Why pay for Copilot – What are the differences in the free vs paid

Artificial Intelligence is rapidly reshaping the modern workplace, and Microsoft has made it easier than ever to tap into its power with a range of Copilot options — from free to fully featured and even custom-built. But with multiple versions available, many organisations are asking: Why pay for Microsoft Copilot when there’s a free option?

Let’s break it down.

Multiple Entry Points. One Powerful Destination.

Microsoft offers three tiers of Copilot to suit organisations at different stages of AI maturity:

• Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat (Free)
• Microsoft 365 Copilot (Subscription)
• Custom Copilot Agents (Build your own)

This layered approach helps organisations adopt AI at their own pace — safely, securely, and with reduced risk of “Shadow AI” (when staff turn to unapproved tools like ChatGPT with sensitive data).

Why Start with the Free Version?

If you’re new to generative AI, Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat is a great first step. It’s secure, enterprise-ready, and free.

✅ Sign in with your work account for commercial data protection
✅ Use on Edge, Chrome, and mobile
✅ Add advanced functionality with Pay-as-You-Go (PAYG) custom agents
✅ Protected access to GPT-4o in a secure Microsoft environment

It’s perfect for early experimentation, especially for teams still building their data governance frameworks or getting familiar with AI tools.

Why Upgrade to the Paid Copilot?

Here’s where things really take off. Microsoft 365 Copilot (Subscription) goes beyond a smart chatbot — it becomes your personal AI assistant, seamlessly integrated into your Microsoft 365 apps and business data.

🎯 Personalised responses based on your documents, meetings, emails, chats
🎯 Embedded into Word, Excel, Outlook, Teams, and more
🎯 Helps draft documents, summarise emails, generate insights, and boost productivity
🎯 Fast ROI — especially for teams managing large volumes of content

At around $50/user/month, it’s a powerful investment in employee efficiency and smarter decision-making.

Want More? Build Your Own Copilot Agents

For businesses with specific needs, you can build your own Copilot Agents that interact with internal data, third-party tools, and workflows.

🚀 Create bots that guide users through complex processes
🚀 Automate ticketing, travel requests, or policy questions
🚀 Tailor the experience to your tools, systems, and goals

Whether simple or autonomous, custom agents are a powerful way to reimagine how work gets done.

Key Differences: Free vs Paid

Ready to Find the Right Fit?

Whether you’re just starting out or ready to scale, Microsoft Copilot has an option to match your organisation’s needs — and safeguard your data while doing it.

💡 Use the Free Copilot to get familiar and upskill
💡 Upgrade to Full Copilot when you’re ready for productivity gains
💡 Build Custom Agents to solve your unique business challenges

Need Help Deploying Copilot?

We can support you in choosing the right path and rolling it out across your teams — securely, strategically, and with minimal disruption.  AI adoption isn’t like any other software implementation, it isn’t just a training session and a manual, it’s a change in behaviour and thought.

Our approach is to take a slower more sustainable approach to make sure your team are involved in finding use cases that add value to their roles and within their daily workflows.

👉 Get in touch with us to learn more or book a discovery session.

Let’s put AI to work — the right way.