Microsoft Office 2016 is available for download on Mac, and it features everything you would expect to use in the Microsoft Office collection of software. Although other Microsoft products, such as Microsoft 365, need an ongoing subscription to access the products, this edition of Microsoft Office 2016 is a traditional version of a one-time purchase for continual license access to the full Microsoft software suite. There are three editions, with different prices and products for each version.

Features and Functionalities: What you can expect with Microsoft Office 2016 on Mac

There are three editions of Microsoft Office 2016 to choose from: Home & Student, Home & Business, and Standard. The different editions can vary according to price, with more expensive prices on the versions offering access to more products. 

The Home & Student version of Microsoft Office 2016 for Mac has access to “core applications” only: Microsoft Word, Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Excel, and Microsoft OneNote. The Home & Business version includes the same core applications but also Microsoft Outlook, primarily known as Microsoft's email software. The Standard edition has the same software available, but it’s reserved for purchase by large institutions (universities, businesses, etc.) to provide multiple licenses for employees, students, and other members.

• Microsoft Word: The world’s most popular word processor. If you’ve ever composed an essay, written an article, or even drafted a social media post in advance, you probably used Microsoft Word. Create, edit, and share documents with a familiar platform that has compatibility across systems and devices, so you will never worry about sharing or accessing work you receive from other people.
• Microsoft Excel: Organize data and analyze numbers with spreadsheets, formulas, and tables. You can program pivot tables to compile and present complex data within simple terms, particularly when you automate the spreadsheet with formulas to make complex calculations.
• Microsoft PowerPoint: Create slideshow presentations and present them using your device. You can create, edit, and share presentations featuring eye-catching fonts, transitions from slide to slide, and easy compatibility with Microsoft products. For example, should you need to include charts from Microsoft Excel in your presentation, PowerPoint has tools designed to streamline that. 
• Microsoft OneNote: This note-taking software is the most recent addition to the Microsoft collection of software, allowing you to create notes with text, tables, drawings, pictures, and other creative tools. While word processors like Microsoft Word are suitable for notetaking, you can click anywhere and write notes anywhere with Microsoft OneNote, whether you are scribbling out a note or typing long sentences.
• Microsoft Outlook: While this is mostly known as the email client for Microsoft Office, Outlook also includes features like calendar keeping, managing tasks across multiple users, storing contacts, and other functions. You can take advantage of time-saving features and streamlined compatibility by automatically adding events to your calendar based on your emails or automatically scheduling meetings based on your coworkers' schedules and finding a date and time that works for everybody.

Compatibility and System Requirements: Downloading and using Microsoft Office 2016 on a Mac

Microsoft Office 2016 is available in 32-bit and 64-bit versions, depending on which version a user’s computer can use. The latest edition offering a 32-bit version is Microsoft Office 2016 15.24. If you are running macOS Catalina, you will need to use the 64-bit version, which became standard after the Microsoft Office 2016 15.25 release and continued until the final update in October 2020.

Pros and cons: Should I choose Microsoft Office 2016 or Microsoft 365?

There are a few differences between Microsoft Office 2016 for Mac and Microsoft 365 for Mac. The main difference is that you pay one time to own a license for Microsoft Office 2016 on a single device and will never need to make another payment. However, Microsoft 365 uses an ongoing subscription to access the products. Another distinction is the use of cloud-based features. If you choose Microsoft 365, you can access your work on any device because you are creating and saving all your work on the OneDrive cloud. If you choose Microsoft Office 2016, you will purchase a license for a single computer unless this is part of a Standard Edition purchase for a large institution, in which case multiple licenses are purchased.

Whether you should download and pay for Microsoft Office 2016 or Microsoft 365 depends on your work style and payment preference. If you feel more accustomed to a traditional purchase model of buying a single license for a computer or device and having perpetual access, you should go with Microsoft 2016. If you prefer a recurring subscription and access to cloud-based work, you might like Microsoft 365. Although Microsoft 2016 has a larger up-front purchase price, the Microsoft 365 subscription will continuously charge you for access to the products.