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License.Markets

Vendor

Microsoft

Microsoft develops the Windows desktop and server operating systems and the Office productivity suite. Its licensing spans perpetual product keys for individual devices through to per-core server licensing for datacenter deployments.

27
Products
2
Guides
3
Comparisons

Software

Microsoft software with digital delivery.

Windows 11 Pro

Instant activation

The business edition of Windows 11, adding BitLocker encryption, domain join, Hyper-V and Remote Desktop hosting over the Home edition.

Best Seller

$39one-time

Windows 11 Home

Instant activation

The standard edition of Windows 11 for personal computers and everyday productivity.

$29one-time

Windows 10 Pro

Instant activation

The business edition of Windows 10, for hardware that cannot meet the Windows 11 requirements. Support ended in October 2025.

$39one-time

Windows 10 Home

Instant activation

The standard edition of Windows 10 for personal machines that cannot run Windows 11. Support ended in October 2025.

$29one-time

A one-time purchase Office suite for Windows including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Publisher and Access.

Best Seller

$1.60one-time

The previous perpetual Office release for Windows, with the same core application set.

$0.60one-time

The 2019 perpetual Office release for Windows, with Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Publisher and Access.

$0.60one-time

The 2016 perpetual Office release, out of support and sold for machines and documents tied to it.

$0.60one-time

Microsoft 365 E3

Instant activation

An annual five-seat enterprise subscription with the desktop Office apps, Exchange mail, SharePoint and OneDrive.

$858/yr

Microsoft 365 E3 with Teams

Instant activation

The same enterprise plan with Teams included, sized for a hundred seats for one year.

$8,096.40/yr

The small-business plan with Teams and Defender for Business, sized for fifteen seats for one year.

$1,489.80/yr

SQL Server 2019 Standard

Instant activation

The current supported SQL Server release for on-premise deployment, adding UTF-8 collations, Accelerated Database Recovery and PolyBase data virtualisation.

$4.70one-time

SQL Server 2017 Standard

Instant activation

The first SQL Server release to run on Linux and in containers, alongside the same Windows database engine.

$4.70one-time

SQL Server 2016 Standard

Instant activation

The release that introduced Query Store, temporal tables and native JSON support, in extended support until July 2026.

$4.70one-time

SQL Server 2014 Standard

Instant activation

The In-Memory OLTP release, out of support since July 2024 and sold for applications certified against it.

$4.70one-time

Server operating system licensed per physical core, permitting two operating system environments per license.

$13one-time

Server operating system for highly virtualised environments, permitting unlimited operating system environments on licensed hardware.

$13one-time

The previous long-term server release, licensed per core with two operating system environments per license.

$13one-time

The 2022 release for highly virtualised environments, permitting unlimited operating system environments on licensed hardware.

$13one-time

Licensed per physical core with two operating system environments per license, and still within its extended support window.

$13one-time

The 2019 release with unlimited virtualisation rights, Storage Spaces Direct and shielded virtual machines.

$13one-time

The release that moved Windows Server to per-core licensing, with two operating system environments per license.

$13one-time

The 2016 release with unlimited virtualisation rights, and the first to include Storage Spaces Direct.

$13one-time

Licensed per processor pair with two operating system environments. Extended support ended in October 2023.

$13one-time

The legacy virtualisation edition with unlimited OS environments per processor pair. Extended support ended in October 2023.

$13one-time

The first 64-bit-only Windows Server release, licensed per server with one physical and one virtual instance. Support ended in January 2020.

$13one-time

The legacy virtualisation edition of 2008 R2, licensed per processor with unlimited virtual instances. Support ended in January 2020.

$13one-time

Comparisons

  • Office 2021 vs Office 2024

    Office 2021 vs Office 2024

    Two perpetual Office releases compared on features, support lifecycle and whether the newer version is worth the difference.

  • Windows Server Standard vs Windows Server Datacenter

    Windows Server Standard vs Datacenter

    How virtualisation rights and datacenter features decide which Windows Server edition is economical for your workload.

  • Windows 11 Home vs Windows 11 Pro

    Windows 11 Home vs Pro

    Which Windows 11 edition you actually need, based on encryption, domain join, virtualisation and remote access.

Guides

Intermediate30 min

How to Install Windows Server 2025

Install Windows Server 2025 in Server Core or Desktop Experience mode and activate the license.

Beginner7 min

How to Activate Windows 11

Enter a Windows 11 product key, verify activation status and resolve common activation errors.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between a perpetual license and Microsoft 365?

A perpetual license is bought once and does not expire, but it does not receive new feature releases. Microsoft 365 is a subscription that includes ongoing feature updates and cloud services for as long as it is active.

How are Windows Server licenses counted?

Windows Server is licensed per physical core, with all cores in the server requiring coverage and a minimum of 16 cores per server. Client Access Licenses are purchased separately.