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Microsoft 365 vs Apple iWork 2026: Full Comparison

Microsoft 365 is a comprehensive cloud-based productivity suite with 60+ applications and enterprise-grade features, while Apple iWork (Pages, Numbers, Keynote) is a simpler, free bundled suite optimized for Apple devices with excellent design capabilities but fewer advanced tools.

Microsoft 365

Microsoft 365

Enterprise-dominant productivity suite with Word, Excel, Teams, and AI-powered Copilot.

Professionals, businesses, students, remote teams, and anyone needing advanced spreadsheet analysis or cross-platform compatibility

Score63%
VS
Apple iWork

Apple iWork

Free productivity suite (Pages, Numbers, Keynote) optimized for Apple ecosystem with modern design focus

Apple-exclusive users, students, small teams, creative projects prioritizing design, and users with basic productivity needs who want zero cost

Score56%

Quick Answer

AI Summary

Microsoft 365 is a comprehensive cloud-based productivity suite with 60+ applications and enterprise-grade features, while Apple iWork (Pages, Numbers, Keynote) is a simpler, free bundled suite optimized for Apple devices with excellent design capabilities but fewer advanced tools.

Our Verdict

AI-assisted

Choose Microsoft 365 if you need comprehensive productivity tools, cross-platform compatibility, advanced features like data analysis, enterprise collaboration, or work in mixed Windows/Mac environments. Choose Apple iWork if you're exclusively in the Apple ecosystem, want free software, prefer intuitive design-first interfaces, and have basic document creation needs.

Community feedback

Was this verdict helpful?

Microsoft 365
9/10
Apple iWork
6/10
Microsoft 365

Choose Microsoft 365 if

Best pick

Professionals, businesses, students, remote teams, and anyone needing advanced spreadsheet analysis or cross-platform compatibility

Apple iWork

Choose Apple iWork if

Apple-exclusive users, students, small teams, creative projects prioritizing design, and users with basic productivity needs who want zero cost

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Key Differences at a Glance

  • Pricing Model:Apple iWork wins(Free (included with Apple devices) vs $6.99-$12.50/month (Personal/Family plans))
  • Number of Applications:Microsoft 365 wins(60+ apps (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams, OneDrive, etc.) vs 3 core apps (Pages, Numbers, Keynote))
  • Cross-Platform Support:Microsoft 365 wins(Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Web vs Mac, iPad, iPhone, Web (limited))
See all 7 differences

Key Facts & Figures

71 numeric metrics compared

MetricMicrosoft 365Apple iWorkRatio
Cloud Storage(GB)1,000GB (1TB)
Native Mobile App Rating (iOS App Store)(stars)4.7/5 (Office app, 500K+ reviews)
Microsoft Format Compatibility (.docx, .xlsx, .pptx)(percent)99.8% format fidelity
Installation Size(MB)~4,500MB (full install with Teams, Outlook)
User Learning Time (Expert Proficiency)(hours)20-30 hours (widely taught globally)
Monthly Cost Per User (Entry Plan)(USD)$6
Cloud Storage Included (Basic)(GB)1,000GB (1TB)
Integrated Business Applications(applications)12+
Global Market Share(%)~35%
Free Trial Period(days)30 days
Concurrent Excel Edit Capacity(users)1M+
Annual Cost (Single User)(USD)$72-150Free
Excel Functions Available(count)400+50
Maximum Simultaneous Collaborators(users)100+15
Real-Time Change Tracking Options(count)30+5
Cost Per User (Monthly)(USD)$6 (Business Basic)
Cloud Storage Included(GB)1,000 GB (OneDrive)5 GB free
Real-time Collaboration Latency(milliseconds)~100-300ms
Starting Monthly Cost per User(USD)$6 (Microsoft 365 Personal)
Email Mailbox Capacity(GB)100 GB
Paid Users Globally(millions)60+
Maximum Team Members (Free Tier)(users)Limited to 30 days free trial
Language Support(number of languages)119
Enterprise Compliance Certifications(count of major certifications)SOC2, ISO 27001, FedRAMP, HIPAA (4 major)
Support Response Time (Paid)(hours)1 hour (Premium Support)
Annual Cost Per User(USD)$69-$120
Microsoft Office File Compatibility(%)99% fidelity
Typical Installation Size(MB)Web-based (minimal local footprint)
Premium/Advanced Tier Price(USD/month)$22 (Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise)
Included Email Mailbox Capacity(GB)50
OneDrive Cloud Storage per User(GB)1,000
User Learning Curve (1-10 scale, 10=hardest)(scale)2-3 (intuitive Office interface)
Included Cloud Storage(GB)1,024 GB (1TB)
Simultaneous Devices(devices)5 devices per subscription
Microsoft Office File Format Compatibility(percent)99.9% native support
Supported File Formats(formats)45+ major formats
Monthly Cost Per User (Standard Tier, Annual Billing)(USD)$12.50
Cloud Storage Included Per User(GB)1,000 GB (OneDrive)
Maximum Video Conference Participants (Standard Plan)(participants)300
Third-Party App Integrations Available(apps)450+
Monthly Subscription Cost(USD)$6.99 (Personal) / $12.50 (Family)Free
Annual Cloud Storage(GB)1,000 GB (OneDrive)5 GB (iCloud shared)
Spreadsheet Functions Available(count)1,000+200+
Global Users(millions)300+ million (Microsoft 365 total)50+ million (iWork users estimated)
Design Templates(count)500+300+
Monthly Cost (Single User, Basic Plan)(USD)$6.00
Annual Cost (Single User, Basic Plan)(USD)$72.00
Storage Allocation (Individual Plan)(GB)1000GB (OneDrive)
AI Assistant Add-on Cost(USD/month)$20.00 (Copilot Pro)
Starting Monthly Price per User(USD)$6
Total Cloud Storage (Standard Plan)(GB)1000GB (1TB)
Integrated Applications(count)13 core apps
Maximum Dataset Size (Premium Tier)(GB)5 TB (Microsoft 365 Business/OneDrive)
Supported Data Connections(count)Primarily Excel/SharePoint/OneDrive (limited)
Time to Create Professional Dashboard(hours)4-12 hours via Excel pivot tables/charts
Learning Curve (1=easy, 10=difficult)(scale)2/10 - familiar Office interface
Starting Monthly Price(USD/month)$6 (Business Basic)
Cloud Storage (Standard Plan)(TB per user)1TB (Business Standard at $12.50/mo)
Global User Base(millions of users)345 million users
Desktop Application Quality(feature completeness score)Full Office suite (advanced features)
Video Conferencing Capacity(participants)300 participants (Teams Basic)
Base Monthly Cost (Per User)(USD)Free or $0.99 one-timeFree or $0.99 one-time
Simultaneous Co-editors(users)100 maximum100 maximum
Storage (Free Tier)(GB)5 GB per app5 GB per app
Version History Limit(versions)30 days of changes on iCloud30 days of changes on iCloud
Enterprise Customers(millions)Primarily consumer (no enterprise SKU)Primarily consumer (no enterprise SKU)
Cross-Platform Support3 platforms (macOS, iOS, iPad OS)3 platforms (macOS, iOS, iPad OS)
Storage per User (Standard Plan)(GB)50 GB (iCloud+ Basic plan)50 GB (iCloud+ Basic plan)
Monthly Cost per User (Minimum Paid Plan)(USD)$0.99 (50GB iCloud+)$0.99 (50GB iCloud+)
Simultaneous Real-Time Editors(users)200200
Third-Party Integrations Available(count)50+ (Apple ecosystem only)50+ (Apple ecosystem only)

Sourced from publicly available data ·

Key Differences

7 attributes compared head-to-head

Microsoft 365
5Microsoft 365
Microsoft 365 leads1 tie
Apple iWork
1Apple iWork
  • Pricing Model

    Microsoft 365

    $6.99-$12.50/month (Personal/Family plans)

    Apple iWork

    Free (included with Apple devices)(winner)

  • Number of Applications

    Microsoft 365

    60+ apps (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams, OneDrive, etc.)(winner)

    Apple iWork

    3 core apps (Pages, Numbers, Keynote)

  • Cross-Platform Support

    Microsoft 365

    Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Web(winner)

    Apple iWork

    Mac, iPad, iPhone, Web (limited)

  • Cloud Storage Included

    Microsoft 365

    1TB OneDrive storage per user(winner)

    Apple iWork

    5GB iCloud storage (shared across services)

  • Advanced Excel Features

    Microsoft 365

    1,000+ functions, Power Query, Power Pivot, VBA scripting(winner)

    Apple iWork

    200+ functions, basic pivot tables, no scripting

  • Enterprise Collaboration

    Microsoft 365

    Microsoft Teams, Outlook, SharePoint, 24/7 support(winner)

    Apple iWork

    Shared iCloud folders, no built-in team chat

  • Design Templates

    Microsoft 365

    500+ templates across all apps

    Apple iWork

    300+ templates with emphasis on visual design

Full Comparison

Microsoft 365
Apple iWork
Monthly Cost (Standard Tier)(USD/user/month)
$12.50
Monthly Cost Per User (Entry Plan)(USD)
$6
Annual Cost (Single User)(USD)
$72-150
Free
Cost Per User (Monthly)(USD)
$6 (Business Basic)
Starting Monthly Cost per User(USD)
$6 (Microsoft 365 Personal)
Show 10 more attributes
Annual Cost Per User(USD)
$69-$120
Premium/Advanced Tier Price(USD/month)
$22 (Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise)
Monthly Cost Per User (Standard Tier, Annual Billing)(USD)
$12.50
Monthly Subscription Cost(USD)
$6.99 (Personal) / $12.50 (Family)
Free
Monthly Cost (Single User, Basic Plan)(USD)
$6.00
Annual Cost (Single User, Basic Plan)(USD)
$72.00
Starting Monthly Price per User(USD)
$6
Starting Monthly Price(USD/month)
$6 (Business Basic)
Base Monthly Cost (Per User)(USD)
Free or $0.99 one-time
Monthly Cost per User (Minimum Paid Plan)(USD)
$0.99 (50GB iCloud+)
Global Paid Seats (2026)(millions)
446M
Global Users(millions)
300+ million (Microsoft 365 total)
50+ million (iWork users estimated)
Market Share(percentage)
~58%
Global Market Share(%)
~35%
Paid Users Globally(millions)
60+
AI Assistant Availability
Copilot (premium only)
AI Assistant Integration
Copilot included (most plans)
AI Assistant Add-on Cost(USD/month)
$20.00 (Copilot Pro)
AI Writing Assistant Included
Basic editing tools only
IT Management Burden(user satisfaction)
Complex enterprise setup
Desktop App Integration
Full Office suite included
AI Writing Assistant
Copilot with rewrite, grammar, tone adjustment
Integrated Business Applications(applications)
12+
Excel Functions Available(count)
400+
50
Real-Time Change Tracking Options(count)
30+
5
Show 21 more attributes
Offline Editing Capability
Full support
Full offline support with auto-sync
Database Relations Support
Basic lookup fields in Excel
Native Email Functionality(yes/no)
Yes (Outlook with 50 GB inbox)
Built-in AI Features
Copilot (separate $20/month add-on)
Email Mailbox Capacity(GB)
100 GB
Data Sources Supported(integrations)
20+ (via Excel integrations)
Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) Included(null)
Yes (all included)
Simultaneous Devices(devices)
5 devices per subscription
Supported File Formats(formats)
45+ major formats
Cloud Storage Included Per User(GB)
1,000 GB (OneDrive)
Maximum Video Conference Participants (Standard Plan)(participants)
300
Message Search History Retention (Free Plan)(days)
Unlimited
Spreadsheet Functions Available(count)
1,000+
200+
Design Templates(count)
500+
300+
Email Inbox Included
Yes (Outlook with 50GB mailbox)
Database Customization Level
Template-based tables only
Offline Document Editing
Full support across all apps
Integrated Applications(count)
13 core apps
Native CRM Included
No (Dynamics 365 add-on: $50-100/mo)
Version History Limit(versions)
30 days of changes on iCloud
Advanced AI Features
Writing Tools with proofreading only
Real-Time Collaboration Speed(relative rating)
Comprehensive, moderate
Installation Size(MB)
~4,500MB (full install with Teams, Outlook)
Real-time Collaboration Latency(milliseconds)
~100-300ms
Typical Installation Size(MB)
Web-based (minimal local footprint)
Real-time Data Refresh (Premium)(seconds)
Not available
Show 1 more attribute
Maximum Dataset Size (Premium Tier)(GB)
5 TB (Microsoft 365 Business/OneDrive)
Enterprise Security (Intune/Advanced Tools)
Industry-leading with Intune E3/E5
SSO (Single Sign-On) Availability
Standard in Business plans ($6+/user)
Enterprise Security Certifications(count)
SOC 2, HIPAA, GDPR, FedRAMP
Cloud Storage(GB)
1,000GB (1TB)
Cloud Storage Included (Basic)(GB)
1,000GB (1TB)
Cloud Storage Included(GB)
1,000 GB (OneDrive)
5 GB free
OneDrive Cloud Storage per User(GB)
1,000
Included Cloud Storage(GB)
1,024 GB (1TB)
Show 6 more attributes
Annual Cloud Storage(GB)
1,000 GB (OneDrive)
5 GB (iCloud shared)
Storage Allocation (Individual Plan)(GB)
1000GB (OneDrive)
Total Cloud Storage (Standard Plan)(GB)
1000GB (1TB)
Cloud Storage (Standard Plan)(TB per user)
1TB (Business Standard at $12.50/mo)
Storage (Free Tier)(GB)
5 GB per app
Storage per User (Standard Plan)(GB)
50 GB (iCloud+ Basic plan)
Real-Time Simultaneous Editors(users)
Unlimited
Concurrent Excel Edit Capacity(users)
1M+
Maximum Simultaneous Collaborators(users)
100+
15
Real-Time Co-Authoring Support
Yes (unlimited simultaneous users)
Included Email Mailbox Capacity(GB)
50
Show 5 more attributes
Real-Time Collaboration Users(simultaneous)
Unlimited (via Teams/SharePoint)
Up to 100
Maximum Real-Time Collaborators(users)
300+
Real-Time Co-Authoring Capability
Full - simultaneous editing in Word, Excel, PowerPoint
Simultaneous Co-editors(users)
100 maximum
Simultaneous Real-Time Editors(users)
200
Native Mobile App Rating (iOS App Store)(stars)
4.7/5 (Office app, 500K+ reviews)
Microsoft Format Compatibility (.docx, .xlsx, .pptx)(percent)
99.8% format fidelity
Microsoft Office File Compatibility(%)
99% fidelity
Available Platforms
Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Web
Microsoft Office File Format Compatibility(percent)
99.9% native support
Mobile App Availability(platforms)
iOS, Android (full-featured apps)
iOS only (no Android)
Show 3 more attributes
Desktop Office App Support
Full desktop apps with sync
Supported Platforms(platforms)
3 major platforms (Apple only)
Cross-Platform Support
3 platforms (macOS, iOS, iPad OS)
User Learning Time (Expert Proficiency)(hours)
20-30 hours (widely taught globally)
User Learning Curve (1-10 scale, 10=hardest)(scale)
2-3 (intuitive Office interface)
Learning Curve (1=easy, 10=difficult)(scale)
2/10 - familiar Office interface
Free Trial Period(days)
30 days
Enterprise Active Directory Integration
Yes, native support
No
Maximum Team Size Per Plan(users)
Unlimited (per subscription)
Maximum Team Members (Free Tier)(users)
Limited to 30 days free trial
Offline Desktop Editing(yes/no)
Yes (full Office suite offline)
Free Tier Available
Microsoft 365 web apps (Word, Excel, PowerPoint online free)
Language Support(number of languages)
119
Enterprise Compliance Certifications(count of major certifications)
SOC2, ISO 27001, FedRAMP, HIPAA (4 major)
Support Response Time (Paid)(hours)
1 hour (Premium Support)
AI-Powered Features(count)
Copilot, Designer, smart suggestions
Average Dashboard Creation Time(hours)
4-8 (without Power BI)
Mobile Platform Support
iOS, Android, Windows Phone
Third-Party App Integrations Available(apps)
450+
Third-Party Integrations Available(count)
50+ (Apple ecosystem only)
Supported Operating Systems
5 (Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Web)
3 (Mac, iOS, Web)
AI Assistant Sophistication
Copilot Pro (GPT-4 integrated)
Users Can Create Interactive Dashboards Natively
No - only via Power BI integration in Excel
Supported Data Connections(count)
Primarily Excel/SharePoint/OneDrive (limited)
Time to Create Professional Dashboard(hours)
4-12 hours via Excel pivot tables/charts
Global User Base(millions of users)
345 million users
AI Features at Base Price(included or extra)
Copilot extra ($30/month per user)
Desktop Application Quality(feature completeness score)
Full Office suite (advanced features)
Video Conferencing Capacity(participants)
300 participants (Teams Basic)
Enterprise Customers(millions)
Primarily consumer (no enterprise SKU)
Enterprise Adoption Rate(%)
Primarily individual users and small teams

Pros & Cons

10 pros·7 cons across both

Microsoft 365
Apple iWork
Microsoft 365

Microsoft 365

+5-3

Pros

  • 1TB OneDrive cloud storage included with each subscription
  • Advanced Excel with 1,000+ functions, Power Query, and Power Pivot for data analysis
  • Microsoft Teams integrated for video conferencing and team collaboration
  • Works seamlessly across Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, and web browsers
  • Industry standard for business with 300+ million users globally

Cons

  • $6.99-$12.50 monthly cost adds up ($84-$150 annually)
  • Steeper learning curve for advanced features like Power Pivot and VBA
  • Requires subscription; no perpetual license option for consumers
Apple iWork

Apple iWork

+5-4

Pros

  • Completely free with every Apple device purchase (no subscription required)
  • Intuitive, design-forward interfaces with visually stunning templates
  • Seamless sync across Mac, iPad, and iPhone via iCloud
  • Real-time collaboration built-in for iWork documents
  • Minimal system requirements and fast performance on Apple hardware

Cons

  • Only 5GB iCloud storage (shared across all Apple services, not dedicated)
  • Limited to Apple devices; no Windows or Android native applications
  • Significantly fewer advanced features (200 Excel functions vs. 1,000+, no data analysis tools)
  • No built-in team communication or enterprise collaboration features like Teams

Frequently Asked Questions

5 questions

  1. Yes, both support iCloud and Microsoft integrations. You can open iWork documents in Microsoft 365 online and vice versa, though some formatting may be lost. Many users maintain both for ecosystem compatibility.

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