Windows 10 Home Vs Pro: 4 Key Differences Explained!

Over the years, Windows users have found themselves scratching their heads when deciding whether they should go for the Pro or Home editions. Hence, the comparison of Windows 10 Home Vs Pro sounds clear to many people's ears.

Both are basic editions of Microsoft's popular operating system, and the third is Windows 10 Pro for Workstations. While the basic experience is the same, several things set the Windows 10 Home and Pro editions apart.

The list includes everything from price, features, and capabilities. Without waiting any further, we'll help you make a better choice between the two.

Windows 10 Pro Vs Windows 10 Home: What's the Difference?

1. Windows 10 Home is cheaper

The biggest difference between Windows 10 Home and the Pro edition is that the Home edition is cheaper.

Like many everyday users, you can buy the Home edition for $139, where you get a license for 1 PC. If you want to know how much Windows 10 Pro costs, it costs $199.99 for a single PC license.

Note that this is a retail license, which means that the license is not limited to one device and can be transferred to another device. However, that's not possible if you buy a PC with OEM Windows 10 preloaded.

2. Windows 10 Pro has a lot more features, of course

Now, let's talk about the main differences between Windows 10 Home and Windows 10 Pro. Below are some of the common features that only exist in Windows 10 Pro.

3. Windows 10 Pro can support more CPU, more RAM

Apart from having more features, Windows 10 Pro has more power under the hood and can take advantage of more of the resources that are on your device.

For example, you can only have one CPU with a PC running the Home edition, while the Pro edition can support two CPUs simultaneously.

Windows 10 Pro supports 2TB of RAM; its humble siblings are limited to 128 GB. With that much RAM, Google Chrome will think twice about being a RAM hogger.

However, it is rare for common users to need more than 16GB or 32GB RAM for their daily work or even high-performance gaming. If you are confused between Windows 10 Home vs Pro for gaming, note that the Home edition will be able to meet all your needs as it offers support for DirectX 12 and 4K games.

4. No Windows Sandbox, Windows 10X emulator, Remote Desktop in Home edition

There are a couple of things that you may want to try but will miss out on if you go for the Home edition. For instance, it doesn't support the new Windows Sandboxing security feature that lets you run malicious apps inside a virtualized Windows installation to maintain safety.

You still have the option to use VirtualBox at the end of the day, but you will need a new license to activate Windows.

Windows 10 Home does not support Microsoft Remote Desktop, which is used to control your PC over the internet. However, you have third-party applications like TeamViewer and Chrome Remote Desktop.

You will also need the Pro edition to try Windows 10X on your computer, as the emulator requires support for Hyper-V, which is not available in the Home edition.

Windows 10 Home Vs Pro: Which one to choose?

To answer the question, "Is Windows 10 Pro better than Home?" Yes. But you won't miss much if you go with Windows 10 Home. You get all the essentials, including Windows Security antivirus and other Microsoft applications. There is no limit on the compatibility of third party applications either.

But suppose you want Bitlocker encryption and other business features like Group Policy Editor and Azure Active Directory, or have plans to add a terabyte of memory to your machine. In this case, the Pro version is your best choice. Ultimately, you always have the option of upgrading from Windows 10 Home to Pro by paying an additional amount.

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Free Windows Update for Home and Pro

With the release of Windows 10, Microsoft has started providing two feature updates per year, along with monthly quality updates. Here, the Remond-based company doesn't differentiate between editions and offers free Windows Updates for Home and Pro users. This aspect should not influence your buying decision.

Another feature shared between the two editions is the Windows 10 support cycle. For each feature update (H1 and H2 releases), Microsoft provides 18 months of support for Home and Pro users, after which you need to upgrade to the next release.

So, here are some of the key differences between Windows 10 Pro and Home.

Keywords: Windows 10 Home Vs Pro, Windows 10 Differences, Windows 10 Home, Windows 10 Pro