Stay free if you only need gpt-4 access during off-peak times and web-grounded answers with citations. Upgrade if you need enterprise data protection — prompts not used for training and copilot in teams meetings and chat. Most solo builders can start free.
Why it matters: Lacks the breadth of ChatGPT's custom GPT ecosystem and third-party plugin marketplace
Available from: Copilot Pro
Why it matters: Conversation length and memory are more limited than ChatGPT, with shorter context windows on the consumer free tier
Available from: Copilot Pro
Why it matters: Image generation rate limits and content filters are stricter than competitors, often refusing benign creative prompts
Available from: Copilot Pro
Why it matters: Best features (Office integration, priority access) are gated behind Copilot Pro at $20/month or business tiers starting at $30/user/month
Available from: Copilot Pro
Why it matters: Quality and personality have shifted noticeably across model updates, frustrating users who built workflows around earlier behavior
Available from: Copilot Pro
Yes, Microsoft Copilot has a generous free tier accessible at copilot.microsoft.com, in the Windows 11 sidebar, and in the Edge browser. The free version includes GPT-4 access during off-peak times, web search with citations, voice conversation, and roughly 15 DALL-E 3 image generations per day. Copilot Pro at $20/month per user adds priority model access, 100 daily image boosts, and integration inside Microsoft 365 apps like Word and Excel. Copilot for Microsoft 365 business plans start at $30 per user per month.
Both are powered by OpenAI's GPT-4 family, but Microsoft Copilot adds real-time web grounding via Bing with inline citations by default, while ChatGPT focuses on a broader plugin and custom GPT ecosystem. Copilot is built into Windows 11, Edge, and Microsoft 365, making it convenient for users already in that ecosystem. ChatGPT offers more advanced features like custom GPTs, the GPT Store, and DALL-E 3 inside one interface for $20/month. Based on our analysis of 870+ AI tools, the choice usually comes down to whether you live in Microsoft 365 or want ChatGPT's power-user tooling.
Office integration is reserved for Copilot Pro subscribers ($20/month for individuals) and Copilot for Microsoft 365 commercial plans ($30/user/month). Pro users get Copilot inside Word for drafting and rewriting, Excel for formula help and analysis, PowerPoint for slide generation, Outlook for email summarization, and OneNote for note assistance. The free version of Copilot does not include in-app integration — it is limited to the standalone chat experience on the web, Windows, and Edge.
For consumer Copilot, conversations may be used to improve Microsoft's services unless you opt out, similar to other free AI assistants. Copilot for Microsoft 365 commercial plans include enterprise data protection, meaning prompts and responses are not used to train foundation models and inherit your tenant's compliance, residency, and access controls. Microsoft offers GDPR, HIPAA, ISO 27001, and SOC 2 compliance for the commercial product. Always review the specific terms for your subscription tier before sharing sensitive information.
Yes, Copilot includes DALL-E 3 image generation in both free and Pro tiers, with free users getting around 15 fast generations per day and Pro users getting 100 daily boosts plus priority during peak demand. The newer Copilot Pages and podcast features can turn documents, articles, or topics into multi-voice audio summaries similar to NotebookLM's Audio Overviews. Quizzes can be generated from any topic or uploaded source for studying. Quality is generally strong, though content filters are stricter than some competitors.
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Last verified March 2026