Used Microsoft licences

Buy used Microsoft Excel and save at Soft & Cloud

The spreadsheet program Excel, which was first introduced in 1985 for the Apple Macintosh, is now one of the most popular programs in the Microsoft Office series on all platforms. Microsoft offers it both as a subscription and as a desktop version, for which an Excel license is required for activation. If you prefer to buy Microsoft Excel without having to take out a subscription, a used Excel license from Soft & Cloud is the best option for you. With us, you can buy a valid, legal Excel license for all current versions of the spreadsheet (2016, 2019, 2021) separately or as part of Microsoft Office with Word, Excel and PowerPoint and use it legally and permanently without restrictions.

Microsoft Excel functions at a glance

As a spreadsheet application, Excel enables extensive arithmetic operations with formulas and functions. In addition to basic arithmetic operations, Excel allows you to visualize (e.g. in the form of various charts), analyze (e.g. with Power Pivot, Power Query), format and concatenate figures and data in a variety of ways. Graphics and other audiovisual content can be added, complex database functions can be carried out and tables and input and output masks can be formatted attractively.

Excel's range of functions has been continuously expanded with each new version, and if you purchase the latest Microsoft Excel 2021 version, you will have more than 500 formulas at your disposal with which you can also carry out complex statistical, scientific or other evaluations. You can also import any amount of data from other systems via integrated interfaces to prepare it in Excel.

Excel 2021, Excel 2019 and Excel 2016 in comparison

You can still purchase a license for Excel 2016 from Soft & Cloud. In this version, the design has been adapted to Windows 10 for the first time; Power Query for analyzing and structuring large amounts of data has been integrated. The charts, which allow you to visualize any data in different ways at the touch of a button, have also been improved and expanded. When you buy Microsoft Excel 2016, you are purchasing a sophisticated, very powerful program that will provide you with optimum support for many tasks in your day-to-day work and for which you will continue to receive support from Microsoft.

If you buy a license for Microsoft Excel 2019, you not only benefit from a longer support period, but can also use a variety of practical innovations that are not available to you with an Excel 2016 license. Microsoft has integrated numerous new functions and charts, as well as scalable vector graphics and freehand improvements. The pivot functions have also been expanded and the accessibility functions improved. With a pre-owned Excel 2019 license, all new features are available to you permanently and at no monthly cost. You are also entitled to extended support from Microsoft, so your investment is secure in the long term.

Do you want to buy a Microsoft Excel license that can be used for as long as possible? Then go for the current Excel 2021 LTSC version. This is a perpetual license with no monthly costs; it also provides you with numerous new functions, e.g. dynamic arrays, extended matrix functions and extensive media content from the Office Premium Creative Content Collection. In addition, the performance of the program has been improved so that you get faster results even with large amounts of data.

By the way: If you buy a newer version of Microsoft Excel, the new features introduced in earlier versions will of course also be available to you. So if you value as many functions as possible or need certain Excel 2021 functions, you should buy the latest Excel license, which you can then use permanently.

What is the difference between a used Microsoft Excel license and the purchase of a new license?

You can purchase a license for the desktop version of Excel that entitles you to use the program for an unlimited period of time. You can either buy this license directly from the manufacturer - i.e. from Microsoft - or as a used license at a significantly lower price. As it is software, there is no difference between a new or a used license for Excel, only the costs differ considerably. As the manufacturer or licensor, Microsoft naturally has an understandable economic interest in selling the licenses as expensively as possible. However, as a customer or user of the software, you are not obliged to bear these costs in order to use Excel. You can just as easily fall back on used licenses from Soft & Cloud, with which you can save up to 70 % compared to the regular list price.

Because software does not wear out or deteriorate, you have no disadvantages when you buy a used Excel license at a low price. On the contrary: If you buy a license for the current Excel 2021 LTSC version, you will receive the same service and support from Microsoft as if you had purchased a new license.

In summary, the only difference between a used and a new license is the price. So why should you pay more than necessary when you buy Microsoft Office or Excel?

Buy used Microsoft Excel, save money and use it legally

Back in 2012, the European Court of Justice ruled in a fundamental decision that the sale and purchase of used software is legally permissible, i.e. legal. Anyone who buys a license for software from the manufacturer may resell it later (similar to material goods). In this case, all rights to the software are transferred to the buyer, e.g. for updates or downgrades. You can therefore legally purchase an Excel license from Soft & Cloud at a price that is significantly lower than that of Microsoft. This does not result in any restrictions or other disadvantages for you.

Soft & Cloud buys used licenses from companies that give up or give up their licenses for various reasons. Examples include over-licensing, insolvency, personnel restructuring or changes in the company's IT landscape. These are exclusively original licenses that were regularly purchased from Microsoft and later legally sold as used licenses. For you as a buyer, this means that you can purchase a used Excel license for Mac or Windows completely legally with a one-off payment and then use it without restriction. Of course, you can and may also resell your license yourself at a later date, e.g. if you upgrade to a newer version of Excel.

Using Microsoft Excel on-premise or in the cloud - these are the key differences

Like other programs in the Office series, Excel is also offered by Microsoft both as an Office 365 subscription and as a desktop version (on-premise) for Windows and macOS. The subscription model is primarily aimed at private end users, but is also open to commercial customers. The on-premise versions, which are installed locally, are primarily aimed at commercial customers.

Used licenses are only available for the desktop versions, while with a subscription for Microsoft Excel you pay for the software in monthly instalments as a usage fee. In return, the booked programs are available to you in the cloud. This means you do not have to install them locally, but can access and use them in your browser on any Internet-enabled device.

Use Excel as a standalone application or in the Office package?

Excel is available as a standalone application. Alternatively, you can also purchase and use the Office package with Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint. With a license for Word, Excel and PowerPoint, you have three powerful Office programs at your disposal with which you can complete almost all daily business tasks easily, quickly and efficiently. Depending on the Office package you choose, you also have access to other programs such as Access, OneNote and Publisher, all of which are perfectly networked with each other to achieve optimum results quickly.

Microsoft continues to develop the individual Office applications together and attaches particular importance to simple, fast and secure data exchange between Word, Excel, PowerPoint and other applications. The user interfaces with ribbons and their workflow orientation also make it possible for new users to quickly find their way around the software and use all the functions.

For example, you can import address and contact data from Microsoft Outlook into Excel, analyse and edit it as required and then enter it into a template for serial letters in Word or visualize it in a presentation that you can quickly create with PowerPoint. If you don't just use the functions and possibilities of MS Excel, we therefore recommend buying used licenses for Microsoft Office, which provide you with numerous other software options in addition to the spreadsheet, which will optimally support you with many tasks in the office. This will not only save you a lot of time, but also money.

Frequently asked questions and answers

How much does the license for Excel cost?

A used single license for Microsoft Excel is available from Soft & Cloud for as little as 59 euros (plus VAT). For this price, you acquire a full, legal license for Excel 2016 or Excel 2019, a license for the current version Excel 2021 LTSC can be purchased used for only 84.90 euros (plus VAT).

Can I use Excel without a license?

No, in order to use Excel (or other Microsoft programs) legally, you must purchase a valid license. To limit the costs, you can buy a used license for Microsoft Excel or for the Office package with Microsoft Word, PowerPoint and Excel from Soft & Cloud.

Is it possible to buy Excel separately?

Yes, you can also purchase Microsoft Excel 2016, Excel 2019 or Excel 2021 LTSC for commercial customers as a desktop version. You then only pay a one-off license fee. You can then install the software locally, use it indefinitely (without ongoing monthly costs) and resell the license later if necessary.