The Microsoft Access Insider’s Guide
Everything we know about Microsoft Access in one document: what it costs, its grades, getting a refund, getting help and what else to look at. Read it here, or keep a copy.
Microsoft Access
The Insider’s Guide
Windows desktop database app sold with Microsoft 365
Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among spreadsheet and database tools, read from Microsoft Access’s own pages.
Made by Microsoft · checked Oct 5, 2026 · toolgpa.com
Contents
- 01WelcomeWhat it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
- 02What it costsEvery plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
- 03What it doesIts main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
- 04Where it standsIts grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
- 05The alternativesThe tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
- 06Quick answersThe questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
- 07About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
ToolGPA put this guide together from Microsoft Access’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on Microsoft Access’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Oct 5, 2026.
Part 01 · Overview
Welcome
What it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
2.0
GPA, above 0 of the 21 other spreadsheet and database tools we grade
Microsoft Access is a Windows desktop application for building database apps from tables, queries, forms and reports, either from templates or from scratch. It comes with the Microsoft 365 plans that include the desktop apps and is also sold on its own as a one-time purchase for one PC. Data can stay in an Access file or be stored in SQL Server or Azure SQL.
To get you started, here are 9 things to know about Microsoft Access, taken from its own pages and our grades.
- 1
Best for building a database app on a Windows PC
It fits a small business building its own app on Windows PCs.
- 2
Paid plans start at $8.33 a month when paid by the year
As its pricing page puts it: $9.99 / month, or $99.99 / year (Microsoft 365 Personal).
- 3
You can try it first
1-month free trial of Microsoft 365 for individuals or of Microsoft 365 Business Standard
- 4
It runs on Windows
Windows.
- 5
Database apps from templates or scratch
Business apps are built from templates or from scratch with Access's design tools, which Microsoft pitches at people who are not developers.
- 6
Tables, queries, forms and reports
A database is made of tables for the data plus queries, forms, reports, macros and modules that sit on top of them and form the app's interface and logic.
- 7
Visual Basic for Applications
VBA code automates business processes and is used to build more capable forms and reports.
- 8
A 2.0 GPA, above 0 of 21
That is against the other spreadsheet and database tools we grade, on value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
- 9
Keep it
To replace Microsoft Access you would be making a tool that builds and hosts other apps. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
Microsoft Access at a glance
- Pricing
- Free trial, from $9.99 / month, or $99.99 / year (Microsoft 365 Personal)
- Free plan
- No
- Free trial
- 1-month free trial of Microsoft 365 for individuals or of Microsoft 365 Business Standard
- Runs on
- Windows
- Made by
- Microsoft
- Category
- Spreadsheets & Databases
- Our grade
- 2.0 GPA, fair
The report card
Best for building a database app on a Windows PC
Access is the database that comes with the Microsoft 365 desktop apps: tables, queries, forms and reports, with VBA for more. It fits a small business building its own app on Windows PCs. But Windows is the whole story, with no Mac, web or mobile version, a file stops at 2 GB, and it's missing from Business Basic and Office Home 2024.
| Subject | Grade | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | C | It comes with Microsoft 365 Personal at $9.99 a month, which is exactly the middle price in this category, though Word, Excel, PowerPoint and 1 TB of storage ride along with it. On its own it's $179.99 once for one PC, about eighteen months of the subscription. |
| Free plan and trial | C | No free version. There's a 1-month free trial of Microsoft 365 for individuals or of Business Standard, and whether it asks for a card isn't on record here. Don't look for Access in Business Basic, which has web and mobile apps only. |
| Features | B | It covers the whole database-app job: tables, queries, forms, reports, macros and modules, built from templates or from scratch, VBA to automate the dull bits, connectors to line-of-business apps, data stored in SQL Server or Azure SQL, and up to 255 concurrent users. An Access file does stop at 2 GB. |
| Ease of use | C | No rating on record, and the work is building the thing itself: tables, queries, forms and reports before anyone can use it, with VBA behind the fiddlier parts. Microsoft pitches the design tools at non-developers and there are templates to start from, but it's still app-building, not typing in a sheet. |
| Platforms and integrations | D | One operating system. Windows PCs only, with no Mac, web or mobile version listed, so a database can't follow you to a phone or a browser. It does link out to SQL Server, Azure SQL and SharePoint lists. |
An A is worth 4 points, a B 3, a C 2, a D 1 and an F nothing. The GPA is the average of the five.
Who Microsoft Access is for
- Fits if you run a small business on Windows PCs and want to build your own database app
- Works for organisations already paying for the Microsoft 365 desktop apps, which include it
Who it is not for
- Skip it if anyone on the team uses a Mac, a phone or a browser, as it's PC only
- Not for you if you're on Microsoft 365 Business Basic or Office Home 2024, because Access isn't in either
- Tight if your data is large, since an Access file tops out at 2 GB
- Pricey if you move data to SQL Server or Azure SQL, which need their own subscription
- Watch out: there's no free version, and bought once it's $179.99 for one PC
Good to know
Good for
- Small businesses building their own database apps on Windows PCs
- Teams sharing a database over a local network
- Organizations that already license the Microsoft 365 desktop apps
Worth knowing
- Access is available for PC only; Microsoft lists no Mac, web or mobile version.
- It is not part of Office Home 2024 or Microsoft 365 Business Basic, which has web and mobile apps only.
- An Access database file is limited to 2 GB, minus the space needed for system objects.
- Storing data in SQL Server or Azure SQL requires a separate subscription to that service.
Part 02 · Pricing
What it costs
Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
$8.33
A month to start, paid by the year
Microsoft Access is a paid product with a free trial, starting at $9.99 / month, or $99.99 / year (Microsoft 365 Personal).
Don't look for Access in Business Basic, which has web and mobile apps only.
Microsoft 365 Personal
$9.99
per month, or $99.99 per year
For 1 person on up to 5 devices: Access (PC only) alongside the Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook desktop apps and 1 TB of cloud storage.
Microsoft 365 Apps for business
$10.00
per user / month, paid yearly ($12.00 billed monthly)
Fully installed Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote and Access (PC only) for up to 300 employees, with 1 TB of cloud storage per user.
Microsoft 365 Family
$12.99
per month, or $129.99 per year
Everything in Personal for 1 to 6 people, each able to sign in on up to 5 devices, with 1 TB of storage per person.
Microsoft 365 Business Standard
$14.00
per user / month, paid yearly ($16.80 billed monthly)
Desktop, web and mobile apps including Access (PC only), plus business email, Microsoft Teams and 1 TB of cloud storage per user.
Microsoft 365 Premium
$19.99
per month, or $199.99 per year
Everything in Family, plus extensive Copilot usage and agentic AI features such as advanced research and analytics.
Access
$179.99
one-time purchase for 1 PC
Standalone Access for one PC running Windows 11 or Windows 10, bought once rather than by subscription.
Trying it first
1-month free trial of Microsoft 365 for individuals or of Microsoft 365 Business Standard
Read from microsoft.com on Oct 5, 2026.
Ways to pay less
Annual discount
Save up to 17% by paying yearly
Microsoft 365 Personal is $99.99 a year against $9.99 a month, Family $129.99 against $12.99 and Premium $199.99 against $19.99.
Stated on microsoft.comAnnual discount
Apps for business: $10 yearly, $12 monthly
Microsoft 365 Apps for business is $10.00 per user a month when paid yearly, or $12.00 per user a month on a monthly subscription.
Stated on microsoft.comEducation
Students save 50% on Microsoft 365 Personal
Verified college and university students get Microsoft 365 Personal, which includes Access, at half price. Student status has to be re-verified each year.
Stated on microsoft.comLifetime license
Standalone Access as a one-time purchase
$179.99 buys Access for 1 PC running Windows 11 or Windows 10, with no subscription.
Stated on microsoft.com
Part 03 · Features
What it does
Its main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
1
Place it runs: Windows
Windows desktop database app sold with Microsoft 365. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: works offline, one-time purchase, databases, templates, app builder, reports.
Windows PCs only, with no Mac, web or mobile version listed, so a database can't follow you to a phone or a browser.
- Database apps from templates or scratch
- Business apps are built from templates or from scratch with Access's design tools, which Microsoft pitches at people who are not developers.
- Tables, queries, forms and reports
- A database is made of tables for the data plus queries, forms, reports, macros and modules that sit on top of them and form the app's interface and logic.
- Visual Basic for Applications
- VBA code automates business processes and is used to build more capable forms and reports.
- SQL Server and Azure SQL storage
- Data can be stored in SQL Server or Microsoft Azure SQL instead of the Access file. Each requires its own subscription to that service.
- Connectors to other data sources
- The Access connector library shares data between Access and line-of-business apps, so combined data can be queried and charted inside Access.
- Multi-user sharing
- A database can be shared from a network folder, split into a back-end data file with a front-end copy per user, or linked to SharePoint lists. Access supports up to 255 concurrent users.
Where it runs
- Windows
What it works with
- SQL Server
- Azure SQL
- SharePoint
Microsoft Access is made by Microsoft.
Part 04 · Standing
Where it stands
Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
0/21
Other spreadsheet and database tools it is graded above
Microsoft Access's GPA of 2.0 is higher than 0 of the 21 other spreadsheet and database tools we grade.
It stands best on features (B, above 6 of 21) and worst on platforms and integrations (D, above 0).
Its paid plans start at $8.33 a month when paid by the year, against a middle price of $8 for the category: 11 of the 20 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.0 out of 4. 12 tools score higher and cost less.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 22 spreadsheet and database tools we grade, cut by the letter each got. Microsoft Access’s own letter is outlined.
- CValue for moneyAbove 4 of 21
- CFree plan and trialAbove 2 of 21
- BFeaturesAbove 6 of 21
- CEase of useAbove 0 of 21
- DPlatforms and integrationsAbove 0 of 21
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 22 spreadsheet and database tools. Further left costs less; higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Microsoft Access is the marked dot.
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
Keep it, or make your own?
Whether this is something you could build for yourself with an AI app builder, and what you would give up.
Keep it
To replace Microsoft Access you would be making a tool that builds and hosts other apps. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
That makes this kind of software worth paying for, not this one in particular: 21 of the 21 other spreadsheet and database tools grade higher. It costs $99.99 a year.
What you could make
- Templates and reports: an app builder makes these well.
What you could not
- A tool that builds and hosts other apps.
- Databases with views, filters and links between them.
- A real app for Windows. Something home-made would be a web page.
- The depth: we grade its features B, which means it covers the whole job.
What this rests on. Microsoft Access’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
Part 05 · Alternatives
The alternatives
The tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
Claris FileMaker, Airtable, Ninox, Grist and Microsoft Lists
The 5 tools Microsoft Access is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.
- 2.4GPA
Claris FileMaker
Free trial · from $17.50/mo
Low-code platform for custom database apps on desktop, iOS and web.
- Only Claris FileMaker lists a web app.
- Only Claris FileMaker lists macOS and iOS apps.
- Microsoft Access can be bought with a one-time purchase.
- 3.0GPA
Airtable
Free plan · from $20/mo
Relational database platform for building team workflows and apps.
- Airtable has a free plan. Microsoft Access does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only Airtable lists a web app.
- Only Airtable lists macOS, iOS and Android apps.
- 2.2GPA
Ninox
Free plan · from $31/mo
AI-assisted low-code platform for custom business software.
- Ninox has a free plan. Microsoft Access does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only Microsoft Access lists a Windows app.
- Only Ninox lists a web app.
- 2.6GPA
Grist
Free plan · from $8/mo
Open-source relational spreadsheet with Python formulas.
- Grist has a free plan. Microsoft Access does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only Grist lists a web app.
- Only Grist lists macOS and Linux apps.
- 2.4GPA
Microsoft Lists
Free trial · from $5.40/mo
Information-tracking lists app included with Microsoft 365.
- Only Microsoft Access lists a Windows app.
- Only Microsoft Lists lists a web app.
- Microsoft Access can be bought with a one-time purchase.
Part 06 · Questions
Quick answers
The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
15
Questions, each answered in a line or two
The short version of everything above, for when you only need the answer. Each one is told in full in its part of the guide.
Is Microsoft Access free?
No, Microsoft Access is a paid product, but you can try it first. 1-month free trial of Microsoft 365 for individuals or of Microsoft 365 Business Standard.
How much does Microsoft Access cost?
Microsoft Access lists 6 plans. Microsoft 365 Personal: $9.99 per month, or $99.99 per year.
What platforms does Microsoft Access work on?
Microsoft Access is available on Windows.
Does Microsoft Access offer any discounts?
Microsoft Access publicly lists the following: Save up to 17% by paying yearly; Apps for business: $10 yearly, $12 monthly; Students save 50% on Microsoft 365 Personal; Standalone Access as a one-time purchase.
Does Microsoft Access have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 5, 2026. Microsoft Access is listed for Windows.
Does Microsoft Access have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 5, 2026. Microsoft Access is listed for Windows.
Is Microsoft Access open source?
Microsoft Access is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Oct 5, 2026.
Does Microsoft Access work offline?
Yes, according to its own site. What works without a connection differs by plan and platform, so check the vendor's page for the detail.
What does Microsoft Access integrate with?
Microsoft Access's listing names SQL Server, Azure SQL and SharePoint.
Does Microsoft Access have a student discount?
Students save 50% on Microsoft 365 Personal. Verified college and university students get Microsoft 365 Personal, which includes Access, at half price.
Who makes Microsoft Access?
Microsoft Access is made by Microsoft.
What are the alternatives to Microsoft Access?
The closest alternatives to Microsoft Access in our directory are Claris FileMaker, Airtable, Ninox, Grist and Microsoft Lists.
How does Microsoft Access compare with other spreadsheet and database tools?
Microsoft Access's GPA of 2.0 is higher than 0 of the 21 other spreadsheet and database tools we grade.
Is Microsoft Access good value for money?
ToolGPA grades Microsoft Access C for value for money. Its paid plans start at $8.33 a month when paid by the year, against a middle price of $8 for the category: 11 of the 20 others that charge start lower.
Could I make my own version of Microsoft Access?
To replace Microsoft Access you would be making a tool that builds and hosts other apps.
Where this guide comes from
The prices, plans, platforms and features were read from Microsoft Access’s own pages on Oct 5, 2026, and the grades were given on Oct 10, 2026. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Microsoft's own pages on 5 October 2026. Also tested with a demo account on 2026-08-27.
Every tool we list gets five grades, A to F, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them. How each is decided is at toolgpa.com/grades. This guide is ToolGPA’s own work; it is not made, paid for or approved by Microsoft. Prices change, so check microsoft.com before you buy.
- microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/access
- microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/buy/compare-all-microsoft-365-products
- microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/business/microsoft-365-plans-and-pricing
- microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/business/microsoft-365-apps-for-business
- microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/business/microsoft-365-business-standard
- microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/p/access/cfq7ttc0pd0b
- microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/college-student-pricing
- support.microsoft.com/en-us/access/access-specifications
- support.microsoft.com/en-us/access/ways-to-share-an-access-desktop-database
Part 07 · About
About ToolGPA
Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
3,189
Tools graded, in 94 categories
ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.
Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.
3,189
tools graded
94
categories
426
price changes on record
579
apps priced in 12 countries
What else is on toolgpa.com
- Microsoft Access, kept up to dateEverything in this guide, with prices and grades as they are todaytoolgpa.com/tools/microsoft-access
- How grades are givenThe rules behind every letter and every GPAtoolgpa.com/grades
- Value chartsWhat each tool costs against what it scores, for every categorytoolgpa.com/charts
- CompareAny two tools side by side, plan by plantoolgpa.com/compare
- Price changesEvery price rise and cut on record, each with its sourcetoolgpa.com/price-changes
- Prices by countryWhat apps cost on the App Store in 12 countriestoolgpa.com/prices-by-country
- Pay lessEvery public discount: yearly billing, students, nonprofitstoolgpa.com/save
- Keep or makeWhich tools are worth paying for, and which you could build yourselftoolgpa.com/keep-or-make
Scan for the live page
Prices and grades as they are today
Quoting this guide?
Please name ToolGPA and link to the live page, so readers can check the figures for themselves:
ToolGPA, "Microsoft Access: The Insider's Guide", checked Oct 5, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/microsoft-access
Know someone choosing between spreadsheet and database tools?
Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/microsoft-access/guide
ToolGPA elsewhere: youtube.com/@toolgpa
See our other guides
The best-graded spreadsheet and database tools after Microsoft Access, each with an Insider's Guide of its own.
- Spreadsheets & Databases Insider's GuideEvery one of the 22 spreadsheet and database tools we grade, compared
- Zoho Sheet Insider's GuideCollaborative online spreadsheet with a free version3.6 GPA
- Google Sheets Insider's GuideBrowser-based spreadsheet, free with a Google Account3.4 GPA
- Microsoft Excel Insider's GuideSpreadsheet app sold with Microsoft 365, free in the browser3.4 GPA
Choosing software? Every tool graded, every price dated.
Compare tools at toolgpa.com ›Everything in this guide is ToolGPA’s own summary of what Microsoft Access’s pages, its app-store listings and public reviews said on the dates shown. Grades are our judgement under the rules at toolgpa.com/grades. Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Microsoft Access is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by Microsoft. Prices and plans change: check microsoft.com before you buy.