Do you know there are different types of Editions in the Windows 10 Operating System? Do you know the difference between these Editions? Here we are going to explain the features and Difference Between Windows 10 Home Vs Pro Vs Workstation Vs Education Vs Enterprise Editions.
Windows has several Editions like Home, Professional, Workstation, Education, and Enterprise. So, which one will you buy? You may not be sure yet.
But, you will be confident enough to choose the best Edition for you after reading this article as we will be explaining all the features and differences between Windows Home Vs Professional Vs Educational Vs Enterprise Editions.
Read What is Operating System.
Table of Contents
Windows Editions:
With Windows XP, Microsoft has started releasing different Editions of their Operating System. Windows XP had Home and Professional Editions. Eventually, Ultimate, Business, and Enterprise Editions were introduced in Windows Vista and later Versions. Even the latest Windows 11 has several Editions.
But, we are going to Discuss only on Windows 10 Operating System in this article. However, you will also get a basic idea of What Home, Pro, and other Editions are for all Windows Operating Systems.
Windows 10 Editions:
Windows have further divided the Editions into Two Categories, which are Baseline Editions and Organizational Editions.
Difference Between Baseline Editions and Organizational Editions:
In simple words, Baseline Editions like Home & Pro has a single user key. That means you can purchase the license for only 1 computer.
On the other hand, Organizational Editions like Educational & Enterprise allow you to use the License for multiple computers.
So, if you are a single user, you need to get Home or Pro Edition.
Whereas, if you run an office or institute, you need to install the OS on several computers. Therefore, you can either get Enterprise or Education Edition of Windows 10.
Windows 10 Home Vs Pro:
Generally, most users prefer to buy the Baseline Edition (Mostly Home & Pro). Therefore, let’s see what is common and different between Windows 10 Home Edition and Windows 10 Pro (Professional) Edition.
When you buy a Desktop or Laptop with a built-in Operating System, they mostly come with the Home Edition. Home Edition is suitable for Home Users, and it is also cheaper than other Editions.
Let’s first see what are the common features available in Home and Pro Editions.
Windows 10 Home Vs Pro Common Features:
Family Safety and Parental Controls:
With Family Safety and Parental Control features, you can protect your kids and family by blocking certain websites and limiting PC screen time.
Cortana:
Cortana is your personal assistant. It is similar to Google Assistant, Alexa, Siri, etc.
Microsoft Edge:
Before discontinuing Microsoft’s Internet Explorer, Windows introduced a new web browser called Microsoft Edge. It is faster and offers more features than Internet Explorer.
Multiple language pack support:
No matter whether you are using Windows 10 Home, Pro, or Enterprise Edition, you get Multiple Language Pack Support.
Check out this tutorial on How to Change Windows Keyboard Language.
Hyper V Virtual desktops
This feature allows you to Run Virtual Computers on Windows. You can also find several Third-Party Software to Run Virtual Computers.
Remote Desktop:
Windows 10 Home users can only be the Client. Whereas Pro users can be Clients and Hosts. We will discuss more about it later in this article.
Windows 10 Pro Edition:
Windows Home Edition has all the features required for a Home User. But, also take a look at the features we get in Windows 10 Pro Edition.
RAM Support:
Windows Home Edition supports upto 128 GB RAM. Whereas the Windows Pro Edition can even support upto 2 Tera Bytes of RAM.
However, even the latest Motherboards don’t support 2 TB RAM Sticks. Even most High Tech computers thesedays don’t require more than 32 GB RAM.
CPU:
While Home Edition supports only 1 CPU, the Pro Edition can use 2 CPUs. The Pro for Workstations Edition can even support upto 4 CPUs.
Bitlocker:
Bitlocker is a tool that helps you encrypt your entire hard disk. So, even if your Hard Disk is stolen, nobody can access it without a password. However, some latest External Storage Devices also come with such built-in features.
Remote Desktop:
It is one of the Best features of Windows Pro Edition. You can control one PC using another by using this Remote Desktop feature. But, if you are a Home Edition user, you can only be the Client. You cannot Host a Remote Desktop Session.
So, if you are a Home User, you cannot Remotely Control the PC of another Windows User. However, a Pro User can Control as well as Invite other Windows Users for Remote Desktop Sharing.
Nevertheless, you will find Third-Party Software like TeamViewer, AnyDesk, etc. But the Windows’ built-in Remote Desktop feature is much better and more convenient than installing and setting up Third Party software.
Windows Sandbox:
Suppose you have downloaded an Application from an unknown source. Now, that Application can be any Type of Malware like Virus, Trojan, etc. Therefore, if you care about the security of your files and PC, you should run the application in Sandbox.
Windows Sandbox allows you to Run an application without spreading the virus. If the file contains any Malware, you will be notified.
Delay Updates:
With Windows 10 Pro Edition, you can delay Windows Updates for upto a month or more. On the other hand, you cannot Delay Windows Updates on Home Edition for long.
However, we don’t recommend you to Turn Off or Postpone Windows Updates as they may contain crucial Security Updates as well. But, Professionals usually Delay the Updates while working on an important project/task to prevent any changes or data loss.
UPDATE: With the latest Windows 1903 Update, you can also delay Updates in Home Edition.
You can Download/Update Windows 10 by using the link.
Domain Join:
As a Windows Pro User, you can connect your PC to a Domain and allow it to be controlled by an Admin. You can also connect your PC to other computers on the network.
Assigned Access:
By using this feature, you can restrict the user to using only one app. This feature is mostly used when conducting online examinations, cash counters, etc.
Windows Store:
Windows 10 Home Users get a Windows Store, where they can purchase and install Apps only on one computer. On the other hand, Windows 10 Pro users get Windows Store for Business which lets you distribute purchased software to multiple devices.
Windows 10 Pro for Workstations:
So far we have compared Windows 10 Home Vs Pro, now let us explain the advanced version of Windows 10 Pro Edition.
It is a new Edition released by Microsoft, which is an Advanced Version of Pro Edition. The Windows 10 Pro for Workstations supports high-end Hardware Components and can even support upto 4 Processor & 6 Tera Bytes of RAM.
Another Amazing feature of this Workstation Edition is the new superior File System. Windows 10 Pro for Workstation uses ReFS (Resilient File System) while other Editions use NTFS.
Check out the difference between NTFS vs FAT vs exFAT and 10 other File Systems.
Windows 10 Pro for Workstation even offers some advanced features like Remote Direct Memory Access and NVDIMM support, which are not available in the Education Edition as well.
Windows 10 Organizational Editions:
The Organizational Editions include Enterprise and Education.
The Windows 10 Enterprise Version can be deployed to Many Computers and can be controlled by a single Admin. The Education Version works the same way but comes with Academic Volume Licensing instead of Corporate.
They include all the features from Home Edition and Pro Edition. Moreover, they also offer special features like
- AppLocker
- BranchCache
- DirectAccess
- Credential Guard
- Microsoft App-V
- Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack
- Start screen control with Group Policy
- User experience control and lockdown
- Unified Write Filter
- and More
Windows 10 Editions Price:
You can own any of the Baseline Editions with a one-time payment.
- You can get Windows 10 Home Edition for $139
- The Price of Windows 10 Pro Edition is $199
- And the Price for Windows 10 Pro for Workstation is $309
Disclaimer:
The Price is taken from the official Microsoft Website as on 01-08-2022. Please re-check the price on Microsoft.com before purchasing, as the price may subject to change.
Windows 10 Upgrade Matrix:
Microsoft offered Free Windows 10 Update for Windows 7 and 8 users. But, Windows 7 & 8 had several editions like Home, Pro, and Ultimate. So, how did the Upgrade process take place?
Here is the Windows 10 Upgrade Matix.
So, for Windows 7 Starter, Home Basic, Home Premium, and Windows 8.1 Editions, they offered free Windows 10 Home Upgrade.
Whereas, Windows 7 Professional, Windows 7 Ultimate, and Windows 8.1 Pro users got the Windows 10 Pro Edition after the upgrade.
Which Windows 10 Edition to Choose?
So, Which Edition to Choose Between Windows 10 Home Vs Pro Vs Workstation Vs Education Vs Enterprise?
By comparing the features, you can say that Enterprise and Education Editions are better. However, if you are a Home User, you should ask yourself:
Do you actually NEED the Enterprise Edition?
Because, the Enterprise Edition is soo expensive, and Home users don’t even require all those features. Therefore, for a Home User, either Home or Pro Editions are more than enough.
But, if you are running an office or educational institute where you have dozens of Computers, then you should get the Enterprise or Education Edition.
I am using Home Edition for both my Desktop and Laptop, which is sufficient for me. And I use Third-party Software for the missing features.
So, now that you know the Difference Between Windows 10 Home Vs Pro Vs Workstation Vs Education Vs Enterprise Editions, which one will you choose? Comment below and let us know.
