Microsoft Copilot
Microsoft's AI assistant for work and life: free with a Microsoft account, built into Microsoft 365 apps on paid plans.
Founded 2023
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Microsoft Copilot is Microsoft's AI chat assistant. It began as Bing Chat in February 2023 and was renamed Copilot that November; in August 2026 an updated app brought personal and work accounts into one experience. Copilot answers questions with web search, works with uploaded files and images, creates images, remembers preferences and, with an eligible subscription, holds voice conversations, on the web, Windows, Mac, iOS and Android.
The free version is available with a Microsoft account and has usage limits. Microsoft 365 Personal ($9.99 a month or $99.99 a year) and Family ($12.99 or $129.99) add Copilot in Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook. Premium ($19.99 or $199.99) adds Researcher, Analyst and the Cowork preview; Pro costs $99.99 a month. Businesses can add Copilot Business at $21 per user a month, billed yearly. Microsoft says prompts, responses and files in the Copilot app are not used to train foundation models.
Best for
People and teams who already work in Word, Excel, Outlook and Teams and want an AI assistant built into those apps, or a free assistant with a Microsoft account.
Pros
- Free with a Microsoft account, including web search and image creation, within usage limits
- Microsoft 365 plans pair Copilot with Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and 1 TB or more of OneDrive storage
- Yearly billing on Personal, Family and Premium: $99.99, $129.99 and $199.99 a year
- Prompts, responses and files in the Copilot app are not used to train foundation models
- Copilot Chat comes at no extra cost with eligible Microsoft 365 work subscriptions
Cons
- On personal accounts, Researcher, Analyst and Cowork need Microsoft 365 Premium or Pro
- On Family and Premium, Copilot's AI features are for the subscription owner only
- The free version may show ads to people without a Microsoft 365 subscription
- Work add-ons need a qualifying Microsoft 365 plan: Copilot Business $21 and Microsoft 365 Copilot $30 per user a month, billed yearly
- Copilot Chat has no API, and the Microsoft 365 Copilot APIs need a Copilot license
From our tests
Screenshots of Microsoft Copilot from our hands-on tests. Each links to the full-size image; the test name leads to the task, how we judged it and the other tool's result.
Pricing
| Plan | Monthly | Yearly (12-month total) |
|---|---|---|
| FreeWith a Microsoft account; usage limits; may show ads without a Microsoft 365 subscription | Free Free plan | |
| Microsoft 365 Personal1 person; 1 TB storage; Copilot in Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook; $99.99 billed yearly | $9.99/mo | $99.99/yr ($8.33/mo) |
| Microsoft 365 FamilyUp to 6 people, Copilot for the subscription owner only; 2 TB shared storage; $129.99 billed yearly | $12.99/mo | $129.99/yr ($10.83/mo) |
| Microsoft 365 PremiumUp to 6 people, Copilot for the owner only; adds Researcher, Analyst and Cowork (preview); $199.99 billed yearly | $19.99/mo | $199.99/yr ($16.67/mo) |
| Microsoft 365 ProBilled monthly only; highest Copilot usage; 5 TB shared storage | $99.99/mo | no yearly price |
| Microsoft 365 Copilot Business (add-on)Per user/month; $21 per user/month billed yearly; needs an eligible Microsoft 365 Business plan; up to 300 users per tenant | $25.20/mo | $252/yr ($21/mo) |
| Microsoft 365 Copilot (add-on)Enterprise; per user, $30 a month paid yearly; needs a qualifying Microsoft 365 plan | no monthly price | $360/yr, billed yearly ($30/mo) |
Prices checked on .
Features
In AI chat assistants
| Feature | Microsoft Copilot |
|---|---|
| Free tier | Yes · Free with a Microsoft account; usage limits; may show ads |
| File upload | Yes · Word, Excel, PowerPoint, PDF and image files; Microsoft says upload limits apply but gives no figures |
| Web search | Yes · Searches the web for current answers; can be turned off in settings |
| Image generation | Yes · Limited on Free; more on Microsoft 365 plans |
| Voice mode | Yes · Copilot Voice on Microsoft 365 plans and licensed work accounts; Microsoft says voice needs an eligible subscription |
| Memory/projects | Yes · Saved memories; Notebooks on Microsoft 365 plans and work accounts |
| API access | Partial · No Copilot Chat API; Microsoft 365 Copilot APIs need a Copilot license (Chat API in preview) |
| Mobile apps | Yes · Microsoft Copilot app for iOS and Android |
| Team plan | Yes · Copilot Business $21/user/mo billed yearly, up to 300 users; needs a Microsoft 365 Business plan |
| Training opt-out | Yes · Chats and files in the updated Copilot app not used to train foundation models; same for work accounts |