Windows 10 pro vs home: which one is right for me?
Are you building a PC for home or gaming and don't know if Windows 10 Home or Pro is right for you? This guide will help you understand the differences and pick the correct edition for your needs.
When choosing between Windows 10 Pro or Home, they both offer advanced and secure operating systems. However, the choice will come down to the features you need and the price you are willing to pay. If you need to use Office and similar applications or want to build a gaming PC, Windows 10 Home is your best choice.
On the other hand, if you need to connect the device to a corporate network, change advanced system settings, and access features like Remote Desktop or Hyper-V for virtualisation, then Windows 10 Pro is the better choice.
Whether you choose Windows 10 Home or Windows 10 Pro, you will get the same operating system that Microsoft supports with the same monthly and feature updates. The only difference is the features available in each edition, and the information below will help you understand the differences between the two editions and which one to pick.
Windows 10 Home
The Windows 10 Home is for everyday users and gamers. This edition includes all the features you need to browse the internet, check emails, stream media, and play games even in 4K.
The operating system also has robust built-in security, including Windows Security, which protects your device and data against malware and hacker attacks using the Microsoft Defender Antivirus and Microsoft Defender Firewall.
Windows Hello is another feature that allows you to sign in to the device using biometric authentications, including fingerprint, facial recognition, or passcode, making your machine more secure. Many devices come with Windows Hello built-in, but you can also get accessories to add this security method to your device manually. For instance, you can get a keyboard with a built-in fingerprint, a standalone USB fingerprint reader, or a webcam with facial recognition camera built-in.
If you have young members in the family, Windows 10 Home connected with a Microsoft account can also offer robust parental controls to set screen time and restrict access to apps and content online.
This edition of Windows 10 also includes a collection of built-in apps that connect with your Microsoft account for a cross-device experience and make you more productive. Some examples include Microsoft Edge, Mail, Calendar, Photos, Calculator, etc.
Of course, you can always install any app from the Microsoft Store or other sources, including your popular apps, such as Netflix, iTunes, Photoshop, Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Steam, and more.
If you are a gamer, Windows 10 Home includes the latest technologies and capabilities to play any game with the newest version of DirectX and support for 4K.
Although this version doesn’t come with BitLocker, if the device includes a Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) and Trusted Platform Module (TPM) version 2 chip, you can enable the “Device Encryption” feature to add an extra layer of security to protect your data. (Usually, devices like Surface laptops and tablets include this feature.)
The Windows 10 Home license costs $139; you can purchase it from the Microsoft Store.
If you use the device at home, Windows 10 Home is for you. Windows 10 Pro primarily targets businesses not utilising the enterprise volume license. It does unlock more features, but they are unnecessary for home users. However, if you are an advanced user, you may still benefit from the Pro edition.
Windows 10 Pro
“Windows 10 Pro” includes everything available for the Home edition and many other features to connect the workstation to a corporate network, enterprise-level data protection, enhanced security, virtualisation capabilities, the ability to work remotely, and more.
Like the Home edition, Windows 10 Pro includes built-in security, including the Microsoft Defender Antivirus and Microsoft Defender Firewall, to protect the device against malware and hackers. Windows Hello can also add biometric authentication to login into Windows 10.
Connected with a Microsoft account, the Pro edition of Windows 10 offers parental control and a cross-device experience using the built-in apps. You can also install any app you need from the Microsoft Store or any other source, and you can use the operating system for gaming as it comes with support for DirectX and 4K gameplay.
Unlike the Home edition, Windows 10 Pro can connect to a corporate or school network using Active Directory or Azure Active Directory. In addition, there are options to manage devices over the internet. For example, if you need to set up a kiosk device, this edition has a feature to lock the device to use it with a single application. You can also access the Group Policy Editor to manage advanced system settings. Also, if you need to access apps and files remotely, Windows 10 Pro comes with Remote Desktop to connect remotely within the network or across the internet.
Windows 10 Pro comes with BitLocker, which offers full device encryption to protect your data from unauthorised access, but with extra management tools. Hyper-V is a hypervisor that allows users to run virtual machines with any version of Windows or Linux alongside Windows 10. And Trusted Boot is another feature included with Windows 10 Pro that works with Secure Boot to protect the boot process from malware.
If you need to test untrusted applications without affecting your current installation, you can use Windows Sandbox. It works just like a virtual machine, but it’s a tiny installation of Windows 10 enough to install and run untrusted classic applications isolated from the main installation.
Microsoft Defender Application Guard is another security feature with the same idea as Windows Sandbox. However, it’s intended to create an isolated (virtualised) instance of Microsoft Edge to navigate untrusted websites.
Another difference between Windows 10 Pro and Home is the memory limit. Windows 10 Home supports a maximum of 128GB of RAM, while Windows 10 Pro supports up to 2TB of RAM.
The Windows 10 Pro license costs $199; you can purchase it from the Microsoft Store.
Windows 10 Pro for Workstation
Also, Microsoft offers another variant known as Windows 10 Pro for Workstation, which is technically Windows 10 Pro, but with some extra server-grade features. For instance, the ReFS (Resilient File System) is the default file system in this edition instead of NTFS, adding fault tolerance, optimisation for large data volumes, and automatic error correction.
Microsoft also includes support for non-volatile memory modules (NVDIMM-N) for persistent memory, which means that writing and reading speeds will always be the fastest possible. In addition, your files will remain there even after switching the computer off.
Using SMB Direct, Windows 10 supports Remote Direct Memory Access (RDMA), which enables compatible network adapters to run at low latency without impacting the processor performance.
Finally, Windows 10 Pro for Workstation supports server processors (Intel Xeon and AMD Opteron), with up to four physical processors per device and up to 6TB of memory. Windows 10 Pro is limited to two processors and up to 2TB of memory.
The Windows 10 Pro for Workstation license costs $309 and is available through the Microsoft Store.
Windows 10 Pro vs Home features comparison
Here’s a complete list of features comparing Windows 10 Home vs Windows 10 Pro and Windows 10 Pro for Workstation:
FEATURES WINDOWS 10 HOME WINDOWS 10 PRO WINDOWS 10 PRO FOR WORKSTATION
Windows Hello Yes Yes Yes
Device Encryption Yes Yes Yes
Firewall Yes Yes Yes
Parental controls Yes Yes Yes
Secure Boot Yes Yes Yes
Microsoft Defender Antivirus Yes Yes Yes
Digital pen & touch Yes Yes Yes
Microsoft Edge Yes Yes Yes
Battery saver mode Yes Yes Yes
Gaming support Yes Yes Yes
Accessibility Yes Yes Yes
Windows Information Protection No Yes Yes
BitLocker encryption No Yes Yes
Mobile device management No Yes Yes
Group Policy No Yes Yes
Enterprise State Roaming with Azure No Yes Yes
Microsoft Store for Business No Yes Yes
Assigned Access No Yes Yes
Dynamic Provisioning No Yes Yes
Windows Update for Business No Yes Yes
Kiosk mode setup No Yes Yes
Active Directory support No Yes Yes
Azure Active Directory support No Yes Yes
Hyper-V for virtual machines No Yes Yes
Remote Desktop No Yes Yes
Windows Hello for Business No Yes Yes
Resilient File System (ReFS) No No Yes
Persistent memory No No Yes
Faster file sharing with SMB Direct No No Yes
Server-grade Intel Xeon or AMD
Opteron processors No No Yes
Four CPU support No No Yes
RAM up to 6TB support No No Yes
Quality monthly updates Yes Yes Yes
Windows Server Update Services
(WSUS) No Yes Yes
Windows Update for Business No Yes Yes
Windows Autopilot No Yes Yes
Windows 10 Pro vs Home answers
Can I upgrade from Windows 10 Home to Pro? Yes, you can always install Windows 10 Home, and then if you need the advanced features, you can upgrade to Windows 10 Pro.
How much does it cost to upgrade to Windows 10 Pro? If you’re already running Windows 10 Home, you’ll need to pay $99 for the license to upgrade.
Do I need Windows 10 Pro if I only need virtualisation? No, you can always use third-party virtualisation tools, such as VirtualBox (free) or Vmware Workstation (paid), to use virtual machines. However, if you must use Hyper-V, upgrade to Windows 10 Pro.
Which is faster, Windows 10 Home or Pro? They both offer the same level of performance because they are the same operating system. The only difference between them is their set of features.
Do I need Windows 10 Pro? No, Windows 10 Home includes all the features you need if you are a home user. Windows 10 Pro offers more features but is meant for business and security. Also, many times, you overcome the limitations using third-party tools.
Do I need Windows 10 Pro for gaming? No, if you plan to build a gaming PC, you don’t need Windows 10 Pro. Windows 10 Home includes all the technologies to play any game, even in 4K resolution.
Windows 10 Pro vs Home which one to buy
Usually, Windows 10 Home is the right choice for most users, even when you are planning to build a gaming PC. However, if you are an advanced user and you need the extra features, such as Remote Desktop, Hyper-V, BitLocker, Windows Sandbox, etc., and you want to have the ability to manage advanced settings through Group Policy. Windows 10 Pro may be the edition you should buy if this is the case.
If you work in a business environment, Windows 10 Pro is the right choice, even if you think you won’t need the extra features because you will need them in the future.
