Microsoft Copilot is the name Microsoft uses for its family of AI assistants, and the name covers more than one product. There is a Copilot app for chat, Copilot built into the Microsoft 365 apps such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook, a Copilot Chat experience for organisations, and business plans and add-ons sold through Microsoft 365. The official page headline for individuals reads “Built for Work. Made for you.”
This guide profiles Microsoft Copilot from Microsoft’s own pages: what the different Copilot offers are, who each suits, which features are documented, how the individual and business plans are structured, and where the limits are. We could not capture a clean screenshot of the Microsoft page for this article, because the page rendered blank in our browser, so there is no image here. We have no older review of Copilot, so this is the first full profile on the site.
How we researched this: we did not run hands-on tests for this article. It is based on the vendor’s own documentation and public sources, checked on 14 November 2026. Features and prices change, so confirm details on the vendor’s site before you buy.
Key takeaways
- Microsoft Copilot is made by Microsoft and is sold in several forms: inside Microsoft 365 apps for individuals, as business plans and add-ons, and as a Copilot Chat experience for organisations.
- For individuals the page lists Microsoft 365 Personal ($9.99 per month, with a limited-time $6.99 first-month offer), Family ($12.99 per month), Premium ($19.99, with a $13.99 first-month offer) and Pro ($99.99 per month). Checked on 14 November 2026.
- For businesses the page lists Microsoft 365 Business Premium with Copilot ($32.00 per user per month, paid yearly), Business Standard with Copilot ($23.50) and a Copilot Business add-on ($21.00, shown at $18.00 in a promotion).
- Some advanced AI features use usage-based billing on business plans, so a licence price may not be the full cost.
- We could not read Microsoft’s detailed privacy documentation, so we limit privacy statements to what the plan pages say and tell you what to verify.
What it is and who makes it
Microsoft Copilot is Microsoft’s AI assistant brand. The individuals page describes it as “the AI for work, helping you create, research, analyze, and get things done in the Microsoft 365 apps you use every day”. The business page describes it as “AI built for work” that handles everyday work and then goes further by taking on complex, multi-step tasks.
It helps to separate the forms it comes in, because they are easy to confuse.
- Copilot in Microsoft 365 for individuals. AI features in Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook, bundled into Microsoft 365 Personal, Family, Premium and Pro subscriptions.
- Microsoft Copilot app. The individuals page describes it as an AI-first productivity app for work and life, with one place to chat with an AI assistant, create and edit content, manage projects and find files.
- Copilot for business. Business plans and an add-on, with features such as Chat, Cowork, Agents, Notebooks, Autopilot and Security listed on the business page.
- Copilot Chat. Described on the business page as secure AI chat powered by the latest large language models, with metered pricing for agents and IT control including enterprise data protection and agent management.
The company behind all of these is Microsoft. For an introduction to the underlying model technology, see what is a large language model.
Who it is for
- Microsoft 365 users. If your documents, spreadsheets, presentations and email already live in Microsoft 365, the pitch is that Copilot works where you already are, without a new tool to learn.
- Individuals and families. Personal and Family plans bundle Copilot features with storage and apps. The page notes that on Family, AI features are for the subscription owner only.
- Heavy individual users. Premium and Pro list extensive and highest usage limits for advanced chat, visual AI assistance, AI audio and agentic AI.
- Small and medium businesses. The business page is titled Microsoft Copilot for small business and lists Business Standard and Business Premium plans with Copilot, plus an add-on for existing customers.
- IT-led organisations. Copilot Studio, agents and usage controls are listed for those who want to build their own agents and manage spending.
It suits you less if your work lives mainly in non-Microsoft tools, since much of the value described is inside Microsoft apps. In that case compare a standalone assistant such as ChatGPT or Claude.
Core features
Copilot in Word
The page says you prompt Copilot with a task, add and upload notes, then refine in chat to get to a first draft quickly. For business it is described as writing, editing and summarising documents.
Copilot in Excel
The business page describes analysing and visualising data. A footnote on the individuals page says Copilot in Excel requires AutoSave to be enabled, meaning the file must be saved to OneDrive, and that it does not work on unsaved files.
Copilot in PowerPoint
Described as turning ideas into presentations. The individuals page uses the phrase “prompt to presentation”.
Copilot in Outlook and Teams
Outlook help is described as catching up on email, drafting responses and managing your calendar. Teams help is described as recapping meetings, responding to chats and managing calls.
Advanced chat
The plan comparison lists “advanced Copilot chat” with higher usage than free on Personal, extensive usage on Premium and highest usage on Pro.
Visual and audio assistance
The plans list visual AI assistance from your screen or camera and AI-generated audio (English only), with usage rising by tier.
Image creation
AI image creation in Copilot is listed with higher usage than free on Personal and extensive usage on Premium.
Newer and advanced features and integrations
Cowork
Cowork is described as an AI-powered collaborator that helps plan and complete complex, multi-step tasks while keeping you in control. It is listed as a Premium and Pro feature for individuals, and as accessible on business plans (with usage-based billing for some advanced experiences).
Researcher and Analyst
Researcher is described as helping you find, synthesise and understand information faster. Analyst is described as going from raw numbers to real insight. Both are listed among exclusive Premium and Pro features, and as pre-built agents for research and data analysis on business plans.
Autopilot, Agents and Notebooks
The business page lists Autopilot, Agents and Notebooks. It also says you can enhance Copilot with Microsoft-built agents or build your own standalone agents with Copilot Studio, and that Copilot Studio in Microsoft Copilot differs from Copilot Studio licensed separately. We did not read the detail of that distinction.
AI Restyle and OneDrive
The individuals page lists AI Restyle, which refreshes photos in OneDrive with AI editing tools.
Large language model choice and Work IQ
The business plans list “AI chat grounded in your work data with large language model (LLM) choice”. The FAQ also mentions Work IQ, though we could not read its answer, so we do not describe how it works.
Frontier program
Microsoft invites people to opt in to experimental and emerging AI features before general availability through its Frontier program. Experimental features can change, so avoid depending on them.
Pricing and plans
Checked on 14 November 2026. Microsoft publishes prices on its Copilot pages. All figures below are as shown on the United States pages and may differ in your country, and promotions have end dates.
Individuals
| Plan | Price on the page | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Microsoft 365 Personal | $9.99 per month (limited-time offer from $6.99 for the first month) | 1 person, 5 devices, 1 TB storage, Copilot features with higher usage than free |
| Microsoft 365 Family | $12.99 per month | 1 to 6 people, AI for the subscription owner only, 2 TB shared storage |
| Microsoft 365 Premium | $19.99 per month (limited-time offer $13.99 for the first month) | Extensive Copilot usage, access to Cowork, Researcher, Analyst and other exclusive features, limited agentic usage |
| Microsoft 365 Pro | $99.99 per month, monthly billing only | Highest usage limits, 5 TB shared storage, highest agentic usage |
A 30 percent first month or year offer on Microsoft 365 was advertised on the page, with terms applying, and all plans offered a one-month free trial that renews automatically at the regular price unless cancelled.
Businesses
| Plan | Price on the page | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Microsoft 365 Business Premium with Copilot | $32.00 per user per month, paid yearly | Copilot in apps, security features, Cowork and Autopilot access; some advanced AI usage billed on usage |
| Microsoft 365 Business Standard with Copilot | $23.50 per user per month, paid yearly | Copilot in apps, core identity and access for up to 300 users |
| Microsoft 365 Copilot Business (add-on) | $21.00 per user per month (shown at $18.00 in a promotion between 1 July and 31 December 2026) | Only for existing Microsoft 365 customers with an eligible Business plan; includes Enterprise Data Protection and analytics |
Footnotes on the business page say some AI experiences require usage-based billing and may result in charges beyond licence fees. Our guide to reading an AI pricing page explains why usage-based charges deserve a close look before you roll anything out.
Strengths
Native to the apps people already use
Because Copilot is documented inside Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and Teams, the learning curve for existing Microsoft users can be low.
Plans for individuals, families and businesses
Few assistants span personal subscriptions and business licences as explicitly, so one vendor relationship can cover both.
Published prices for most plans
The pages list concrete prices, billing periods and promotion dates, which is helpful for budgeting.
Bundled storage and security
Individual plans list 1 TB to 5 TB of storage and identity and device security, and business plans list email protection and sensitive data discovery.
Admin and spend controls
The business FAQ lists questions on usage-based billing and how to control what your organisation spends, which signals that controls exist.
Weaknesses and limits
Confusing naming
Microsoft Copilot, Copilot Chat, Copilot in Microsoft 365, Microsoft 365 Copilot Business and Copilot Studio are different things. It is easy to buy the wrong one, so write down which one you are evaluating.
Usage-based costs on business plans
The page states some AI experiences require usage-based billing and may result in charges beyond licence fees.
AI features not shared on Family
The page notes AI features are only available to the subscription owner and cannot be shared.
Excel needs saved files
Copilot in Excel requires AutoSave and a file saved to OneDrive, according to a footnote.
Promotional prices expire
Several prices on the pages are time-limited offers. The business add-on discount runs from 1 July to 31 December 2026 and applies to the first year only.
Output still needs checking
Like every assistant, Copilot can be wrong. Read how to check AI output for mistakes before sending anything it drafts.
Privacy, data handling and security
We could not read Microsoft’s detailed privacy and compliance documentation during this research, because those pages were not accessible to our tools. What follows is limited to statements on the plan pages we did read.
- The individuals page has a resource link titled “AI privacy”, which it describes as answers about Microsoft’s commitment to AI privacy, including how Microsoft trains its AI models and protects your data. We did not read the destination, so we cannot summarise it.
- The individuals page lists a FAQ question, “Is Copilot secure? How does Microsoft use my data and protect my privacy?”, but the answer was collapsed in the text we captured.
- The business add-on is listed with “Enterprise Data Protection (EDP), management, compliance, and controls”, and Copilot Chat is described with enterprise data protection and agent management.
- The business page footnote says that when a subscription is cancelled, all associated data is deleted, and links to Microsoft 365 retention information.
- The individuals page footnote says Copilot can be used with work files in a secure way in select apps.
Before you deploy, ask Microsoft or your reseller for the current data processing terms, and set an internal policy using how to protect company data when using AI tools.
How it compares
The table compares Microsoft Copilot with three other assistants from the 50-tool list, using vendor pages only. It documents differences and does not rank them. For a testing method, see how to compare AI tools side by side fairly.
| Aspect | Microsoft Copilot | ChatGPT | Claude | Gemini |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maker | Microsoft | OpenAI | Anthropic | |
| Where it fits | Inside Microsoft 365 apps and its own app | Standalone assistant with Work and plugins | Standalone assistant with Projects, Artifacts and extensions | Google account and services |
| Individual plan structure | Bundled into Microsoft 365 Personal, Family, Premium, Pro | Free, Go, Plus, Pro | Free, Pro, Max, Ultra | Free, Google AI Plus, Pro, Ultra |
| Business route | Business Standard and Premium with Copilot, add-on | Business and Enterprise | Team and Enterprise | Gemini Enterprise editions |
| Price visibility on official page | Prices listed for most plans | We could not read prices | Prices listed | Personal prices listed |
Our guides for ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini give the same structure, and our older comparison method shows how to test them.
| If your situation is | Consider | Reason from vendor pages |
|---|---|---|
| Work lives in Word, Excel and Outlook | Microsoft Copilot | Documented in those apps |
| Work lives in Google Workspace | Gemini | Bundled with Google plans |
| Mixed tools and standalone chat | ChatGPT or Claude | Standalone products with connectors |
Getting started
- Decide which Copilot you mean: the individuals plans, a business plan, the add-on or the Copilot app.
- If you already have Microsoft 365, check your current plan on your Microsoft account and compare it with the Premium and Pro tiers.
- Use the one-month free trial that the page offers, and set a reminder before it renews.
- Test Copilot on three real tasks, one each in Word, Excel and Outlook.
- For a business, check which advanced features use usage-based billing and set spend controls before rollout.
- Write a short usage policy covering what data can be entered.
Frequently asked questions
Who makes Microsoft Copilot?
Microsoft.
Is there a free version?
The plan comparison refers to “higher usage than free” for Copilot features, which implies a free tier exists, but we did not read a free-tier description.
How much does Copilot cost for individuals?
The page listed Microsoft 365 Personal at $9.99, Family at $12.99, Premium at $19.99 and Pro at $99.99 per month on 14 November 2026, with some first-month offers. Check your country.
How much does Copilot cost for business?
The business page listed $32.00 and $23.50 per user per month for Business Premium and Business Standard with Copilot (paid yearly) and $21.00 for the Copilot Business add-on, with a time-limited $18.00 promotion. Some advanced features have usage-based charges.
Can my family share the AI features?
On Family, the page says AI is for the subscription owner only and cannot be shared.
What is the difference between Copilot and Copilot Chat?
The business FAQ lists this question, but we could not read the answer. The page describes Copilot Chat as secure AI chat with metered pricing for agents.
Does Copilot work on any Excel file?
No. A footnote says Copilot in Excel requires AutoSave, meaning the file must be saved to OneDrive.
Conclusion
Microsoft Copilot is best understood as a family of offers more than a single product. For people who live in Microsoft 365, the documented appeal is AI inside the apps they already use, with clear plan prices for individuals and small businesses. The main cautions are naming confusion, usage-based billing for some business features, promotional pricing that expires, and the fact that we could not read the privacy documentation for this guide.
Pick the specific Copilot you need, use the trial on real work, and verify data terms before rollout. For general method, see how to choose an AI tool and how to test an AI tool before you pay for it.
Sources
- Microsoft Copilot plans for individuals (Microsoft), accessed 14 November 2026
- Microsoft Copilot for small business (Microsoft), accessed 14 November 2026
