
At this cost, it takes a little over four months for you to get a full return on the investment compared with buying the subscription, so the risk factor isn't super high here. But versions of Stack's deal have been running for more than a year - the one we bought in early 2022, for instance, still works fine.

MAK independent activation is best for computers that have direct access to the internet. To that last point: Though this is listed as a "lifetime license" - that is, the lifetime of the computer you installed it on - it's worth noting there's always a risk that Microsoft could terminate the license. There are two ways to activate computers by using MAK: MAK independent activation requires that each computer independently connect and be activated with Microsoft, either over the internet or by telephone. And while the apps should continue to work as long as your computer does, Microsoft's support for this version of Office ends on Oct.

You won't get any OneDrive Cloud Storage, nor will you get the fancy new cloud-based AI features like Microsoft Copilot. Likewise, you're passing up on other benefits you'd get as a 365 subscriber. First, this key is good only for a single computer, so you won't be able to install it on various machines in your home, and if your current computer happens to die, you could run into a snag when trying to transfer it.

Now, a deal this good comes with some caveats.
