Microsoft Copilot
Your everyday AI companion, free at copilot.microsoft.com
Overview
Microsoft Copilot is the free chatbot Microsoft built into copilot.microsoft.com, and it's a solid everyday option if you already live in the Microsoft ecosystem. It chats, writes, brainstorms, and makes images, and it searches the web by default, showing where its answers came from, which is genuinely useful when you want to sanity-check a fact instead of just trusting the model. Signing in with a Microsoft account unlocks chat history, voice mode, and longer conversations, all without paying anything.
Where it gets more complicated is once you want Copilot inside Word, Excel, or Outlook. Microsoft retired the standalone $20/month Copilot Pro plan for new signups in late 2025 and folded that functionality into Microsoft 365 Premium instead, priced close to $19.99 a month for individuals. Businesses pay separately again through Microsoft 365 Copilot add-ons on top of an existing Business or Enterprise plan, and Microsoft has been tightening what free in-app Copilot Chat can do inside Office apps. So the free web chatbot is genuinely free and good, but full office integration is a paid, somewhat layered add-on.
Key Features
Free Web Chat: Full access to chat, brainstorming, and writing help at no cost with a Microsoft account.
Web-Grounded Answers: Searches the web by default and cites sources, unlike the free tier of many rival chatbots.
Image Generation: Create images from text prompts directly in the chat.
Voice Interaction: Talk to Copilot instead of typing, with voice responses back.
Office App Integration: Paid Microsoft 365 plans bring Copilot directly into Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Teams.
Chat History: Signed-in users get persistent conversation history across sessions.
Pricing
Starting price
Free chatbot at copilot.microsoft.com; paid tiers run through Microsoft 365 plans starting around $19.99/mo for individuals
Free: $0/month. Full web chat, image generation, voice mode, chat history at copilot.microsoft.com.
Microsoft 365 Premium (individuals): ~$19.99/month. Carries forward former Copilot Pro features plus Office app integration.
Microsoft 365 Copilot Business (add-on): ~$18-21/user/month (promotional through Sept 30, 2026), requires an existing Microsoft 365 Business plan.
Microsoft 365 Copilot Enterprise: ~$30/user/month, billed annually, requires a qualifying enterprise Microsoft 365 license.
Disclaimer: pricing may change and plan names shift often, confirm on Microsoft's own pricing page before buying.
Pros
Genuinely Free Tier: Full chat, image generation, and voice mode cost nothing with a Microsoft account.
Sourced Web Answers: Shows citations for web-grounded answers, which most free chatbots don't do as clearly.
Wide Reach: Built into Windows, Edge, and Bing, so most Windows users already have access without installing anything.
Office Integration: Once paid for, it works inside the apps people already use for work, not a separate tool to context-switch to.
Cons
Confusing Plan Structure: Copilot Pro was retired for new users and folded into Microsoft 365 Premium, and business pricing requires an existing Microsoft 365 subscription on top.
Shrinking Free In-App Access: Microsoft scaled back free Copilot Chat inside Word, Excel, and PowerPoint in 2026, pushing users toward paid licenses.
Less Customizable Than Rivals: Fewer power-user controls and custom GPT-style tools than ChatGPT or Claude.
Enterprise Pricing Is Steep: Microsoft 365 Copilot for enterprise runs $30/user/month and up, on top of a qualifying Microsoft 365 license.
What Makes It Unique
Built Into Windows: Ships as part of Windows, Edge, and Bing, giving it the widest default reach of any AI chatbot without a single install.
Kay Score
7.3
/ 10
Tool Information
Pricing
Free chatbot at copilot.microsoft.com; paid tiers run through Microsoft 365 plans starting around $19.99/mo for individuals
Category
Chatbots & SEO
Platform
Web / iOS / Android
Last Updated
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