Windows 11 Home vs Pro: Which Should You Buy?
Windows 11 Home covers everyday users; Pro adds business, security, and virtualization features. Here's the full comparison — and who each is really for.
Option A
Windows 11 Home
Option B
Windows 11 Pro
Side-by-side comparison
| Feature | Windows 11 Home | Windows 11 Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Lower | Higher |
| BitLocker drive encryption | No | Yes |
| Remote Desktop (host) | Client only | Host + client |
| Hyper-V virtualization | No | Yes |
| Group Policy Editor | No | Yes |
| Join Active Directory / Azure AD | No | Yes |
| Max RAM | 128 GB | 2 TB |
| Windows Sandbox | No | Yes |
Our verdict
**Buy Windows 11 Home** if you use your PC for personal work, browsing, gaming, and creative apps.\n\n**Buy Windows 11 Pro** if you work from home, need BitLocker disk encryption, Remote Desktop, Hyper-V virtual machines, or join a company domain.
Frequently asked questions
Can I upgrade Home to Pro later?
Yes — buy a Pro upgrade key and enter it in Settings > System > Activation.