Windows 11 Pro vs. Home: Difference between these two editions in detail

If you are purchasing a pre-assembled computer or a laptop with pre-installed Windows 11, you will either get the Home or Pro edition of Windows 11, and there are high chance that you will get Windows 11 Home. If you have selected your computer, you possibly won’t have the privilege to choose the edition of Windows as per your requirements. However, you can always upgrade to the Pro version if you have the Windows 11 Home edition. Talking about Windows 11, your workflow won’t be impacted significantly merely for the Windows 11 edition you choose. 

But in the case you have the option to choose your edition, you should go for the Pro edition of Windows 11 if price is not a constraint for you. But if you still want to know the differences, I am here with the Windows 11 Pro vs. Home comparison to help you have a clear idea about each edition and the features each of them has to offer. I will also explain the features in brief to help you understand whether it is going to benefit you.

That said, without any further delay, let’s get started with the Windows 11 Pro vs. Home edition comparison.

1. Find my device – Available on Home and Pro

Using the Find My Device security feature, you can track your Microsoft Windows 11 device, including the digital Pen remotely with the only caveat being it is connected to the internet. The feature is kind of heal-boiled, but not totally useless. If you usually keep your device switched on at your home or office, this feature can come in handy to track your device. But, if it is stolen, chances are low you can track your device unless it is powered on, and is connected to the internet.

2. Firewall and network protection – Available on Home and Pro

The next feature is Firewall and network protection which is again a security feature that endeavors to protect your Windows 11 device against several threats like viruses, malware, and even ransomware. With this feature in action, you can keep your device, and user files safe from unprecedented attacks, or you can even keep your device protected when you connect to unsecured Wi-Fi networks at an airport or coffee shop. While this is a great feature, you should always have trusted antivirus software for additional security.

3. Internet protection – Available on Home and Pro

If you use your device mostly to browse the web, or your work revolves around visiting numerous websites or being online most of the day, Internet protection can be a savior for your device. With the Internet protection feature, your device will be protected against online threats, and prevent malicious websites from downloading scripts and programs that can be hazardous to your system and personal files.

4. Windows Hello – Available on Home and Pro

Using facial, and fingerprint recognition technology to log in looks fancy, and Windows Hello enables these features on your Windows 11 computer obviously if you have the appropriate hardware. In the case you don’t have a Windows Hello-supported webcam or biometric device, Windows Hello also enables fast password-less login with a PIN that is not just easy to remember, but you will no longer have to enter the Microsoft account password every time you try to log in.

5. Secure boot – Available on Home and Pro

Booting is the most basic task that a computer carries out during startup, and it is extremely important to make this process free from any issues. With Secure boot available on the latest versions of Windows including Windows 11, you will no longer have to worry about unauthorized codes being executed during the boot-up process. If the operating system is unauthorized, Secure Boot can also prevent it from loading making the system free from critical attacks.

6. BitLocker device encryption – Only on Pro

BitLocker is a proprietary device encryption tool that helps Windows users encrypt individual drives with a strong 128-bit or 256-bit AES encryption technology. This keeps your files safe from unauthorized access. With the power of BitLocker, you will no longer have to worry about others seeing your files in case your Windows 11 device is stolen or you leave it for some time in some place. The power of BitLocker allows you to encrypt individual drives, and in the case you want to keep some storage devices to stay out of the encryption regime, that is also possible, unlike Device encryption which I will discuss next.

7. Device encryption – Available on Home and Pro

Unlike BitLocker device encryption, Device encryption encrypts the whole system, instead of individual drives. By enabling Device encryption, there is no way you can keep certain drives away from the encryption regime unlike BitLocker device encryption, where you can encrypt specific drives. While whole-device encryption is great for your privacy and security, it might slow down your system and can be a severe performance bottleneck for older systems.

8. Parental controls and protection  – Available on Home and Pro

If you have multiple devices, and they are used by your kids, you can control their screen time, and limit their web access using the parental control options available on both Windows 11 Home and Pro. Additionally, you can also prevent your kids from using your credit card to purchase items online or carry out in-app purchases for games and other online products. You simply need to add your kids’ Microsoft accounts to start monitoring their online activities.

9. Windows Information Protection or WIP – Only on Pro

This is an enterprise feature available only for Pro users that help enterprise data from getting accidentally leaked onto public places across the web. This feature also covers computers used by employees to safeguard confidential information from being leaked through several channels. This is an Enterprise feature and as long as you are using your Windows 11 computer for your personal uses, it is not ideal to invest in Windows 11 Pro just for this specific Windows 11 Pro feature.

10. Windows Security – Available on Home and Pro

Windows Security is a feature available on all Windows 11 editions that is really useful. With the help of Windows Security, you can not just see the health and security status of your device, but it can also scan your system for viruses and malware. It also gives control over the apps you use and the Edge browser. You might still need an antivirus if you are a pro user, but Windows Security is definitely good enough to protect your Windows computer if you are a general user. Besides all these, Windows Security also helps you enable or disable Core isolation, Secure processor, and other security features of your device.

So, that was the whole Windows 11 Pro vs. Home comparison, and hope you now have a clear idea about how your experience will be impacted based on the Windows 11 edition you choose. Previous versions of Windows had even bigger limitations in terms of features, based on the edition that you pay for. However, today, most features that are not baked into the Home edition of Windows 11 can also be achieved using third-party tools like VeraCrypt instead of BitLocker, etc.

Hope the information was useful for you. Do you have any questions? Feel free to comment on the same below.