Microsoft stopped offering its free-to-upgrade scheme for Windows 10 in July this year, meaning you’ll now need to pay for the tech giant’s latest operating system. With money now being a factor, should you opt for Windows 10 Home or pay extra for Windows 10 Pro? Below is a whistle-stop tour of the main differences between the two versions to help you make that decision.
Windows 10 Home vs Windows 10 Pro: In a nutshell
|
Windows 10 Home |
Windows 10 Pro |
|
|
Works for PCs, tablets and 2-in-1s |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Cortana Assistant |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Microsoft Edge web browser |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Continuum tablet mode |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Windows Hello face-recognition, iris and fingerprint login |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Universal Windows apps |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Domain Join Services |
No |
Yes |
|
BitLocker Drive Encryption |
No |
Yes |
|
Remote Access Services |
No |
Yes |
|
Group Policy editor |
No |
Yes |
|
Windows Update for Business |
No |
Yes |
|
Hyper-V (virtualisation) |
No |
Yes |
|
Price (from Microsoft) |
£99.99 |
£189.99 |
Windows 10 Home vs Windows 10 Pro: Main features
Glancing over the above table, you can see that Windows 10 Home has all you’ll really need for personal PC use. Windows 10 Pro is instead angled towards power users and owners of small- to medium-sized businesses. Unless you have a particular need for extra security and business features, you’re unlikely to need Windows 10 Pro. If, however, you do need those things, you’ll want to consider Windows 10 Pro’s offerings in more detail.
BitLocker
BitLocker is a piece of encryption software that bolsters Windows 10’s security. Its inclusion in the Pro edition of Windows 10 is aimed at businesses that may transfer a lot of sensitive information. An updated iteration of it now improves the all-or-nothing approach to encryption, with users having the ability to securely store encrypted files alongside unencrypted files.
Remote Access Services
Remote Desktop Sessions can be run on both Windows 10 Home and Windows 10 Pro, but only PCs running the latter can be remotely controlled. If you have Windows 10 Home, it can only be assisted remotely – not fully controlled.
Windows Update for Business
If you’re familiar with Windows Home edition, you’ll know how Microsoft likes to force patches and updates on your machine automatically. Windows 10 Pro lets you put off updates for several months at a time, giving you greater control over what software is on your business PCs – and stopping incompatibilities with new updates from hobbling your workflow.
Hyper-V (virtualisation)
Hyper-V in Windows 10 Pro essentially lets you run virtual machines, allowing you to run more than one operating system at the same time on a PC. You’ll need to have a CPU that supports virtualization, and will need to manually install it. There’s a handy guide to that here.
Windows 10 Home vs Windows 10 Pro: Verdict
If you tend to use your PC for a bit of work, personal browsing and playing games, there’s really no need to pay the extra cash for Windows 10 Pro. If you’re looking for an operating system specifically with business in mind, and could make definite use of added security and group compatibility features, then Windows 10 Pro offers a handful of boosts to these areas. The majority of users, however, probably won’t need it.
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