Microsoft Copilot
Free Microsoft assistant; 365 plans add it to Word and Excel. No score yet: Microsoft doesn't name its models.
Should you use it?
Pick it if
People who already pay for Microsoft 365 and want AI help inside Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook.
Best for: Microsoft 365 subscribers who want AI help inside Word, Excel and Outlook (AI apps Top 20)
Skip it if
You want to know which model answers you; Claude, ChatGPT and Gemini name theirs and have scores.
You give up: No named model, so not scored; the new app doesn't say if your chats train AI
The short version
- What this is
- Microsoft's AI assistant app for web, desktop and phone. Paid Microsoft 365 plans also put it inside Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook.
- Why it matters
- It is free and comes with Microsoft 365, but Microsoft doesn't say which model answers you, and its new app's pages don't say whether your chats train AI.
- Free app; Microsoft 365 Personal $9.99/month adds Copilot in Word, Excel and Outlook; Premium is $19.99/month s1.
- Microsoft says only 'AI models selected by Microsoft', so we can't score it yet s1.
- Ads in Copilot use your current chat; personalized ads might use your chat history s5.
Good at
Our take
Microsoft Copilot is Microsoft's assistant app, on the web, desktop and phone s4. The app is free. Microsoft 365 Personal, at $9.99 a month, adds Copilot inside Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook, though the same pricing page also marks Word, Excel and PowerPoint as web and mobile only on that plan, so check before you buy for desktop use s1. Premium, at $19.99 a month, adds agents for research and analysis s1.
We can't score it yet. Our rule scores an app on the best model each plan lets you choose, as the maker documents it. Microsoft's plan page says only "AI models selected by Microsoft" s1. Its transparency note says Copilot uses models "from Microsoft, OpenAI, and other model developers" and that you can choose between them, but it names none and says features vary by subscription s6. Once Microsoft names the models per plan, we can score it.
On your chats: Microsoft's privacy FAQ says Copilot data is used for AI training unless you opt out, and that opting out covers your future conversations. But that FAQ now applies only to the older app s3. The new app's privacy pages, live since 18 August 2026, don't say either way s4 s5. They do say ads in Copilot are chosen from your current conversation, and personalized ads might use your chat history and saved memories s5. If you want an assistant with a score, Claude and ChatGPT both have scores on our list.
Not scored yet
This is a First look: the call above comes from the maker's own pages, so there is no score yet. When Microsoft names the models each plan lets you choose, on its own plan or help pages, or when an independent test of the current app from the last 90 days is published.
WritingResearchImagesVoice
New to this? What the scores and labels mean
- 0 to 100
- Our score for one job, like writing or coding, compared with everything else out today. 100 is the best available today. For AI models we build it from public data, such as Arena's blind votes and Epoch AI's independent tests; apps and tools are scored on our own checklist. The same tool can score differently for different jobs, and where two likely ranges overlap, we call it a tie.
- Our verdict
- Use it: a top choice for most people. Worth trying: good, and worth a go. Depends: good for some people or one kind of job. Wait: too early to tell, or not out for everyone yet. Skip: something else does the job better.
- First look
- Just released. We say what it is and whether to bother, and give it a score once public results exist.
- No score yet
- None of the public sources we use covers it yet, or the only evidence is from a source whose numbers we can't use, so we describe it in words instead.
- Best buy
- Nothing cheaper scores as well for that job.
- Best free
- The best score for that job that costs nothing, through a free plan or by running on your own computer.
- Pay as you go
- No monthly plan: you pay for each use, usually through a developer account.
- Checked
- The day we last confirmed the score and the price against the sources. Prices change often, so check the date.
- AI model
- The engine underneath, like GPT or Claude. You use it through an app or, if you code, directly.
- Open source
- Free to download and run on your own computer, so nothing leaves your machine.
Alternatives
Better or cheaper for writing, from our scores, then the ones we'd also look at. The same kind of product comes first.
- Gemini appTop scoredApp70$19.99 a monthScores 70 in writing, first in our ranking; $19.99 a month. Scores 70 for writing on Google AI Pro, on our checklist. Side by side
- ClaudeApp70$20 a monthScores 80 for coding and research on our checklist; its free plan runs Sonnet 5.5. Side by side
- ChatGPT (GPT-6)App50$20 a monthScores 70 for agents and coding on Plus, on our checklist. Side by side
Evidence
Everything behind the call and the scores, folded so the page stays short. Spotted a wrong price, score or link? Report a mistake.
How we scored this
Reviews are drafted with help from AI models, including Anthropic's Claude. Model scores come only from outside leaderboards and independent evaluations, by a written rule.
No one paid for this review or gave us free access, and we earn nothing if you sign up. How we score
Sources 6
- s1Microsoft Copilot plans for individuals
- s2Microsoft 365 Personal, Family and Premium compared
- s3Privacy FAQ for Microsoft Copilot (older app)
- s4Microsoft Copilot for individuals: your data, privacy, and responsible AI
- s5Microsoft Copilot privacy controls (new app)
- s6Microsoft Copilot transparency note
Something here out of date or wrong? Report a mistake and we will check it against the source.
History 2 changes
Every change to a rating, the price or our call, with the reason. Scores are against what exists on the day, so they drift down as better things ship. Older entries come from before we moved to scores.
- Added that the pricing page marks Word, Excel and PowerPoint as web and mobile only on Personal, Premium and Pro, while its feature list says desktop apps.
- First look. Not rated: Microsoft does not name the models any plan uses. Released date is when the updated Copilot app became available; Copilot itself is older.
Use it well 3 guides on this site
Pages on this site that help with the jobs above.