CNET News - Wednesday, September 23, 2020 at 11:21 AM

New Microsoft Office won't require you to pay for a subscription - CNET

will release a new, flat-price version of its Office productivity software in 2021, moving away from the subscription service model it introduced earlier this year, according to a Tuesday from the company. The post, first spotted by , only includes one line about the software, but it's pretty clear: " will also see a new perpetual release for both Windows and Mac, in the second half of 2021."?

In April, Microsoft transitioned Office 365 into , a subscription service that added more features to the suite of software tools, but required a monthly payment of $6.99 for an individual plan or $9.99 for a family of up to six people. While you can use Microsoft 365 apps like Word, PowerPoint and and Excel with limited functionality, you'll need either a perpetual version or a subscription to take full advantage of their capabilities.

Some wondered if would be the last perpetual version of the software, since Microsoft 365 came along. But now we know a new version is on the way.?

Microsoft didn't include any information about price, availability or a specific release date for the new version of Office.?