What is Microsoft Copilot?
Microsoft Copilot is Microsoft's AI assistant built into Windows, Microsoft 365, and Bing — combining GPT-4 with access to your M365 content including emails, Teams conversations, Word documents, and Excel spreadsheets. Microsoft 365 Copilot summarises email threads, drafts documents from meeting recordings, and generates presentations from a brief.
🚀 Sponsored Placement Available
Promote your AI tool to thousands of qualified buyers. View media kit →
Key Features
Here's what makes Microsoft Copilot stand out:
- Microsoft 365 Integration — allows Copilot to work seamlessly within Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams, and Outlook to assist with everyday tasks.
- AI — Powered Web Search
- Image Generation — creates images from text prompts using the DALL·E model through a conversational interface.
- Code Interpreter — executes Python code and analyzes data directly in the chat for on
- Personalized Assistance — connects to the Microsoft Graph to provide contextually relevant assistance based on user data.
Pros & Cons
✅ Pros
- Tight Integration with Microsoft 365 — enhances productivity by automating tasks within familiar Microsoft applications.
- Advanced AI Capabilities — leverages cutting-edge AI models like DALL·E for image generation and advanced text analysis.
- Personalized Experience — uses the Microsoft Graph to provide tailored assistance based on user-specific data and interactions.
- Enhanced Collaboration — facilitates team collaboration through real-time meeting summaries and action item generation in Teams.
❌ Cons
- Dependence on Microsoft Ecosystem — limits its utility for users not already invested in the Microsoft 365 suite of tools.
- Potential Learning Curve — requires some time to learn how to effectively utilize its features and integrate them into daily workflows.
- Limited Standalone Capability — compared to dedicated AI tools, its capabilities might be less robust when used outside the Microsoft ecosystem.
- Privacy Concerns — as with any AI tool connected to personal and professional data, there are inherent privacy concerns that need to be addressed.
Our Rating
Who Should Use Microsoft Copilot?
Best for: Microsoft 365 enterprise teams on Word, Excel, Teams, and Outlook who want AI integrated directly into their existing tools without switching to a separate assistant.
- Summarising long email threads and Teams conversations instantly
- Drafting Word documents and PowerPoint presentations from meeting notes
- Analysing Excel data with natural language queries
- Getting answers grounded in your company's specific documents
- Recapping Teams meetings you missed with AI-generated highlights
Microsoft Copilot Pricing
| Plan | Price | What's included |
|---|---|---|
| Copilot Free | $0 | GPT-4 in Bing and Windows, no M365 integration |
| Copilot Pro | $20/mo | Priority GPT-4, M365 Copilot features in Word, Excel, Outlook, Teams |
| Microsoft 365 Copilot | $30/user/mo | Full M365 integration, Teams meeting summaries, enterprise data grounding |
Best Microsoft Copilot Alternatives
Depending on your use case, these alternatives may serve you better:
Final Verdict
Microsoft Copilot's value is entirely dependent on your M365 usage. For heavy M365 teams, the integration depth is genuinely differentiated. For people not on M365, it offers no advantage over ChatGPT or Claude. The $30/user/mo M365 Copilot is justified only for teams deeply embedded in the Microsoft ecosystem.