Is Microsoft Copilot free? How much does it cost? And is it worth the price?
When Microsoft announced its generative AI solution, “Copilot,” in March 2023, the tech company didn’t reveal any pricing information. Initially introduced in “test mode,” Copilot appeared to be an exciting new addition to the Microsoft portfolio.
Some businesses even thought they might be able to access all of Microsoft’s innovative LLM-powered features for free. However, while some parts of the Copilot experience are free, most will incur a cost. After all, developing a multifunctional AI assistant takes significant investment.
If you want to access Copilot (in its many forms), you will have to pay for the privilege. Here’s everything you need to know about Copilot pricing.
Unfortunately, Copilot pricing can be difficult to understand. That’s why we’ve created this comprehensive guide to all the costs of Copilot.
Is Microsoft Copilot Free? Understanding Copilot
The answer to “Is Microsoft Copilot free?” is a little more complex than it appears.
After all, there isn’t just one Copilot in Microsoft’s roster. The tech giant offers various unique AI companions for different use cases. At this year’s Ignite event, the firm further established itself as the “Copilot company,” introducing a variety of new updates to its AI roadmap.
At a general level, all of Microsoft’s Copilots function in a similar way. They’re all powered by “large language model” (or LLM) technology and feature conversational interfaces, integrations with Microsoft tools, and links to Microsoft Graph.
However, while competitors like Google Duet only focus on one thing, Microsoft’s copilots can serve specific purposes. There’s a copilot for Microsoft Teams, Microsoft Loop, Office apps, Microsoft Dynamics, Viva, and more.
According to Microsoft, Copilot will streamline modern workflows, improve efficiency, and boost productivity throughout all business environments. Chairman and CEO of Microsoft, Satya Nadella, even described the tool as the next major step in computing productivity.
Some tools, like Bing Chat (now just Microsoft Copilot), are simple solutions designed to improve online search experiences. Others are comprehensive toolkits that empower teams in specific roles, such as sales or customer service. Different types of “Copilot” incur different costs.
Microsoft Copilot Pricing: All the Pricing Info
Copilot allows users to interact with an AI bot built into crucial tools, from Microsoft Word to PowerPoint, using everyday language “prompts” or inputs. While the exact functionality of Copilot and its benefits vary from one app to the next, its fundamental purpose is to act as a digital assistant.
The exact things you can do with Copilot depend on your chosen solution. The answer to “Is Microsoft Copilot free?” varies too. In January 2024, Microsoft updated its Copilot strategy, based on customer feedback.
The company discovered there were different “types” of Copilot users. One segment includes creators, researchers, and programmers who want rapid access to the latest generative AI tools.
Another segment includes Microsoft 365 customers who want to leverage Copilot in their apps for personal use. Plus, there are Copilot users who need access to the complete capabilities of Copilot, alongside enterprise data protection, Microsoft Graph grounding, and Copilot in Teams.
As a result, there are now different “Copilot plans” available for each type of user, starting with the introduction of Microsoft Copilot Pro.
Let’s dive a little deeper into the Copilot pricing options for Microsoft 365 users, and other customers.
Is Microsoft Copilot Free? The Free Features
If you’re a “personal” Microsoft user asking, “Is Microsoft Copilot free?” you’re in luck. There are various aspects of the Copilot experience you can access for free.
The “free” Copilot experience for individuals offers access to foundational capabilities, web grounding, and commercial data protection. However, you don’t get access to any of the Copilot features in tools like Word, PowerPoint, or Teams.
Free users can only access Copilot in certain solutions, such as:
Bing Chat and Bing Chat Enterprise
Technically, the answer to “Is Microsoft Copilot Free?” is “yes” – if you’re looking at the basic “Microsoft Copilot” experience – formerly known as Bing Chat. When Microsoft introduced its Copilot ecosystem, it launched Bing Chat and Bing Chat Enterprise as separate tools.
The standard service, designed to help improve search experiences and give every user a personal AI assistant, was available for free. Additionally, Bing Chat Enterprise cost nothing extra for Microsoft 365 users.
At Ignite this year, Microsoft announced that “Bing Chat” and “Bing Chat Enterprise” would now be rebranded to just “Microsoft Copilot.” While the name has changed, the functionality and pricing structure remain unchanged. The new Copilot can still answer questions, assess data, and create content. It also has web grounding for access to the latest information.
Plus, when users are signed into Copilot with their Entra ID, commercial data protection is included for free. Microsoft Copilot is still free with all Microsoft 365 E3 and E5, as well as Business Premium and Business Standard packages. It’s also free for A3 and A5 licenses and will be rolled out to more users in the future.
Microsoft Copilot for Windows
Like the basic Microsoft Copilot (previously Bing Chat), Copilot for Windows is free to use for anyone. Microsoft started rolling Copilot features out as part of a free update to Windows 11 on September 26th, 2023.
If you already have the latest version of Windows, you should be able to access the features with no cost. Copilot in Windows makes it easier for users to manage their computer ecosystem. You can drag and drop images into chat boxes to learn more about them. You can also interact with a chatbot using natural language (or even your voice) via your computer.
Copilot for Windows can adjust PC settings for you, help you shop for products, or even assist in writing an essay.
Is Microsoft Copilot Free? The Pro Package
So, the answer to “Is Microsoft Copilot free?” is yes – for personal users using Windows and standard search tools (Bing). However, if you want to use Copilot with your Microsoft apps, and access more advanced features, you need to choose from one of two plans.
The first, least expensive plan, introduced in January 2024, is “Microsoft Copilot Pro”. This plan is intended for individuals who want to access the most advanced features of Copilot, and upgrade their Microsoft apps. This option includes all of the features available on the “free” version of Copilot, plus priority model access. You also get Copilot for Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote.
However, if you want to access Copilot in Microsoft 365 apps, you will need a platform subscription on top of your Copilot subscription. This means paying $20 per month, per user for Copilot Pro, plus the monthly or annual cost of a Microsoft 365 Family or Personal subscription.
Prices start at $6.99 for a personal subscription, and $9.99 for a family subscription (For up to 6 users), bringing your total Copilot cost to around $26.99-$29.99 per month.
What’s Included in Microsoft Copilot Pro?
Microsoft says Copilot Pro gives everyday users a more advanced experience with their generative AI app. This includes priority access to the latest AI models, starting with OpenAI’s GPT-4 Turbo. That’s basically the most advanced “latest generation” model from OpenAI.
Additionally, users will have the option to toggle between models to optimize their experience for their specific needs. Copilot Pro also features:
- A single AI experience for the web, PC, apps, and your smartphone.
- Access to Copilot in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and OneNote.
- AI image creation with the Designer tool (formerly Bing Image Creator). This includes 100 boosts per day, landscape image formats, and better image quality.
Plus, although you won’t have access to Copilot Studio on the Pro plan, you do get a Copilot GPT builder. This allows you to create custom Copilot solutions tailored to a specific topic, using a simple set of prompts.
Copilot for Microsoft 365: The Business Package
While Microsoft Copilot Pro gives individuals an enhanced experience (for a lower price), Copilot for Microsoft 365 is the plan specially designed for organizations. This plan entered general availability in November 2023. However, initially, there was a 300-seat minimum for purchasing Copilot.
This meant you’d need to pay $30 per month, per user for 300 users to access Copilot (about $9,000). Plus, you’d need to pay for a business-focused Microsoft 365 account for all your users too.
While “Business Basic” only costs $6 per user per month, it doesn’t allow you to purchase Copilot as an add-on. Instead, users need either a Microsoft 365 Business Standard plan ($12.50 per month per user), or a Business Premium plan ($22 per month per user).
That brings the total cost for a basic Copilot-enabled Microsoft 365 subscription to a whopping $12,750 per month for a 300-person company.
Fortunately, Microsoft scrapped the 300-seat purchase minimum in January 2024. Plus, it made Copilot available for Office 365 E3, and E5 customers. As an added bonus, you can also purchase Copilot for Microsoft 365 through Microsoft’s Cloud Solution Providers.
What’s more, a version of Copilot for Microsoft 365 Education is now available.
Is Microsoft Copilot Free? The 365 Plan
So, is Microsoft Copilot free for business users? No, but you do get a lot more functionality. The Copilot for Microsoft 365 plan, at $30 per user per month includes all the features of Copilot Pro.
You also get Copilot for all of your Microsoft 365 apps (including Teams).
Here’s what Copilot brings to your Microsoft apps:
- Microsoft Word: In Microsoft Word, Copilot can write content, edit pre-written pieces, and summarise important statements using artificial intelligence.
- PowerPoint: With Copilot in PowerPoint, users can automatically transform simple ideas into a step-by-step presentation with speaker notes and citations.
- Excel: In Microsoft Excel, users can leverage Copilot to access new insights from data, spot patterns, and create more effective spreadsheets.
- Teams: For users of Microsoft Teams, Copilot can create real-time summaries and display action items for follow-up conversations, all while considering the context of a conversation.
- Teams Phone: Copilot can generate summaries of phone conversations and capture action items. It can highlight critical points in calls, recommend next-best action steps, and more.
- Outlook: Copilot can assist with organizing and consolidating Outlook inboxes. The solution can help suggest email responses and even provide summaries
- Power Platform: In Microsoft Power Platform, Copilot will assist developers with varying skills to prototype and develop low-code applications.
- Business Chat: Copilot will curate data from documents, calendars, notes, presentations, and contact profiles to summarise chats, find critical dates, and write business plans and emails.
- Microsoft Loop: Copilot enhances the co-creation experience in Microsoft Loop, aligning data, summarizing content, and delivering guidance to team members.
Is Microsoft Copilot Studio Free?
Alongside access to Copilot for your apps, the Microsoft 365 Copilot plan also includes “Microsoft Graph Grounding”. This means Copilot can draw information from your Microsoft Graph. Plus, it comes with enterprise data protection, for better peace of mind.
Additionally, you get full access to Microsoft Copilot Studio.
Copilot Studio, announced at Microsoft Ignite 2023, is a low-code tool users can access to customize their Microsoft 365 copilots and build generative AI apps. It combines powerful conversational capabilities into a comprehensive toolkit for AI innovation.
You can use the Studio to customize Copilots for Word, Teams, and other apps with your business data. Plus, developers can build, test, and publish standalone copilots with the Studio kit. Studio also allows companies to connect Copilots to other data sources.
You can link your solution to your CRMs, business databases, and proprietary websites. Currently, users can access a trial of Copilot for free. After that, the solution will require you to pay for a Copilot for Microsoft 365 subscription ($30 per user, per month).
Microsoft Copilot Pricing: Other Plans and Fees
We’ve covered the free Copilot features, and some of the paid plan options, however, answering the question “Is Microsoft Copilot free?” is a little more complex. As mentioned above, there are other versions of Copilot that can incur additional costs.
Here’s a quick rundown of the costs for different versions of Copilot.
Is Microsoft Copilot for Sales and Service Free?
Microsoft has been embedding Copilot functionality into its tools for customer-facing companies for a while. For instance, Copilot in Microsoft Dynamics 365combines customer data platform and customer journey orchestration tools.
The Copilot capabilities for Dynamics 365 are included in the new “Dynamics 365 Customer Insights subscription”. The prices start at $1,397.30 per tenant per month. Copilot capabilities, like automatic summarization and content generation, are also free in some other Dynamics subscription packages, so it’s worth checking out your options with Microsoft.
Accompanying the upgraded Dynamics experience, Microsoft also introduced “Copilot for Sales” and “Copilot for Service” at Ignite 2023.
Copilot for Sales is an evolution of “Sales Copilot,” offering access to auto-generated opportunity summaries, contextual email creation, meeting prep, and summary tools. It can also share real-time tips and guidance for sellers as they work.
You can buy Copilot for Sales as an add-on for $50 per user per month. Alternatively, it’s included with Dynamics 365 Sales Enterprise and Sales Premium packages at no extra cost.
Microsoft Copilot for Service focuses on supporting contact center teams with tools for aligning customer data from CRMs and other tools. It helps agents in the flow of work with content creation and summarization tools and can be customized with Copilot Studio. This solution is only available as an add-on for $50 per user per month.
Is GitHub Copilot Free?
Technically, GitHub Copilot is separate from the new Copilot tools Microsoft is introducing right now. The cloud-based AI tool was introduced in 2021, long before we started seeing solutions like Copilot for Teams.
With GitHub Copilot, developers can receive recommendations when writing code and even automate the completion of coding tasks. The solution can analyze the context in the files you’re editing and related files to offer suggestions in your text editor.
Since Microsoft owns GitHub, it’s worth looking at the pricing for this feature too. GitHub Copilot is available through two different licenses. The first is “Copilot Individual” for personal users, available for $10 per month or $100 per year.
The second option is Copilot Business, which features more advanced tools and audit logs for $19 per month per user.
Is Microsoft Copilot Free for Viva users?
Microsoft Viva, the tech giant’s employee engagement toolkit, will also be getting its own Copilot features. This will infuse generative AI into all of the apps in the Viva toolkit, such as Viva Connections, Engage, Viva Pulse, and Goals.
Like Microsoft 365 Copilot, the AI in Viva will offer different benefits to users based on the apps they use. For instance, in Viva Engage, users can create compelling posts with simple prompts and analyze engagement metrics. In Viva Learning, Copilot will suggest personalized learning tools to users and summarize topics.
To access Copilot in Viva, you’ll need a subscription to the Viva platform and an additional subscription similar to the Microsoft 365 Copilot system. However, Microsoft hasn’t yet announced how much the Viva Copilot will cost.
Is Microsoft Security Copilot Free?
Security Copilot, the new generative AI solution introduced by Microsoft for security professionals, also has a unique pricing structure.
Currently available in Early Access, Security Copilot helps companies hunt for cyber threats, train new security experts, and discover resolutions to problems. The technology can also help predict potential threats and minimize risks in the modern business.
Microsoft Defender Threat Intelligence and access to the API are also available to every user of Security Copilot with no additional fee. This gives companies a threat intelligence workbench with integrations to all of Microsoft’s security products.
Microsoft hasn’t released a price for Security Copilot but says pricing will be revealed when the solution becomes “Generally Available.”
Is Microsoft Copilot Expensive?
So, the answer to “Is Microsoft Copilot free?” is “It depends on which version you want.” Some parts of the Copilot experience are free, like the former Bing Chat and Windows Copilot. Others come built into certain Microsoft subscriptions or have their own unique pricing plans.
At a glance, the advanced Microsoft Copilot solutions are pretty expensive. For individuals, you’ll pay around $30 per month with Copilot Pro, ($20 for Copilot Pro + your Microsoft subscription) which can quickly add up. Plus, you don’t get things like Copilot Studio, or Copilot for Teams.
For businesses, the price of Copilot for Microsoft 365 can be expensive too. You pay $30 per month on top of what you’re already paying for your 365 subscription. The price of the add-on is more than what you’ll pay for the lower-end 365 plans, ranging from $12 to $23 per month per user.
It’s almost the same as Microsoft’s high-end plans, too, starting at $38 per month. This also doesn’t include any extra fees you might be paying for Microsoft Phone services or Teams Premium.
On the plus side, you don’t need to buy a minimum of 300 seats anymore. This makes Copilot a bit more accessible for smaller companies.
If you want specific Microsoft Copilot solutions, like Copilot for Sales and Service, you pay even more, at $50 per month per user. However, Copilot’s pricing aligns pretty well with the prices offered for generative AI by competing companies.
Google Duet also charges users $30 per month per user. ChatGPT Plus costs $20 per person per month, and there’s an even higher fee if you want ChatGPT Enterprise.
Is Microsoft Copilot Worth It?
Now you know the answer to “Is Microsoft Copilot free?” your next question is probably, “Is it worth it?” A subscription can be pretty expensive unless you’re just using Microsoft Copilot (formerly Bing Chat) or Copilot for Windows.
But as any business owner knows, when investing in new technology, it’s worth looking at the return on investment. Compared to other high-powered generative AI platforms, Copilot’s pricing is pretty reasonable. These solutions focus on a single use case, while Microsoft’s Copilot collection features various tools for different requirements.
It can adapt to different work styles and personas and do everything from enhancing the quality of your meetingsto summarizing calls.
It can make teams more productive, increase engagement, and align your workforce like never before. Microsoft plowed billions into its OpenAI partnership to create one of the most comprehensive intelligent assistants on the market.
You might pay a premium for access to generative AI tools from Microsoft. However, the value you get back regarding efficiency, productivity, and creativity could be worth the cost.
