You decided to get a Windows 10 license and discovered several versions of the same operating system. Two of them are very prominent, and we will tell you about Windows 10 Education vs Pro and their similarities, advantages, and missing features.

Both Windows 10 Education and Windows 10 Pro share a lot of features. Keep in mind that Windows Education is based on Windows 10 Enterprise, with a few changes to make it suitable for institutional and school settlements. On the contrary, Windows 10 Pro is focused on professional workers. 

Also, there is Windows 10 Pro Education Edition, which is built under the commercial version of Windows Pro, but with the education specific settings that were made for Windows Education.

Hardware Encryption

These two Windows versions support hardware device encryption, meaning the encryption happens within the device. 

This protects your data as a security system via passwords. It is always on and will protect your data on pre-boot instances, meaning that any software that tries to break any authentication codes can’t do it since the encryption is on before any start to load.

Family Safety and Parental Controls

As part of the Windows Essentials program, both Windows Education and Windows Pro have the new version of Family Safety. 

This app allows parents to check the activities of their children on different devices, limit their time in front of the screen and playing games, filter out games and apps, filter web browsing, and share their location.

Mobile Device Management

Both versions of Windows 10 support MDM, meaning that an external device, through well-documented APIs, can control settings and perform management tasks on the OS. MDM is designed to work remotely over the internet without needing a special device connected to a corporate network. 

Their APIs have granular control over individual applications and data stores, ensuring that corporate assets are managed and secured while protecting your private data. So using your personal devices for work shouldn’t be a problem.

Windows Analytics

Both Windows editions have access to this software, which is now known as Desktop Analytics. This app is a cloud service that is integrated with Configuration Manager. 

It provides insight into updates of your Windows clients, using data collected from you and millions of users. You can create an inventory of apps running on your organization, as it predicts possible software compatibility issues for your software that would come on a new update.  The tool also suggests potential mitigation measures and provides Pilot identification, focusing on the factors that are more important in any Windows update and upgrade. 

However, you will need a subscription to Azure Active Directory to use this feature.

Maximum Physical Memory and Maximize CPU Cores Performance

Both versions of Windows have a high ceiling on RAM that your PC can get. But there is a difference between Windows 10 Education vs Pro, it goes further to a maximum of 2 Terabytes of RAM with the latter. Either way, both Windows 10 editions maximize the use of your CPU cores, keeping away any kind of restraint for your computer to perform in its best shape.

We checked what both versions of Windows 10 share in common, but now we will cut and dive into the differences between these OS, with their particular Pros and Cons.

Windows 10 Education Pros

This version of Windows 10 was designed with students in mind and most of its new features come to fulfill that purpose and ease educators work.

Education Specific Default Settings

As it is intended for educational purposes, the Education version of Windows 10 comes with education-specific settings that save a lot of time if your students use Microsoft Windows in college or school. 

What’s more, if new people come in mid-term, it is much easier to integrate their computer into the system without complications.

These pre-configurations in Education editions (these are ready in the Windows 10 Pro Education version, too) tries to nullify any possible distractions on students under the guidelines of the SetEduPolicies. 

These default settings disable tips and Microsoft Store suggestions, app recommendations, will disable ads on Bing when used on Microsoft Edge, and sets it on Strict safe search.

Optimized Security Features

Windows 10 Education comes with two new security features: Credential Protection and Endpoint Detection and Response.

Credential Protection is a credential guard that only allows the one with privileges to access specific files or accounts. It isolates single sign-in users. 

Endpoint Detection and Response monitors the behavior of Microsoft Education accounts. Through analytics and computer learning, the system investigates potential security threats and attempts to resolve them.

App Locker Feature

This is unique to Windows 10 Education. It allows the admin to lock and unlock apps at their discretion. 

Educators can lock away any potentially harmful content, games, or other distractions from students. 

This is perfect for schools with little children who want to use the computer, as it can block any unsuitable content.

BranchCache

This feature that comes with Windows Education is dedicated to users in a Wide Area Network (WAN). It’s ideal for college and campus, as they have to share the same connection on a large area.

BranchCache stores some of the user data locally without repeatedly communicating with the server, relieving its work and providing better results, improving internet connection speed.

Cost

As established, Windows 10 Education was made with students in mind, and that also comes on the price. 

Students should check if their school, college, or university is affiliated with Microsoft and they would get a free key for Windows 10 Education or a discount, getting it as expensive as $15 dollars can be.

There are a few missing features on this version, which are justified as it could be considered distractions. But outside of the educational scope, these disabled features are pretty handy on any other version of Windows 10.

Cortana

Microsoft’s assistant AI is disabled on every Education version of Windows 10. The Pro variant of Windows has it by default. 

But it is not a missing feature. It’s only disabled from the beginning, as the users can adjust it to get assistance.

Tips and Tricks from Windows

Education users will receive fewer Windows Tips, tricks, and suggestions compared to the rest of Windows 10 OS. Pro Edition and Home Edition get them frequently to improve the user experience. 

Windows 10 Education makes periodic recommendations on changes and improvements but also provides less guidance on how to use different apps effectively.

Windows Pro comes with lots of improvements from any previous version. These are perfect for businesses and workstations. But you shouldn’t sleep on them for your own, as you can take advantage of it if you have a high-end setup.

RAM

As we said before, both the Education and the Pro versions of Windows 10 have a high limit of RAM that a user can take. 

But in the Pro version, the ceiling is much higher, reaching a maximum of 2 Terabytes. This is perfect for workstations and servers as the endless amount of RAM they can use wouldn’t be an issue.

Remote Desktop

A unique feature added to Windows 10 Pro is the Remote Desktop. It allows you to quickly access any desktop computer or laptop without being there physically. 

This is a perfect tool for businesses as their IT support can access from one user to another on the same local domain from his device. Remote Desktop saves a lot of time for ITs employees and is an ideal tool for large businesses.

Hey, Cortana

Another difference between Windows Education vs Pro is that Pro has Cortana available from the beginning. 

Microsoft’s assistant helps you to save time and hassle. It will help you prioritize tasks, time management and maximize your efficiency. All of this could be done with voice commands. 

However, you should check if Cortana is available in your country. For example, North America and the UK are fine in that regard.

Domain Join

This new feature from the Pro version of Windows allows you to access any local domain with crucial devices linked to a single network. 

According to your business procedures and policies, with Domain Join, you can manage each workstation on the same domain. 

It saves time and enhances productivity by providing a useful organizational tool.

Client Hyper V Feature

One of the best new additions that the Pro Edition provides is the Client Hyper V Feature.

This allows the user to operate several operating systems inside a Virtual Machine, providing a great environment for developers to test their jobs.

The Hyper V is a Type 1 Hypervisor, which is on top of the OS itself, providing excellent performance and stability since they don’t run inside Windows or any other operating system. 

Business Tool

As Windows 10 Education was designed with students in mind, Windows 10 Pro is focused on professional workers and is equipped with various tools that help a business run efficiently.

The Group Policy Management System is a new Windows 10 Pro feature that gives you the control of multiple users and multiple computers within an Active Directory environment.

All organizational units, sites, or domains can be configured from a central place. This feature helps large businesses using Windows to save time by not having to go to every computer. 

It provides tighter control than other options.

Sadly, with their big wins come some big losses. Windows Pro suffers from this too. Their issues are very relevant and will cause a big headache not only for business purposes but also any user in general.

Upgrading Issues

Lots of users have reported problems after they installed Windows 10 Pro upgrades. It comes across from downloading itself to installing any update. 

As they are automatically installed on your Windows Pro, it could lead to severe disruptions to your business or your personal computer if there is any issue during the automatic update. 

These problems can come more often than one would expect while updating your Windows Pro, and sometimes it will require doing a clean install all over again.

Microsoft resolved many of these issues, but they are still there. Some of them include an upgrade process that wouldn’t complete, hardware and software compatibility issues, or even activating your OS. Moreover, Microsoft announced that they will not develop any significant changes for Windows 10. It will still receive security updates in the future, but these issues wouldn’t go away anytime soon.

User Interface and Missing Features

Windows Pro users also complained about the interface. It has improved from previous versions, but it is still incomplete.

Earlier versions had a lot of bugs, and the latest version already got rid of many, but they are still there. 

The new UI doesn’t help to watch out for the new features. You will be missing out on many of them.

And then we have to talk about the absence of DVD Playback and Media Center. These features are also missing on the Pro versions. Although they became replaceable with third-party apps, it is inconvenient for your business if you depend on them. 

Low Storage Devices

A major drawback of Windows Pro is that it is not suitable for low storage devices. 

You will need to pay extra for built-in bigger storage to prevent this issue, as it doesn’t support external storage to free up space. 

This ties in with the next and last issue that Windows Pro encounters: the Settings App.

The Settings App

This was designed to replace the Control Panel function, but it was also incomplete, and it’s more confusing.

You will have to go from the control and Settings App to properly configure your computer, consuming a lot of time. 

Some features are incomplete or just missing altogether. This causes bugs in Windows Pro systems, like adding extra space storage in low-capacity storage devices.

At first glance, it looks like Windows 10 Education is cleaner and more efficient. It is perfect for an educational institution as all the features that Windows 10 Education provides save a lot of work for teachers and professors. 

But it also comes with some constraints from the get-go that would put the eye away from any other user that will not be focused on education. 

What about the Pro version? From the “Cons” it gets heavy hits, and one may think that it would be a stripped-down version of Windows 10 Education. 

Its new features tip the balance in its favor when discussing business and work. Pro Editions' benefits are pretty high to compensate for its issues. And it’s even the best option for gaming, so don’t doubt it and get a Windows 10 Pro key if you are into this. 

Decide what you need most and pick the best option for you, that’s our final advice.