Windows 10 is going to be a free upgrade for a lot of users, but Microsoft will gladly sell a copy to anyone who needs or wants one. And now they’ve confirmed just how much it will cost you if you decide to pick one up.
Microsoft has slapped a suggested retail price of $119 on a fresh copy of Windows 10 Home. Those who want the additional features of Windows 10 Pro will have to be willing to spend a bit more. The SRP on Pro is $199.
Those prices are right in line with what Microsoft charged for Windows 8 and 8.1. While it’s not a complete surprise to see them stay the course, there were rumblings that the company would move to a more Apple-like approach to selling Windows — and we’d see much lower prices on retail copies of Windows 10.
Clearly that’s not going to be the case. This may very well be the last version of Windows, though, so maybe it was seen as one last chance to rake in a few bucks “the old way.”
There’s one more Windows 10 package you’ll be able to purchase: the Pro Pack. It’ll allow you to upgrade a system from Home to Pro, and it’ll cost you $99 (it’ sort of like paying a $10 penalty for not having chosen Pro in the first place).
Now that you know what a new copy will cost, here’s your chance to save some cash. If you were planning on throwing Windows 10 onto a machine that you’re in the middle of building — or even an older system that you haven’t been willing to remove XP from — go buy a copy of Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 now.
You can get either one for around $90 on a site like Amazon and then take advantage of Microsoft’s free upgrade offer during the first year of Windows 10 availability. Just make sure you actually install the software. Microsoft has some rules about those free upgrades that might throw a wrench into your plans.
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