AgentPlays
Microsoft Copilot vs ChatGPT
Microsoft Copilot is free to chat with and is built into Microsoft 365 apps on paid plans; ChatGPT is a standalone assistant.
Quick verdict by use case
- You already pay for Microsoft 365: Copilot: Microsoft 365 Personal ($9.99/month) includes Copilot in Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook.
- You want a standalone assistant with a clear free plan: ChatGPT.
- Small business on Microsoft 365: Copilot business plans; compare against ChatGPT Business if your team does not use Office apps.
Pricing and free tier, side by side
| Microsoft Copilot | ChatGPT | |
|---|---|---|
| What it does | Microsoft's AI assistant, free on the web and phone, and built into Microsoft 365 apps on paid plans. | OpenAI's general-purpose AI chat assistant for questions, writing, files, images and voice. |
| Is it actually free? | Free tier with limits | Free tier with limits |
| Free plan limits | A free Copilot chat exists; Microsoft's plan page describes paid plans as having 'higher usage than free' but does not list exact free limits. | Free plan: unlimited everyday text chats (subject to abuse guardrails), with limited file uploads, image creation, voice chats, deep research, memory and Codex access. |
| Pricing | Free chat; Microsoft 365 Personal with Copilot $9.99/month; business plans such as Microsoft 365 Copilot Business from $18/user/month paid yearly (promotional; regular $21). | Free; Go $8/month; Plus $20/month; Pro from $100/month; Business and Enterprise plans priced per user. |
| Best for | People who live in Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook. | Everyday questions, drafting, summarizing documents and voice chats on web and phone. |
| Not great for | People outside the Microsoft ecosystem who just want a chat assistant. | Anything where a wrong answer is costly without checking sources yourself. |
| Last checked | 2026-10-13 | 2026-10-13 |
Official site: copilot.microsoft.com ↗ Official site: chatgpt.com ↗
Strengths and weaknesses
Microsoft Copilot
Good for: People who live in Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook.
Not great for: People outside the Microsoft ecosystem who just want a chat assistant.
ChatGPT
Good for: Everyday questions, drafting, summarizing documents and voice chats on web and phone.
Not great for: Anything where a wrong answer is costly without checking sources yourself.
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Other options
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Grok
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More comparisons
Sources
- Microsoft Copilot: microsoft.com pricing ↗ (checked 2026-10-13)
- ChatGPT: chatgpt.com pricing ↗ (checked 2026-10-13)