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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.

Need expert advice in selecting the right Windows products for you and your practice? Get in touch with us; this is what we do daily!