Pick Copilot (free) if…
you want an AI chat in Windows or Edge and don't need it inside Office documents.
Microsoft's paid Copilot used to be a standalone Copilot Pro plan. That plan is closed to new subscribers, so paying for Copilot now means buying a Microsoft 365 bundle.
Yes, Microsoft Copilot is free: basic Copilot chat works in Windows, Edge and the mobile apps at no cost. Pay only if you want Copilot inside Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook — that now means Microsoft 365 Premium ($19.99/mo), since standalone Copilot Pro is discontinued for new subscribers.
| Copilot (free) | Microsoft 365 Premium | Microsoft 365 Pro | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price / month | Free | $19.99/mo | $99.99/mo |
| What you get |
|
|
|
| Copilot AI | Basic chat, limited access | Advanced chat, limited agentic AI usage | Advanced chat, highest usage incl. agentic AI |
| Office apps & storage | — | Full Office apps, up to 6 TB OneDrive shared | Full Office apps |
| Billing | Free | Monthly or cheaper annual | Monthly only |
Monthly prices in US dollars before tax, from each vendor's official pricing (US list price; weekly-billed plans converted to a monthly figure). Updated October 7, 2026
you want an AI chat in Windows or Edge and don't need it inside Office documents.
you'd pay for Office anyway — you get the full apps, shared OneDrive storage for up to 6 people and Copilot in Word, Excel and PowerPoint (Copilot AI is for the account owner only).
you lean on Copilot agents across Office every day and keep running into Premium's limited agentic usage.
Copilot Pro, the standalone paid plan, is no longer available to new subscribers, and support for existing subscribers ended on August 1, 2026. Microsoft now points individuals to Microsoft 365 Premium. That's a better deal if you use Office, and a worse one if you only wanted a stronger chatbot — in that case ChatGPT or Gemini are simpler buys.
Yes. Basic Copilot chat is free in Windows, Edge and the mobile apps, with limited access. Copilot inside the Office apps requires a paid Microsoft 365 plan.
No. Copilot Pro is discontinued for new subscribers. The replacement for individuals is Microsoft 365 Premium ($19.99/mo), which also includes the full Office apps.
No. GitHub Copilot is a separate coding assistant for your editor, with its own free tier (2,000 completions a month) and paid plans from $10/mo.
How we choose: prices come from each vendor's official pricing page and are re-checked every week. We take no affiliate fees, so rankings aren't for sale.