areas, light font).

Office 2021 has new advanced Excel functions like XMATCH, XLOOKUP and an improved comment function (Modern Comments).

As per Microsoft’s communication, Office 2021 support ends in October 2026.

Key Differences Between Office 2021 and Office 2019

The key feature of both Office 2019 and 2021 is that they’re lifetime licenses, which is an advantage for those who prefer to pay for an Office suite once and use it indefinitely.

To use either of these MS Office software, all you have to do is pay a one-time fee for the 2019 or 2021 license and then activate it online via a free Microsoft account.

The disadvantage is that a lifetime license only comes with mainstream support for five years and extended support for two years. The support includes security updates, but no new features. If you want to upgrade or get new features, you’ll need to purchase a new license, simple.

However, with Microsoft 365, as long as you have an active subscription, you’ll have access to support as well as security updates and new features.

Here are the key differences between Office suites, Office 2021 vs Office 2019:

✔️ User Interface and Design

• Office 2021: Features a more modern interface with rounded corners, neutral color palette, and improved accessibility tools.
• Office 2019: Retains the older design consistent with Office 2016, without the new Fluent UI updates.

✔️ Performance Enhancements

• Office 2021 offers faster startup, better stability, and enhanced responsiveness, especially on Windows 11.
• Office 2019 is still reliable but lacks optimization for newer operating systems.

✔️ Co-authoring and Collaboration

Although they have different release dates and end-of-support timelines, Office 2019 and 2021 both contain all the important Microsoft Office applications. With these licenses, users have access to the classic Ms Office applications such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook, plus other applications like OneNote, Access, Publisher, SharePoint, and Exchange.

However, in contrast to Office 2019, Office 2021 places a greater emphasis on teamwork and collaboration. A prime example is the inclusion of Teams in Office 2021. Teams enables the Office suite to support device- and location-agnostic work and communication. This is particularly important in the era of remote work and home offices. Office 2021 or Microsoft 365 is essential for communication in the workplace, as collaboration features are only minimally supported by Office 2019 and other earlier versions of Office.

• Office 2021 allows real-time collaboration and co-authoring in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
• Office 2019 does not support real-time collaboration unless integrated with Microsoft 365.

✔️ Microsoft Teams Integration

• Office 2021 includes Microsoft Teams as a built-in app (consumer version).
• Office 2019 lacks native Teams integration.

✔️ Feature Improvements in Apps

Although the main Microsoft apps are identical for both licenses, a closer look reveals many new features in the Office 2021 apps. Here are the most important and advanced features:

✅ Word

• Introduced Line Focus, Dark Mode, and Text Predictions.
• Support for OpenDocument 1.3

✅ Excel (New Excel functions)

• New XLOOKUP function: Targeted search for multiple variables and keywords or for an arrangement of selected elements in Excel tables
• New XMATCH function: Targeted position search of keywords and variables in a selected row range.
• New LET function: Assigns names to specific results of a calculation
• New functions with support for dynamic arrays, Sheet Views, and improved Power Query.

✅ PowerPoint

• Adds Slide Recording Studio, Ink Replay, and better presenter tools.
• Recording of speaker videos as well as laser pointer and freehand recordings
• Optimization of presentations for screen readers
• Sketching feature enables freehand drawings in presentations
• Record and playback capabilities for illustrations that were created with PowerPoint
• Export presentations in video format for reuse online

✅ Outlook

• Office 2021: Enhanced with Translator, Search at Top, and performance improvements.
• Instant search with improved filtering options
• Translate feature (over 70 languages)
• Freehand drawing with ink feature

✅ Office 2021 with dark mode

With an optimized, comprehensive dark mode feature, Office 2021 offers more than a rudimentary darkened toolbar. The dark mode in the Office 2021 version offers a pleasant display with darkened backgrounds and light-colored fonts, which is not only discreet but also easy on the eyes. This is especially useful when in darkened presentation rooms, traveling or during long hours in front of the screen.

Licensing: One-Time Purchase vs Subscription

• Microsoft Office 2021 and Office 2019 are both one-time purchases, meaning you pay once and own the license forever.
• Neither comes with cloud-based features of Microsoft 365 (e.g., 1TB OneDrive, 60 mins Skype calls/month).

Comparison Table:

Feature	Office 2021	Office 2019
One-time purchase	✅	✅
Real-time collaboration	✅	❌
Teams integration	✅	❌
XLOOKUP & Dynamic Arrays	✅	❌
Line Focus in Word	✅	❌
Performance improvements	✅	Moderate
Free updates	Bug fixes only	Bug fixes only
Cloud storage (OneDrive)	❌	❌

Compatibility and System Requirements

• Both versions support Windows 10 and Windows 11.
• Office 2021 is more optimized for Windows 11.

• Both Office packages are available for macOS Catalina (10.15) or later.

Who Should Choose What?

Choose Office 2021 if:

• You want the latest features and performance.
• You collaborate frequently
• You’re using Windows 11 or macOS Monterey.
• You want to future-proof your productivity suite for several years.

Choose Office 2019 if:

• You want a stable, no-frills version for basic document editing.
• You don’t require new features or real-time collaboration
• You are running older hardware or OS.
• You want to save money and already own a license.

Office 2021 vs 2019, Which One to Choose

Before you decide which Office license to purchase, ask yourself if you want a permanent license or if you prefer a subscription based Office package. A subscription model package always gives access to the most current version of Office with the latest range of features.

The advantage of a license Office version is that it’s a manageable investment. You purchase the Office software once and then can use it indefinitely. There is, however, a time limit when it comes to accessing support. After support ends, you can continue to use the software, but you’ll no longer receive important updates for optimal security and performance.

If you’re investing in a long-term productivity solution with better features, enhanced collaboration, and optimized performance, Microsoft Office 2021 is worth the upgrade. However, for users on a tight budget or with basic needs, Office 2019 remains a capable and reliable option. 

In a direct comparison, it’s clear that Office 2021 offers better features than Office 2019, especially for businesses and commercial use. These include the integration of Microsoft Teams, the real-time synchronization of documents, optimized commenting features and OneDrive integration. When it comes to the main Office apps like Word, Excel and PowerPoint though, both licenses are suitable for personal use. However, keep in mind that official support for Office 2019 ends in October 2025. For Office 2021, support ends October 2026.