Microsoft Copilot pricing 2026: personal vs Microsoft 365 Copilot
By 3Gen editorial team. Prices checked on Microsoft’s own pages.
“Copilot” is the name on two different products. Copilot for personal use comes free with a Microsoft account and is upgraded through Microsoft 365 Personal, Family or Premium. Microsoft 365 Copilot for work is sold with, or added to, Microsoft 365 business and enterprise plans, and is priced per user. Which one you need depends on whose data Copilot works with: yours, or your company’s.
If you want an assistant that acts on your email, calendar and calls instead of one that lives inside Office, OpenAssistant is our recommendation for that job. It starts free.
Personal plans
All from Microsoft’s plan comparison page.
Without a subscription, a free Microsoft account gets Copilot with “limited usage” and 5 GB of OneDrive storage.
| Plan | Monthly | Yearly | People | Copilot usage | Storage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Microsoft 365 Personal | $9.99 | $99.99 | 1 | “Higher than free” | 1 TB |
| Microsoft 365 Family | $12.99 | $129.99 | 1 to 6 (AI for the subscription owner only) | “Higher than free” | 2 TB shared |
| Microsoft 365 Premium | $19.99 | $199.99 | 1 to 6 (AI for the subscription owner only) | “Extensive” | 2 TB |
What the paid plans add, per Microsoft:
- Copilot inside the Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and OneNote desktop apps
- Advanced Copilot chat, with more usage than free
- More image creation, AI-generated audio (English only) and “visual AI assistance from your screen or camera”
- On all three: “use Copilot in select apps with work files in a secure way,” if your employer has an enterprise subscription with multi-account access turned on (Microsoft footnote)
- On Premium only: “agentic AI features that get things done for you, including advanced research and analytics”
Each plan has a one-month free trial. Yearly billing saves $19.89 on Personal, $25.89 on Family and $39.89 on Premium, according to Microsoft. That is about 17% in each case: for Personal, $19.89 ÷ ($9.99 × 12 = $119.88) = 16.6%.
Family is not Copilot for six people. Microsoft says AI is “for subscription owner only.” The other five people get the apps and storage, not the Copilot features.
Business plans (up to 300 users)
From Microsoft’s business plans page and Copilot pricing page. Per user per month.
| Plan | Yearly billing | Monthly billing | Copilot |
|---|---|---|---|
| Microsoft 365 Business Basic | $7.00 | not shown | Copilot Chat with web grounding at no extra cost; agents need metered Azure billing |
| Microsoft 365 Business Standard with Copilot | $23.50 | $28.20 | Copilot in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and Teams; AI chat grounded in work data |
| Microsoft 365 Business Premium with Copilot | $32.00 | $38.40 | Same Copilot, plus advanced security and device management |
| Microsoft 365 Copilot Business (add-on) | $18.00 (promo; regular $21.00) | $25.20 | Adds Copilot to an existing eligible Business plan |
About the $18 add-on price: Microsoft’s page says it is a discount from $21, available for offers between July 1 and December 31, 2026, for the first year only, and only for existing customers with an eligible Business plan.
Usage-based billing: the business plans say “usage-based billing for select advanced AI features.” Microsoft describes everyday AI as included in the license and advanced, handed-off work as billed as you use it. Budget for some usage on top if your team uses agents.
Enterprise plans
From Microsoft’s enterprise plans page. Yearly commitment, per user per month.
| Plan | Price | Copilot |
|---|---|---|
| Microsoft 365 E3 | $39.00 | AI chat; add Microsoft 365 Copilot separately |
| Microsoft 365 E5 | $60.00 | AI chat; add Microsoft 365 Copilot separately |
| Microsoft 365 Copilot (add-on) | $30.00 | Copilot in apps for enterprise plans |
| Microsoft 365 E7 | $99.00 | Includes E5, Copilot, Agent 365 and Microsoft Entra Suite |
E5 plus the Copilot add-on is $60 + $30 = $90 a user per month. E7 is $99 and also includes Agent 365 and Entra Suite. If you need those, E7 costs $9 more per user per month than buying E5 and Copilot separately.
Personal or work Copilot?
| Question | Personal (Microsoft 365 Personal or Premium) | Work (Microsoft 365 Copilot) |
|---|---|---|
| Whose files does it see? | Yours, in your personal Microsoft account (plus work files in select apps, if your employer allows it) | Your organization’s email, files, chats and meetings |
| Who manages it? | You | Your IT admin |
| Cheapest way in | $9.99 a month | Copilot Chat on Business Basic at $7 a user a month (yearly), or the $18 add-on on an existing Business plan |
| Price for Copilot in Office apps | $9.99 a month (Personal) | $23.50 a user a month (Business Standard with Copilot, yearly) |
Microsoft says Copilot in work apps requires a qualifying business or enterprise plan. Using a personal plan for company work may break your employer’s IT policy; check first.
What it costs: three scenarios
Scenario 1: one freelancer. Microsoft 365 Personal, yearly: $99.99.
Scenario 2: a 10-person company with no Microsoft 365 yet. Business Standard with Copilot, yearly: 10 × $23.50 × 12 = $2,820 a year. That includes email, Office apps and storage, not only Copilot.
Scenario 3: the same company, already on an eligible Business plan. Copilot Business add-on at the promo price, yearly: 10 × $18 × 12 = $2,160 in year one. At the regular $21: 10 × $21 × 12 = $2,520 a year after that.
A trap to avoid: Microsoft’s comparison table lists Copilot as “available as an add-on” for Business Basic. Basic ($7) plus the add-on ($18 promo, $21 regular) comes to $25 to $28 a user a month on yearly billing, which is more than Business Standard with Copilot at $23.50. If you are starting fresh, Business Standard with Copilot is the cheaper route to Copilot in Office apps.
Related reading
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- AI assistant cost for a 10-person company: per-seat prices
- AI email assistant pricing compared: what each one costs
FAQ
How much does Microsoft Copilot cost?
A free Microsoft account gets Copilot with limited usage. Microsoft 365 Personal is $9.99 a month or $99.99 a year, Family $12.99 or $129.99, and Premium $19.99 or $199.99.
Does Microsoft 365 Family give everyone Copilot?
No. Microsoft says AI is for the subscription owner only.
How much is Copilot for business?
Business Standard with Copilot is $23.50 per user a month billed yearly ($28.20 monthly). The Copilot Business add-on is $18 on a promo (regular $21) for the first year, for existing customers with an eligible Business plan.
Is Business Basic plus the Copilot add-on cheaper?
No. $7 plus $18 to $21 is $25 to $28 a user a month on yearly billing, more than Business Standard with Copilot at $23.50.
What does Microsoft 365 E7 cost?
$99 per user a month. It includes E5, Copilot, Agent 365 and Microsoft Entra Suite, and costs $9 more than E5 plus the $30 Copilot add-on.
Try OpenAssistant
Copilot lives inside Microsoft 365. If you want an assistant that works through your email, calendar and phone on any provider’s tools, Try OpenAssistant; Starter is free with no credit card. The OpenAssistant pricing page lists every plan.