Quick answer: Windows 11 Home covers everyday use: browsing, Office, streaming and games. Windows 11 Pro adds BitLocker encryption, Remote Desktop hosting, Hyper-V and Windows Sandbox, Group Policy, domain and Azure AD join, Windows Update for Business, local-account setup and higher hardware limits. If you work with company data, manage your own PC in depth or run virtual machines, buy Windows 11 Pro; otherwise Windows 11 Home is enough. At GetDigiMarket the difference is two dollars, and a Pro key upgrades Home in place without reinstalling.
Windows 11 Home and Windows 11 Pro share the same kernel, the same interface, the same apps and the same updates. The difference is a set of features that Microsoft enables for Pro, most of them aimed at business and power users. This guide lists every difference that matters, explains which kind of user actually benefits from each, compares prices, and shows how to change from one to the other. It is the comparison we point customers to when they ask “do I need Pro?”.
The feature differences
| Feature | Windows 11 Home | Windows 11 Pro |
|---|---|---|
| BitLocker drive encryption | No (limited Device Encryption on some hardware, tied to a Microsoft account) | Yes, full BitLocker and BitLocker To Go |
| Remote Desktop | Client only (connect to others) | Host and client (others can connect to this PC) |
| Hyper-V virtual machines | No | Yes |
| Windows Sandbox | No | Yes |
| Group Policy Editor | No | Yes |
| Domain join / Azure AD join | No | Yes |
| Windows Update for Business (defer feature updates up to 365 days) | No (pause up to 5 weeks) | Yes |
| Local account during setup | No (Microsoft account required) | Yes |
| Assigned Access (kiosk mode) | Single app | Full |
| Windows Information Protection, Enterprise State Roaming | No | Yes |
| Maximum RAM | 128 GB | 2 TB |
| Physical processors | 1 | 2 |
| Microsoft Store for Business, MDM enrolment | No | Yes |
| Everything else (apps, gaming, DirectX 12, Copilot, Widgets) | Same | Same |
What each Pro feature means in practice
BitLocker. Encrypts the whole drive so that a lost or stolen laptop does not expose your files. On a PC with TPM 2.0 it unlocks automatically at boot; you notice nothing day to day. Home offers Device Encryption on some machines, but only with a Microsoft account and without control of recovery keys or removable drives. For anyone carrying company or client data, this alone justifies Pro.
Remote Desktop host. Lets you connect to the PC from another device and use it as if you were sitting there. Useful for reaching a home desktop from a laptop, or an office PC from home. Home can connect to others but cannot be connected to.
Hyper-V and Windows Sandbox. Hyper-V runs full virtual machines (other Windows versions, Linux, test environments). Sandbox is a disposable Windows that starts in seconds for testing suspicious downloads. Developers, IT staff and the cautious use both constantly.
Group Policy. Fine control over almost every Windows behaviour: update timing, telemetry, lock-screen content, what users can change. Home relies on registry edits for the same things.
Domain and Azure AD join. Required to join a company network with centralised logins and policies. If your employer’s IT department will manage the PC, it must be Pro.
Update control. Pro can defer feature updates for up to a year and quality updates for 30 days through Group Policy, and set active hours firmly. Home can pause for five weeks and nothing more. For a work PC that must not change mid-project, this matters.
Local account at setup. Pro offers a local account during installation; Home requires a Microsoft account and internet connection. Both can use either account type afterwards.
Hardware limits. Home supports 128 GB of RAM and one CPU socket; Pro supports 2 TB and two sockets. Few consumer PCs approach the Home limits, but workstation builds do.
What is the same
Performance, gaming (DirectX 12 Ultimate, Auto HDR, DirectStorage), the Microsoft Store, Copilot, Snap layouts, Widgets, Phone Link, Windows Hello, Microsoft Defender, Windows Backup, and every consumer app. A gamer or a student gains nothing from Pro unless one of the features above is wanted.
Prices
| Edition | Microsoft retail | GetDigiMarket |
|---|---|---|
| Windows 11 Home | $139.99 | $9.99 |
| Windows 11 Pro | $199.99 | $11.99 |
| Home to Pro upgrade (Microsoft Store) | $99.00 | Use a Pro key: $11.99 |
| Windows 11 Pro for 5 PCs | n/a | $18.99 |
| Windows 11 Home for 5 PCs | n/a | $17.99 |
Store prices are those at the time of writing. Every key is a lifetime licence delivered by email within seconds and covered by the 180-day money-back guarantee.
Who should buy Home
- A family PC for school, browsing, streaming and games.
- A laptop used with personal data only, where Device Encryption with a Microsoft account is acceptable.
- Anyone who will never use Remote Desktop hosting, virtual machines or Group Policy.
Who should buy Pro
- Anyone working from home with company or client data (BitLocker).
- Small business owners and freelancers who want control over updates and settings.
- Developers, IT staff and students in technical fields (Hyper-V, Sandbox).
- Anyone whose employer will join the PC to a domain or Azure AD.
- Users who prefer a local account and no Microsoft sign-in requirement at setup.
- Workstation builds with more than 128 GB of RAM or two CPUs; see also Windows 11 Pro for Workstations.
At two dollars of difference, most of our customers who are unsure choose Pro, on the grounds that the features cost nothing to have and cannot be added later without another key.
Moving from Home to Pro
No reinstall is needed. Settings, System, Activation, Change product key, enter a Pro key, click Start; Windows downloads the Pro components, restarts, and comes back as Pro with files and apps intact. Our Home to Pro upgrade guide covers the steps and the fixes for a stalled upgrade. Moving from Pro to Home requires a clean installation choosing Home, as Windows cannot downgrade in place.
Other editions, briefly
Education mirrors Enterprise features for schools; Enterprise adds management and security features for large organisations; IoT Enterprise LTSC removes feature updates and the Store for devices that must stay unchanged for years, with support until 2034 for the 2024 release. Our Windows 11 category lists all editions, and the LTSC guide explains when the long-term servicing editions make sense.
Checking which edition you have
Settings, System, About, under Windows specifications; or press Windows + R, type winver. If you are buying a key for an existing PC, this is the edition to match, unless you intend to upgrade Home to Pro, in which case buy Pro.
Three scenarios, decided
A student laptop for lectures, essays and streaming. Home. The Microsoft account requirement is no burden, Device Encryption protects the drive, and none of the Pro features will be used. If the course is computer science or engineering, Pro for Hyper-V and Sandbox is worth the two dollars.
A freelancer’s main PC with client files and invoices. Pro. BitLocker with a saved recovery key, Remote Desktop to reach the desktop from a laptop while travelling, and update deferral so a feature update does not land the night before a deadline.
A gaming desktop with 64 GB of RAM. Home, unless you also stream from a second PC via Remote Desktop or run game servers in Hyper-V. The RAM is within Home’s limit, and the gaming features are identical.
New PC: buy Windows and Office together
Many customers equipping a new or rebuilt PC take the Office 2024 Pro Plus with Windows 11 Pro bundle, which delivers both keys in one email at a lower combined price. Install Windows 11 Pro from the official media, activate, then install Office from its link and activate; our guides to installing Windows and installing Office take about an hour between them.
A note on Windows 11 requirements
Both editions require the same hardware: a supported 64-bit processor, 4 GB of RAM, 64 GB of storage, UEFI with Secure Boot, and TPM 2.0. A PC that fails those checks cannot run Windows 11 Home or Pro with Microsoft’s support; for such a machine, Windows 10 IoT Enterprise LTSC 2021, supported until 2032, is the sensible licence. Check with tpm.msc and Settings, System, About before buying.
Pro for Workstations, Education and Enterprise: when Home vs Pro is the wrong question
A few buyers need neither Home nor Pro. Pro for Workstations is for machines with more than 2 TB of RAM, more than two CPU sockets, NVDIMM persistent memory or the ReFS file system; it is a separate licence at a small premium. Education is Enterprise-grade Windows for schools and students, usually supplied by the institution. Enterprise is for organisations with volume agreements and adds Windows Defender Application Guard, DirectAccess and other management features; Enterprise LTSC and IoT Enterprise LTSC are the no-feature-update variants for long-life devices. If the PC belongs to a school or a company, ask what they provide before buying; if it is your own machine and none of these special cases applies, the choice really is Home or Pro.
Buying for a child’s or elderly relative’s PC
Home is the right default, with one adjustment: set up the Microsoft account yourself, enable Device Encryption if the hardware offers it, and turn on Windows Backup so that files are in OneDrive. For a relative who lives far away, Pro’s Remote Desktop host, or the free Quick Assist built into both editions, lets you fix problems from your own PC; Quick Assist alone is usually enough, so Home remains the sensible choice.
Frequently asked questions
Is Windows 11 Pro faster than Home?
No. Performance, gaming and app compatibility are identical. Pro adds management and security features, not speed.
Can I upgrade Windows 11 Home to Pro without reinstalling?
Yes. Enter a Windows 11 Pro key in Settings, System, Activation. Windows upgrades in place in about ten minutes, keeping files and apps.
Does Windows 11 Home have BitLocker?
Home offers Device Encryption on supported hardware, which requires a Microsoft account and lacks BitLocker’s management features and removable-drive encryption. Full BitLocker requires Pro.
Can I use a local account on Windows 11 Home?
Not during setup; Home requires a Microsoft account to complete installation. You can switch to a local account afterwards from Settings, Accounts.
Which edition do gamers need?
Home. Gaming features are identical in both editions. Choose Pro only if you also want Remote Desktop hosting, virtual machines or BitLocker.
Does a Windows 10 Pro key activate Windows 11 Pro?
Yes. Windows 11 accepts Windows 10 keys for the same edition.