Windows 11 Pro vs Home: Which is Better?

Table of Contents

Windows 11 Pro vs Home

There is no doubt that Microsoft Windows is one of the most used operating systems in the world. Despite the fact that some users still make do with older versions of the OS, and some even Windows XP, most users either work with the latest version, Windows 11, or are considering upgrading to it. Microsoft has announced that Windows 10 support will be discontinued on October 14, 2025, so you shouldn't rush to upgrade, but if you're using this version, it's worth considering. First introduced in 2021 as a replacement/upgrade for Windows 10 (and earlier versions), Windows 11 is available in several versions – Windows 11 Home and Windows 11 Pro. The current release of both versions of Windows 11 is 23H2, so if you're going to upgrade to Windows 11 (either version), make sure it's this release.

Similarities between Windows 11 Home and Pro

Both versions are largely similar to each other due to the same user interface, which makes it impossible to determine which version is being used at a glance, although it is easy to find out by running Start, Settings, System, and About. This similarity is evident in many of the features and applications that are standard for both versions of Windows. In addition to the common user interface, both versions of Windows 11 provide almost the same performance with the same hardware configurations, as well as performance improvements over previous versions of Windows. These include more efficient memory management, improved hardware acceleration, and, for laptop users, more efficient battery life. Both versions of Windows now include Microsoft's artificial intelligence assistant Copilot. Other common features include a tabbed file explorer, a widget panel with news and other information, updated applications (compared to previous versions), including a Photo and Media Player, an improved screenshot tool that also allows you to shoot videos, Clipchamp video editor, and more.

The Windows 11 versions (Home and Pro) have the same Start menu, which differs from the previous version of Windows, and updated system icons. The requirements for the two versions are the same: a 1 GHz processor with at least two cores, at least 4 GB of RAM and at least 64 GB of free disk space. It also requires a video card (or integrated graphics) compatible with DirectX 12 or later, a 720p display (or better), an internet connection, and a Microsoft account, which are required for the initial installation of Windows. Windows 11 requires the TPM 2.0 (Trusted Platform Module), which was not used in previous versions of Windows. Some Windows 11 features and some applications have hardware requirements that go beyond the minimum.

These include Teams, which requires a video camera, microphone, and speaker (or headphones), and Windows Hello, which requires a video camera or a biometric device such as a fingerprint reader.

So which is better?

The difference between Windows 11 Home and Pro

Security

In many ways, the two versions are very similar in terms of the features that many users need. The difference lies in the additional features and capabilities that Windows 11 Pro provides. If you plan to use your computer on a network, then the increased security and improved support for virtual machines offered by Windows 11 Pro will make a small difference in price not too significant. This does not mean that you will not be able to work comfortably with Windows 11 Home on the network, because, of course, you will be able to.

Windows 11 Pro is really designed for a business environment. But it offers enhanced security, Hyper-V virtualization, Windows Sandbox, which allows you to run applications in a secure environment, and an improved version of Remote Desktop, which allows you to conduct remote desktop sessions (Home allows you to connect only to a remote PC configured to connect).

Other features that Windows 11 Home does not have, but Windows 11 Pro does include Active Directory and enhanced security with Windows Information Protection (WIP) and full BitLocker encryption (basic BitLocker encryption is included in Windows 11 Home), which provides greater control and control over the encryption process. And if the computer has applications that need to be controlled, Windows 11 Pro offers an Assigned Access feature that locks the computer to run only a specific application. This is useful if you need to provide access to an application such as a kiosk or a specific database. Most non-commercial users will not need such applications.

RAM

Finally, Windows 11 Pro supports more RAM. Windows 11 Home supports up to 128 GB of RAM, which should be enough for almost all users. But if you want to run an application that requires more than that, Windows 11 Pro can support up to 2TB of RAM. Some types of applications that may need more than 128 GB of RAM include machine learning, multitasking, and virtualization. However, not all PCs have the ability to install this amount of RAM, so this amount is most often found on servers, workstations, and very expensive gaming systems.

Price

So, the decision comes down to the intended use of the PC, as well as whether the Windows 11 version is installed on it or whether you are upgrading from an earlier version of Windows. If you have Windows 11 Home installed on your PC and you are not planning to use the more business-oriented features of Windows 11 Pro, then there is no good reason to upgrade to the Pro version. It's not a very expensive upgrade, but it can be done in the future if you need it. On the other hand, upgrading Windows 11 from Home to Pro is not prohibitively expensive. The upgrade costs $100, but there are plenty of places that will sell you an upgrade for $60 or so.

Offers

If you already have Windows 11 Pro installed on your computer (or the computer you are about to purchase), you don't have to worry. All Geekom mini PCs come with Windows 11 Pro built-in; you can easily choose Windows 11 Pro. All the features of the Windows 11 home version are already included in Windows 11 Pro, so there's no reason to upgrade to the new version. If you are using Windows 10, upgrading to Windows 11 will be free, and you should probably do so, since Windows 10 support will end next year (although you will still be able to work with this OS).

Finally, if you build your own PC, the difference between the two OS versions will be minimal. Windows 11 Home is priced at $139, while Windows 11 Pro is priced at $199. In this case, it is better to choose the Pro version, as it may offer features that the PC builder may need in the future.