Windows is the dominant desktop OS, leaving the rest of the competition far behind. That doesn’t mean it is the best option, just the most popular. Modern Windows versions come in two flavors for consumers, Home and Pro (excluding the Enterprise, Student, and Server editions). This is a convenient way to choose your flavor tailored to your needs. As the name suggests, Home is a “cut-down” version suitable for home users, while Pro is a full-featured, business-oriented version. The price is notably higher as well.
But what are the key differences between the two versions, and does it make sense to prefer one version over the other as an average consumer? This article will shed some light on this question and help you choose the correct version. You can support us by buying your legitimate Windows activation key on keysfan.com at a notably lower price than the official one (not for commercial or business use). This way, you can activate your Windows copy at a fair price while helping us bring you high-quality content. It is a win-win situation.
Windows Home vs Pro: The key differences
- The official price is notably higher for the Pro version. This is why, if you are a home user, you might prefer the Home version if you don’t need any of the features that come with the Pro version.
- The Home version supports only one processor with up to 64 cores and 128 GB RAM, while the Pro version supports two processors with up to 128 cores and 2 TB RAM. The difference is major, but for the average user, it is negligible.
- Microsoft Account used to be more of a headache for Home users, but Pro users still have to choose whether to use this option. You can visit our article here on how to deal with it or utilize the Rufus method.
- Windows Pro includes the homebrew Windows Sandbox utility (Windows 11) that is unavailable for the Home users (without messing around with some settings at least). Suppose you want, e.g., to test apps in a safe, light virtualized environment without affecting your primary OS. In that case, it might be helpful, especially considering that there is no free sandbox app or at least one with no irritating limitations (Sandboxie). Virtualization is still an option, so that depends on your needs.
- Hyper-V, the bare-metal hypervisor, is only available for Pro users (and only Windows users. There are ways to enable it on Home, though). If you are into virtualization, it is an interesting feature, but you can always utilize free Type-2 hypervisors such as VirtualBox and VMWare Workstation Pro as a Home (and not only) user.
- Remote Desktop is available on both versions, but Home users can only establish a connection to another computer; another computer can’t connect to theirs. Other solutions, such as TeamViewer (with some caveats) or AnyDesk, are available, so that depends on your needs.
- BitLocker is available only for Pro users. If you want to encrypt your drive or your data, it is an option, but other free solutions, such as VeraCrypt, are available as well.
- Windows Information Protect (WIP) is available only for Pro users, but you can always set your security/privacy level. Still, WIP is essential for businesses.
- There are more versatile options for how and when you install Windows Updates on your system for Pro users (still, there are tricks and ways to bypass these limitations). While installing updates when they are available is a good practice, there are some scenarios, especially for businesses, that should be postponed for a while.
- Group Policy is more versatile for Pro users. Still, there are ways to bypass these limitations, too.
- Microsoft Defender Application Guard, Mobile Device Management (MDM), Enterprise State Roaming with Azure, Assigned Access, Dynamic Provisioning, Windows Autopilot, and Kiosk mode are available only to Pro users. But average home users won’t need any of these.
As you may notice, there are no core differences that would lead the average user to prefer Windows Pro over the Home version, especially if it is not for business cases. So, if you don’t need the extras (or don’t want to mess with extra steps and settings) and not for business purposes, the Home version is adequate for your needs. Otherwise, you can always prefer the Pro version if you are willing to pay the price difference and need the extra features. The choice is yours.
The possible Windows OS future
This is just speculation, but as more and more companies are adopting the “subscription plan,” it seems like a matter of time before Microsoft follows this trend for its popular OS (that might justify partially why MS doesn’t seem to care for discount markets such as Keysfan, etc.). Microsoft Office is already available only as a subscription app. Windows 10 users may still use the OS after its official end of support (October 2025) by paying the extra fee for receiving critical updates. Microsoft seems to change its route steadily to the Windows subscription model, monthly or annually.
There might be a free limited version that might be available and adequate for anyone, while there will be paid subscription models for extra features (monthly or annually). I guess the versions will be Free for personal use, Standard for home users, and Pro for the full-extra version (naming schemes might differ). You might not notice something significant (you can still use Windows 10/11 for free with some basic limitations today) for the versions mentioned above, but the price model is different. Nowadays, you pay a high fee once to activate Windows without core limitations, depending on your needs. That means you pay a license to use it for at least as long as Microsoft officially supports it.
The subscription plan changes that radically. You will use (fully) your OS as long as you pay. And nothing guarantees when it will be EOL or when a significant update will be incompatible with your current hardware, pushing you to upgrade. Unless MS offers the option to support the OS as long as its users pay for it. The latter is a bit edgy considering how things in technology are shifting. I don’t know if this speculation will ever be applied to Windows, but if true, I hope Linux will still be free and receive even better and more support for apps and cases where Microsoft is the one way to go. Only the future will tell, though. Let’s hope for the best.
