Introduction: It’s not as easy as “Which is better?” to choose between Copilot and ChatGPT
You may have noticed that every app now has “Copilot” or “AI assistant” on it. At the same time, ChatGPT keeps adding new modes, agents, and price levels. That’s a lot.
This guide is for you if you want to know “Should I use Copilot or ChatGPT for my daily work?” or “Which one is better for coding, studying, or making content?”
We’ll explain the differences between Copilot and ChatGPT in 2026 in simple terms, including their prices, features, performance, coding, office work, business use, and more. You’ll learn when ChatGPT wins, when Copilot wins, and when it’s best to use both at the same time.
The Big Picture of Copilot vs. ChatGPT in 2026
In one sentence, this is the main difference between Microsoft Copilot and ChatGPT:
ChatGPT is a general-purpose AI “brain,” and Copilot is that brain connected directly to Microsoft’s apps and developer tools.
What each tool is really good for
ChatGPT (Free, Go, Plus, Pro, Team, Enterprise)
A multimodal AI chatbot that can handle text, code, images, and voice.
Good at coming up with solutions to open-ended problems, doing creative work, and giving explanations.
It has custom GPTs, memory, agents, and real-time web browsing, which make it a very useful “AI Swiss army knife.”
Microsoft Copilot (Free, Copilot Pro, GitHub Copilot, M365 Copilot)
Microsoft 365 (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams), Windows, and GitHub all have an AI layer.
Made to help you get things done faster at work, like sending emails, making slides, and coding in the tools you already use.
With New Agent Mode and Work IQ, it has memory and automation for the whole organization, especially in M365.
If you spend most of your time in Word, Excel, Outlook, Teams, VS Code, or GitHub, Copilot will feel like a natural part of your work.
ChatGPT is usually the better “hub” if you switch between tools and need one AI that can do research, think, write, code, and come up with ideas.
Prices for ChatGPT and Copilot in 2026
Let’s get the money question out of the way right away: how much does ChatGPT cost compared to Microsoft Copilot?
ChatGPT’s current price levels (2026)
Recent breakdowns for 2026 show that this is about how it will look:
| Plan | Price (per month) | Description |
|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT Free | $0 a month. | A general assistant with limited but useful features; fewer advanced features and stricter limits on top models. |
| ChatGPT Go / “Plan with low costs” | About $5 to $8 a month. | Depending on the area, the brand, and the deals. Better access than free, but some areas still have ads or limits on how much you can use it. |
| ChatGPT Plus | $20 a month. | Access to the latest GPT-5.x level models (names vary), faster speeds, higher limits, image generation, and advanced features like memory. |
| ChatGPT Pro | About $200 a month. | Aimed at researchers and power users. “Thinking” or advanced reasoning modes with much higher limits and fewer rules. |
| ChatGPT Team / Business / Enterprise | Team: about $25–30 per user per month. | Enterprise: custom pricing, with SLAs, admin controls, and governance. |
For reference, you can check the official ChatGPT pricing page on OpenAI’s site (for example: https://openai.com/chatgpt).
How much Microsoft Copilot will cost in 2026
There are different prices for different “Copilots”:
| Copilot Product | Price (per month) | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Copilot (Web, Windows, and Edge) | Free for the first month. | A chat-style assistant that can access the web and works with Microsoft apps through the “Universal Embedded Experience.” |
| Copilot Pro (for consumers) | Between $20 and $30 per month. | In 2025–2026, prices are usually between $20 and $30 per month, but they may be different depending on where you live and what bundle you choose. Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and OneNote all have premium models, faster responses, and deeper integrations. |
| Copilot for Microsoft 365 (businesses and large organizations) | About $30 to $36 per user per month. | On top of M365 licenses. Enterprise-level integration, Work IQ, memory for the whole organization, and governance. |
| GitHub Copilot for developers | Historically $10 to $19 per user per month. | Sources from 2025 to 2026 still say there are tiers below $40, depending on the plan. GitHub Copilot for Business/Enterprise costs more per user and comes with more security and policy controls. |
Quick Take:
For people, ChatGPT Plus and Copilot Pro are usually about the same price (~$20/month).
Businesses often compare ChatGPT Team/Enterprise to Copilot for Microsoft 365, not the plans for individuals.
(You can see Microsoft’s latest Copilot pricing details on the official Microsoft Copilot or Microsoft 365 pages, for example: https://www.microsoft.com/microsoft-copilot)
What Can Each One Do? ChatGPT vs. Copilot Features
Now, let’s talk about features and how things work in the real world, not just marketing.
A quick look at core capabilities
| Area / Feature | ChatGPT (Plus/Pro) | Microsoft Copilot for Pro, M365, and GitHub |
|---|---|---|
| Chat and questions and answers | Strong, multi-step reasoning and creative answers. | Responses that are strong but more “business”-oriented. |
| Documents for the office | Good for uploads and integrations; manual. | Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Teams all have it built in. |
| Writing code | Good for explanations, refactoring, and reasoning across multiple files. | Great inline completions and refactors in IDEs. |
| Web in real time | Newer versions come with built-in browsing and ChatGPT Search. | Responses that are connected to the web through Bing/Edge-style browsing. |
| Memory and personalization | Advanced long-term memory features and custom GPTs. | Work IQ for M365 org-level memory. |
| Agents and automation | Agents, workflows, and virtual computer modes are becoming more common. | Agent Mode in Office and GitHub Copilot. |
| Pictures and multimodal | Text, pictures, and voice; making and analyzing pictures. | Some Copilot experiences include making images and seeing them. |
Where ChatGPT does best
Math, algorithms, and system design that require more than one step of reasoning and explanation.
Creative writing includes blog posts, scripts, stories, and sales pages.
Custom GPTs and agents that can remember how you write, speak, or work.
Zapier and third-party integrations let you work across tools.
What Copilot does best
In Microsoft 365, you can write, summarize, and change content right in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Teams.
From the taskbar in Windows 11, you can quickly give commands, see summaries, and take actions.
GitHub Copilot has inline completions, refactors, and an Agent mode for coding tasks inside IDEs.
Work IQ and enterprise Copilot can access SharePoint, Teams, mailboxes, and more across the whole organization, as long as they follow the rules.
ChatGPT or Copilot for Programmers and Coders
This part is probably the most important thing for you as a developer.
ChatGPT vs. GitHub Copilot for coding
Recent comparisons aimed at developers come down to this:
Things GitHub Copilot does well
Inline suggestions as you type in JetBrains, VS Code, and other programs.
Good for boilerplate code, patterns that repeat, and “type less, ship faster.”
New Agent mode can change many files, run commands, and make PRs on its own.
It feels like there’s a pair of programmers inside your editor.
What ChatGPT does well
“Design me a microservice architecture with auth and rate limiting” is better for big-picture problems.
Good at explaining code, coming up with ways to refactor it, and figuring out why something isn’t working, not just speed.
Good for quickly getting snippets going in languages or frameworks you don’t know.
Some tests even showed that ChatGPT does better than GitHub Copilot at coding tasks when you look at how correct and clear the explanations are, not just how fast it can autocomplete.
A good rule of thumb is:
When you’re actively coding in an IDE and want the AI to type along with you, use GitHub Copilot.
When you’re planning architecture, fixing strange problems, or learning something new, use ChatGPT.
ChatGPT and Copilot for Office Workers, Students, and Content Creators
Let’s talk about work in the real world now.
For Microsoft 365 and office work
Copilot is great if you spend a lot of time in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Teams.
Copilot writes, rewrites, and formats documents right in Word.
It helps with formulas, summaries, and “Explain this sheet” questions in Excel.
It turns bullet points or a document into slide decks in PowerPoint.
It summarizes long email threads and writes replies in Outlook.
It summarizes meetings and things to do in Teams.
You can do a lot of this with ChatGPT by copying and pasting text or uploading files, but it’s an extra step. Copilot wins when there is less friction in Microsoft’s ecosystem.
For students
In different ways, both tools can change the game:
ChatGPT for school kids
It’s great for explaining ideas, making study guides, summarizing readings, and testing yourself.
Good for coming up with ideas for essays and organizing your arguments, but you have to write them in your own voice.
Memory and custom GPTs can copy the way you teach or the material you cover.
Students can use Copilot
Useful if your school uses Microsoft 365 a lot (Word, PowerPoint, and Excel).
Makes writing emails to professors, formatting lab reports, and slides go faster.
GitHub Copilot can help you with coding homework in IDEs, but be careful about cheating.
If you have to choose, ChatGPT is usually better for learning and explaining things, while Copilot is better if you use all of Microsoft’s tools for your work.
For people who write and make things
ChatGPT
Better for writing long pieces, scripts, stories, and creative writing.
Custom GPTs make it easier to keep your brand voice and content frameworks consistent.
Social media posts, YouTube scripts, email funnels, and landing pages work better across platforms.
Copilot
Great for editing, summarizing, and making quick changes inside Word.
Useful for PowerPoint slides, outlines, and things to say.
Not as good for situations where you say, “I run my whole content business out of Notion, Canva, and a dozen other tools.”
If you write blogs, copy, or create things, you might feel more at home with ChatGPT Plus as your main content engine and Copilot as a bonus if you already pay for Microsoft 365.
ChatGPT vs. Copilot for Business and Data Analysis
The choice becomes more strategic for teams and businesses.
Use by businesses and teams
Copilot for Microsoft 365
Tight integration with Office docs, SharePoint, OneDrive, Outlook, and Teams.
Work IQ can help people remember things across chats and documents.
Great for answering questions like “What did we decide in that meeting?” and for summarizing internal content.
You can see examples and overviews of Copilot for Microsoft 365 on Microsoft’s official documentation pages (for example: https://learn.microsoft.com/microsoft-365-copilot).
Team or business ChatGPT
Good for chat-based Q&A, knowledge bases, and writing down processes.
Better at making content, answering questions across domains, and general reasoning.
Works with Slack, Zapier, and knowledge systems to serve as an AI “front door.”
If your business already uses Microsoft 365, Copilot is a clear choice for improving productivity within the company.
ChatGPT Team/Enterprise might be more flexible if you use a mix of Google Workspace, Notion, Slack, and your own apps.
Analysis of data
Both tools can help you analyze data, but they work best in different situations:
Copilot in Excel and Power BI
Answer questions about spreadsheets, suggest formulas, and make charts from data that is already there.
This is a big deal for people who already use Excel for work.
ChatGPT
Good at explaining statistical ideas, recommending models, and going over analysis scripts in Python, R, and SQL.
Can help write queries, understand code, and keep track of analysis pipelines.
Yes, Copilot is good for data analysis, but only if you have structured data in front of it in Excel or Power BI.
“Is ChatGPT good for data analysis?” Yes, especially if you need help with concepts, writing code, or looking into different methods.
ChatGPT vs. Copilot: The Good and Bad, and When to Use Each
This is a summary that you can use.
Pros and cons
| Tool | Big Pros | Big Problems |
|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT | Custom GPTs and memory; cross-tool; versatile; creative; and strong reasoning. | You might feel “detached” from your daily apps. Higher tiers can get expensive for heavy users. |
| Microsoft’s Copilot | Works well with M365, Windows, and GitHub; great for coding and office work. | Plans that are broken up; best value if you already pay for Microsoft’s ecosystem. |
Basic rules for making decisions
You might be asking yourself, “Is Microsoft Copilot better than ChatGPT?”
The honest answer is that it depends on where you live online.
If you want to use ChatGPT (Plus or Team),
Need one main AI to help with writing, coding, research, and coming up with ideas.
Go back and forth between many tools, like Google Docs, Notion, Figma, Slack, and others.
Be interested in custom GPTs, memory, and advanced reasoning.
If you want to use Microsoft Copilot or Copilot for Microsoft 365,
You spend most of your day in Word, Excel, Outlook, Teams, and PowerPoint.
You want AI that can read your emails, chats, and internal documents.
Already pay for Microsoft 365 and want to make your office work even better.
If you’re a developer, use GitHub Copilot and ChatGPT together:
GitHub Copilot for coding in-line and Agent mode.
ChatGPT can help you with debugging, architecture, documentation, and learning.
Copilot vs. ChatGPT: Quick Answers
Does ChatGPT work with Microsoft Copilot?
Yes, in a lot of cases, behind the scenes. Microsoft Copilot uses OpenAI’s GPT models, which are similar to the ones that power ChatGPT Plus and higher tiers. However, the configurations and access are different.
Is it possible for a Copilot to get online?
Yes. Copilot can get up-to-date information by using Microsoft’s search stack (Bing/Edge-style integration) to browse the web in real time.
Can ChatGPT look around the web?
Yes. Modern ChatGPT plans include real-time web browsing and ChatGPT Search, which means it can get new information instead of just using training data.
Which one is faster, ChatGPT or Copilot?
It depends on the plan, model, and load, but in real life:
GitHub Copilot is very fast when it comes to inline code completions.
ChatGPT Plus/Pro can be very fast for chat-style answers, especially with lighter “instant” models.
Can you talk to Copilot?
Yes. Microsoft has released Copilot Voice and newer versions like Copilot Voice 2.0 that let you talk to Copilot in environments that support it.
Does ChatGPT let you talk to people on the phone?
Yes. ChatGPT lets you talk to it instead of typing in many clients.
What is Copilot Pro?
Copilot Pro is the paid upgrade for consumers that adds premium models, faster responses, and better integration with Microsoft 365 apps for individuals.
What does ChatGPT Plus do?
The $20/month ChatGPT Plus plan gives you access to better models, higher limits, images, and more advanced features than the free tier.
So, which one should you use: ChatGPT or Copilot?
Let’s get this plane down.
If you want an AI that can help you write, code, learn, and do research, start with ChatGPT Free. If you need more features, you can upgrade to Plus.
If you use Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, Teams, and Windows 11, Copilot (especially with M365) will feel like a superpower.
If you’re a developer, use GitHub Copilot for writing code and ChatGPT for thinking, fixing bugs, and keeping track of your work.
For businesses, the choice usually depends on your stack: heavy M365 → Copilot; mixed stack → ChatGPT Team/Enterprise (or both).
The good news is? You don’t have to stay married to one forever. Try both for a month, keep track of how you use them, and then keep the one that saves you the most time with the least trouble.