Copilot vs ChatGPT is really a question about Microsoft 365. If you already use Word, Excel and Outlook, or your employer runs Microsoft 365, Copilot is built into apps you already have. If not, the choice comes down to features, limits and price. This free picker asks six quick questions and recommends one, with plain reasons and a note on how sure it is.
Below the pick, every Microsoft Copilot and ChatGPT plan sits side by side, from free to the top tiers and work plans: price, what’s included, usage limits in each company’s own words, and which features each plan includes. The facts come from Microsoft’s and OpenAI’s own pages and are re-checked every day by our AI Plan Watch.
Free 1-minute picker
Copilot or ChatGPT: which one fits you?
Answer six quick questions about what you will use it for, your budget and whether you use Microsoft 365. You get a pick with the reasons and how sure it is, then every Microsoft Copilot and ChatGPT plan side by side, with prices and limits taken from each company's own pages.
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Free and paid plans, side by side
Each tab lines up the closest Copilot and ChatGPT plans at a similar price. Blue Yes means included, amber Limited means capped or partial, orange No means not included, and grey Not stated means the company doesn't say. US list prices before tax, from each company's own pages, re-checked daily by our AI Plan Watch.
| Free | Copilot Free | ChatGPT Free |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| In short | Microsoft's free Copilot app for general questions, writing help, web answers and image creation. Microsoft pitches it at people trying AI for the first time. | Free ChatGPT for everyday tasks, with limited access to tools like uploads, images, voice and deep research. |
| What is included |
|
|
| Deep research Differs | No | Limited |
| Agents Differs | No | Limited |
| Image creation | Limited | Limited |
| Video creation Differs | Not stated | No |
| Scheduled tasks | No | No |
| Memory Differs | Yes | Limited |
| Voice chat Differs | Yes | Limited |
| App connectors Differs | Yes | Limited |
| Chats not used for training by default Differs | Yes | No |
| Usage limits, in their words | "Microsoft offers a limited free version of Copilot subject to available capacity and limits. When you hit a limit, you can choose to upgrade to a paid option or come back later." | Unlimited text chats subject to abuse guardrails. / "Free users have unlimited everyday text chats, subject to abuse-prevention safeguards. File uploads, image generation, voice, data analysis, and other tools have separate usage limits." |
| Billing and fine print | Free with a personal Microsoft account, Google or Apple sign-in. You can use it without signing in, but chat history, image creation, longer conversations and voice need a sign-in. Users without a Microsoft 365 subscription may see ads. "Copilot features, functionality, and availability may vary by region." The app's main URL is now copilot.cloud.microsoft, and old URLs redirect there. | Ads may appear on Free (ad test started in the U.S. on February 9, 2026). |
| Checked | Nov 4, 2026 on support.microsoft.com | Nov 4, 2026 on chatgpt.com |
| Under $10 | Microsoft 365 Personal | ChatGPT Go |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $9.99/month or $8.33/month billed yearly | $8/month |
| In short | For one person. Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and OneNote with Copilot built in, plus more Copilot usage than the free tier. | Low-cost plan with more messages, uploads, image creation, voice and memory than Free. |
| What is included |
|
|
| Deep research Differs | No | Limited |
| Agents Differs | No | Limited |
| Image creation | Yes | Yes |
| Video creation Differs | Not stated | No |
| Scheduled tasks Differs | No | Yes |
| Memory | Yes | Yes |
| Voice chat | Yes | Yes |
| App connectors Differs | Yes | Limited |
| Chats not used for training by default Differs | Yes | No |
| Usage limits, in their words | "Some of these features have limits to the number of times they can be used within a specific time period while others require the use of AI credits." The per-plan table gives Personal: Chat, Deep reasoning and Pages at Extensive usage; Audio Overview, Voice, Vision and Image gen at Standard usage; Researcher, Analyst and Cowork "Not available". | "Usage is subject to plan limits, abuse guardrails, and temporary restrictions during high demand." Voice: "Go: Up to 3 hours with GPT-Live-1 mini, replacing GPT-Live-1 access." |
| Billing and fine print | $9.99/month billed monthly, or $99.99/year billed yearly (about $8.33/month). Microsoft says "Save $19.89 with a yearly plan". 1-month free trial. "Features and app availability may vary by region." Identity theft monitoring is US and US territories only. | billed monthly; no annual billing; plan may include ads Available in the United States. Go is offered in all ChatGPT supported countries, and the supported-countries list includes 'United States of America'. US pricing page shows $8/month. Ads may appear on Go (U.S. ad test began February 9, 2026). |
| Checked | Nov 4, 2026 on microsoft.com | Nov 4, 2026 on chatgpt.com |
| Around $20 | Microsoft 365 Premium | ChatGPT Plus |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $19.99/month or $16.67/month billed yearly | $20/month |
| In short | Microsoft calls it "the ultimate AI and productivity plan for ambitious professionals". It adds extensive Copilot usage plus the Researcher, Analyst and Cowork agents, for 1 to 6 people. | The main paid plan for individuals: advanced reasoning models, more usage, deep research, projects and tasks, and ChatGPT Work on all devices. |
| What is included |
|
|
| Deep research | Yes | Yes |
| Agents | Yes | Yes |
| Image creation | Yes | Yes |
| Video creation Differs | Not stated | No |
| Scheduled tasks | Yes | Yes |
| Memory | Yes | Yes |
| Voice chat | Yes | Yes |
| App connectors | Yes | Yes |
| Chats not used for training by default Differs | Yes | No |
| Usage limits, in their words | Per-plan table for Premium: Chat, Deep reasoning, Pages, Audio Overview, Image gen, Researcher, Analyst and Cowork (in preview) at "Extensive usage"; Voice and Vision at "More usage". "Limits may vary based on the feature, entry point, and system conditions." | "Limits apply" / "To ensure a smooth experience for all users, Plus subscriptions may include usage limits such as message caps, especially during high demand. These limits may vary based on system conditions." Voice: "Plus: Up to 3 hours with GPT-Live-1." |
| Billing and fine print | $19.99/month billed monthly, or $199.99/year billed yearly (about $16.67/month). Microsoft says "Save $39.89 with a yearly plan". 1-month free trial. This is the plan Microsoft now sells in place of Copilot Pro. Cowork: "*Currently only available in the US and Canada. Availability varies by platform and device." | billed monthly; no annual billing |
| Checked | Nov 4, 2026 on microsoft.com | Nov 4, 2026 on chatgpt.com |
| Around $100 | Microsoft 365 Pro | ChatGPT Pro 100 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $99.99/month | $100/month |
| In short | The top individual plan, for 1 to 6 people, with Microsoft's highest Copilot usage limits, including agentic AI, plus 5 TB of shared storage. | Entry Pro tier for heavy users: Pro reasoning (GPT-6 Astra), longer Codex and ChatGPT Work sessions, dots, and maximum deep research and memory. |
| What is included |
|
|
| Deep research | Yes | Yes |
| Agents | Yes | Yes |
| Image creation | Yes | Yes |
| Video creation Differs | Not stated | No |
| Scheduled tasks | Yes | Yes |
| Memory | Yes | Yes |
| Voice chat | Yes | Yes |
| App connectors | Yes | Yes |
| Chats not used for training by default Differs | Yes | No |
| Usage limits, in their words | Per-plan table for Pro: Voice and Vision at "Highest usage"; Chat, Deep reasoning, Pages, Audio Overview, Image gen, Researcher, Analyst and Cowork (in preview) at "Extensive usage". "If you already have a Microsoft 365 Personal, Family, or Premium plan, you can switch to Microsoft 365 Pro to access the highest usage limits available." | "Unlimited subject to abuse guardrails." / "GPT-6 Pro has usage limits. A Pro subscription does not include unlimited use of the GPT-6 Pro model." / "On Pro $100, both models draw from one weekly allowance." Voice: "Pro ($100/month): Up to 15 hours with GPT-Live-1." / "Pro 100 and Pro 500 now include twice their previous Work and Codex allowance." |
| Billing and fine print | $99.99/month. "Monthly billing only." No annual option is shown and no free trial is listed. This is a new top tier, not on the original list. Cowork is US and Canada only (preview). | billed monthly; no annual billing; lowest of 3 Pro tiers Dots (always-on agents) exclude the EEA, Switzerland and the UK for Pro at launch. |
| Checked | Nov 4, 2026 on microsoft.com | Nov 4, 2026 on chatgpt.com |
| $150 and up | Copilot | ChatGPT Pro 200 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | No Copilot plan in this range. Nearest: Microsoft 365 Pro ($99.99/month). | $200/month |
| In short | Middle Pro tier with more included usage than Pro 100, the same Pro features, and unlimited GPT-Live-1 voice. | |
| What is included |
| |
| Deep research | Yes | |
| Agents | Yes | |
| Image creation | Yes | |
| Video creation | No | |
| Scheduled tasks | Yes | |
| Memory | Yes | |
| Voice chat | Yes | |
| App connectors | Yes | |
| Chats not used for training by default | No | |
| Usage limits, in their words | "Pro 200 includes more usage than Pro 100." / "On Pro $200, when you reach your GPT-6 Pro weekly limit, ChatGPT automatically switches to GPT-5.6 Thinking at Medium." / "All Pro 200 subscriptions now include the same Work and Codex allowance." | |
| Billing and fine print | billed monthly; no annual billing; more usage than Pro 100 Dots (always-on agents) exclude the EEA, Switzerland and the UK for Pro at launch. | |
| Checked | Nov 4, 2026 on help.openai.com |
| For teams | Copilot Business add-on | ChatGPT Business (Standard seat) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $25.20/user/month or $21/user/month billed yearly | $25/user/month or $20/user/month billed yearly |
| In short | The Copilot add-on for small and midsize businesses (up to 300 users) on Microsoft 365 Business plans. Adds Copilot in the apps, Work IQ grounding and the Researcher and Analyst agents. | Self-serve shared workspace for teams (formerly ChatGPT Team), with admin controls and no training on business data by default. |
| What is included |
|
|
| Deep research | Yes | Yes |
| Agents | Yes | Yes |
| Image creation | Yes | Yes |
| Video creation Differs | Not stated | No |
| Scheduled tasks | Yes | Yes |
| Memory | Yes | Yes |
| Voice chat | Yes | Yes |
| App connectors | Yes | Yes |
| Chats not used for training by default | Yes | Yes |
| Usage limits, in their words | Copilot Cowork: "Metered". Agent usage limits come from the Copilot Studio licensing guide ("Does not include cost of API calls, including Work IQ API calls."). Priority access to models during peak times. | "Unlimited subject to abuse guardrails." / "Virtually unlimited access applies to Instant chat and remains subject to safeguards against misuse. It does not make reasoning, Pro, ChatGPT Work, Codex, or other tools unlimited." / "Business Standard includes 15 Pro messages per month, shared across GPT-6 Pro and GPT-5.6 Sol Pro." |
| Billing and fine print | $25.20 user/month on a monthly subscription. List price $21.00 user/month paid yearly on an annual subscription. Promo between July 1 and December 31, 2026: $18.00 user/month paid yearly, or $18.90 paid monthly on an annual commitment, first year only. For up to 300 users, and only as an add-on to an eligible Business plan. Bundles: Business Standard with Copilot $23.50 user/month paid yearly ($28.20 monthly); Business Premium with Copilot $32.00 paid yearly ($38.40 monthly). "Microsoft 365 Copilot may not be available for all markets and languages." Eligible base plans: Business Premium, Business Standard, Business Basic, Apps for Business, Teams Essentials. | per user per month; $20 billed annually, $25 billed monthly; minimum 2 seats total (Standard and/or Premium); for teams of 2–200 Business help says USD pricing applies 'For most countries'; pricing may vary by country and currency. |
| Checked | Nov 4, 2026 on microsoft.com | Nov 4, 2026 on chatgpt.com |
Who should pick which
Pick Copilot if
- Your employer runs Microsoft 365. Copilot Chat for work comes with eligible work and school plans ($0 with a work plan), with enterprise data protection.
- You use Word, Excel and Outlook at home. Microsoft 365 Personal at $9.99/month includes "Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and OneNote desktop apps with Microsoft Copilot" and "1 TB of secure cloud storage".
- You don't want your chats used for training. Microsoft says your Copilot app prompts and responses aren't used to train foundation models. ChatGPT's personal plans use conversations to improve models unless you opt out.
- You want one plan for the household. Microsoft 365 Family covers "For 1 to 6 people (AI for subscription owner only)".
Pick ChatGPT if
- You chat a lot without paying. OpenAI says: "Free users have unlimited everyday text chats, subject to abuse-prevention safeguards. File uploads, image generation, voice, data analysis, and other tools have separate usage limits." Microsoft says: "Microsoft offers a limited free version of Copilot subject to available capacity and limits. When you hit a limit, you can choose to upgrade to a paid option or come back later."
- You want deep research without paying much. ChatGPT Free and Go include limited deep research; Copilot's free plan and Microsoft 365 Personal don't include it.
- You write code. ChatGPT includes Codex, OpenAI's coding agent. Microsoft's home Copilot plans don't list a coding tool.
- You don't use Microsoft's apps. Much of Copilot's extra value lives inside Word, Excel, Outlook and Teams.
For company data, use a work plan. Copilot Business add-on ($25.20/user/month, on top of an eligible Microsoft 365 business plan) and ChatGPT Business (Standard seat) ($25/user/month) both keep business data out of model training by default.
Sources: plan facts from microsoft.com, chatgpt.com and their help centers, through our daily AI Plan Watch, oldest check November 4, 2026. Every AI plan: AI chatbot pricing compared. For information only, not buying advice: confirm prices on each company's site before you pay. HOW TO // AI is independent and not affiliated with Microsoft or OpenAI.
How to use the Copilot vs ChatGPT picker
- Pick up to three things you’ll use it for most, like writing, research or coding.
- Set what you’d spend each month, or pick “My company pays” for work plans.
- Say whether you use Microsoft 365 at work, at home, or not at all. This matters more than anything else here.
- Read the reasons, then check the plan table. It jumps to the plans in your budget.
- Still close? Unlock the try-both test kit and run the same prompts in both.
Is Copilot the same as ChatGPT?
No. Microsoft Copilot and ChatGPT are separate products from different companies, with their own apps, plans, limits and privacy settings. Microsoft’s business Copilot plans list model choice and priority access to the latest OpenAI models, but you sign up and pay for each separately. GitHub Copilot, the coding agent, is a different product again; this page compares Microsoft’s Copilot assistant with ChatGPT.
Copilot vs ChatGPT: the real differences
From each company’s own pages, as of October 18, 2026:
- Office apps: Microsoft 365 Personal, Family, Premium and Pro include Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook with Copilot built in. ChatGPT works in its own app.
- At work: Copilot Chat comes at no extra cost with eligible Microsoft 365 work and school plans, with enterprise data protection. Copilot inside Teams, Word and Excel at work is a paid add-on.
- Training on your chats: Microsoft says prompts and responses in the Copilot app aren’t used to train foundation models. OpenAI says it may use conversations to improve its models unless you opt out.
- Free plan limits: OpenAI says ChatGPT Free and Go include unlimited everyday text chats, subject to abuse safeguards. Microsoft says its free Copilot is subject to available capacity and limits.
- Research: ChatGPT Free and Go include limited deep research. Copilot’s free plan and Microsoft 365 Personal don’t; Microsoft 365 Premium adds the Researcher and Analyst agents.
- Coding: ChatGPT includes Codex, OpenAI’s coding agent. Microsoft’s home Copilot plans don’t list a coding tool.
Microsoft 365 Premium vs ChatGPT Plus
At the $20 level the prices are a cent apart ($19.99 and $20 a month in the US as of October 18, 2026), but you get different things. Microsoft 365 Premium bundles the Office apps, shared cloud storage for up to six people (Copilot’s AI features are for the subscription owner only) and Copilot’s Researcher and Analyst agents, and it can be paid yearly. ChatGPT Plus is the AI on its own, with deep research, image creation, agents and Codex, billed monthly.
Copilot or ChatGPT for work data?
If you’ll paste client or company information, use a work account and check your company’s AI policy first. Copilot Chat for work and ChatGPT Business both keep your data out of model training by default, and your IT team may have already chosen one.
Related on HOW TO // AI
- Copilot pricing and ChatGPT pricing: every plan, with usage limits.
- Copilot readiness: the checks to run before a work rollout.
- AB-900 study guide: Microsoft’s exam on Copilot and agent administration basics.
- AI chatbot pricing compared: every major AI plan, checked daily.
Checked against microsoft.com/copilot pricing, OpenAI’s help center (ChatGPT Plus, ChatGPT Go and ads) and GitHub’s Copilot page on October 18, 2026, plus Microsoft’s support pages and chatgpt.com/pricing as read by our AI Plan Watch on October 17 and 18, 2026.
Frequently asked questions
Is Copilot the same as ChatGPT?
No. They are separate products from Microsoft and OpenAI, with their own apps, plans and limits. Microsoft's business Copilot plans list priority access to the latest OpenAI models, but you sign up and pay for each separately.
Is Microsoft Copilot free?
Yes. There is a free Copilot app, subject to available capacity and limits, and Copilot Chat comes at no extra cost with eligible Microsoft 365 work and school plans. Copilot inside Word, Excel and Outlook needs a paid Microsoft 365 plan.
Is Copilot better than ChatGPT for work?
If your company runs Microsoft 365, Copilot is the natural fit: Copilot Chat is included with eligible work accounts and Microsoft says your prompts aren't used to train its foundation models. If you need Codex, deep research on a low-cost plan or tools outside Microsoft, ChatGPT may fit better.
Is GitHub Copilot the same as Microsoft Copilot?
No. GitHub Copilot is a separate AI coding agent for your editor, terminal and GitHub. This page compares Microsoft Copilot, the general AI assistant, with ChatGPT.
Does Copilot use my chats to train AI?
Microsoft says prompts, responses and file contents in the Copilot app aren't used to train foundation models. ChatGPT's personal plans may use conversations to improve OpenAI's models unless you opt out in settings.