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ChatGPT vs Microsoft Copilot is a choice between one standalone assistant and AI built into the Office apps. Microsoft 365 Personal costs $9.99 a month and puts Copilot inside Word, Excel and Outlook, running models from both OpenAI and Anthropic. ChatGPT Plus costs $20 a month and adds deep research, Codex and clearer data controls. For more, our page on Perplexity vs Microsoft Copilot covers cited answers against AI built into Office.
This page covers Microsoft Copilot, Microsoft’s assistant for consumers and Office, not GitHub Copilot, the coding tool. Our reviews score ChatGPT 3.6 and Microsoft Copilot 3.3. Our page on Grok vs Microsoft Copilot covers real-time X posts against AI inside Office.
ChatGPT vs Microsoft Copilot: The Short Answer
Choose Microsoft Copilot if you live in Word, Excel and Outlook; choose ChatGPT for research, coding and a single assistant. Copilot comes bundled with the Office apps and 1 TB of storage, and Premium offers a yearly price. ChatGPT’s deep research works on every plan, while Copilot’s Researcher needs Microsoft 365 Premium.
On accuracy, the two are close. In the EBU and BBC study of October 2025, significant issues appeared in 37% of Copilot’s news answers and 36% of ChatGPT’s. Copilot had fewer sourcing problems, at 15% against 24%.
Head to Head
| Criterion | ChatGPT | Microsoft Copilot |
|---|---|---|
| Cheapest paid plan | Go $8/mo (US), may include ads | Microsoft 365 Personal $9.99/mo, with Office |
| Standard plan | Plus $20/mo, monthly only | Microsoft 365 Premium $19.99/mo or $199.99/yr |
| Models | OpenAI’s | OpenAI’s and Anthropic’s |
| Inside Office apps | Via apps such as ChatGPT for Excel | Word, Excel, Outlook and more |
| Deep research | All plans, limited on Free | Researcher, Premium and Pro only |
| Ads | Free and Go, in test regions | Free app without Microsoft 365 |
| News answers with issues (EBU/BBC) | 36% | 37% |
| Our score | 3.6 | 3.3 |
Prices and Plans
Microsoft sells Copilot inside Microsoft 365. Personal costs $9.99 a month or $99.99 a year, Family $12.99 or $129.99, Premium $19.99 or $199.99, and Microsoft 365 Pro $99.99 a month. On Family, only the subscription owner gets the AI features.
ChatGPT Go costs $8 a month in the US, Plus $20 and Pro from $100, all monthly only. Over a year, Plus costs $240 against $199.99 for Microsoft 365 Premium, as our yearly cost breakdown shows.
Models and Features
Copilot runs other companies’ models. Microsoft’s privacy overview for the updated app says you can choose between leading AI models. In September, its Copilot blog announced Claude Opus 5.5 and GPT-6 Sol for Word, Excel and PowerPoint, WindowsForum reported. The newest frontier models are billed by usage, GeekWire reported. Our page on Claude vs Microsoft Copilot covers using Claude directly versus Claude models inside Office.
ChatGPT runs OpenAI’s own models. Plus chat uses GPT-5.6 Sol, with GPT-6 Astra and GPT-6.1 Sol in Codex and ChatGPT Work. Deep research returns cited reports on every plan, as our guide to ChatGPT for research covers.
Microsoft retired Deep Research in the consumer Copilot app on August 18, 2026. Its successor, Researcher, is available on Microsoft 365 Premium and Pro but not on Personal or Family, Microsoft’s support page says.
Ads, Training and Data
Both show ads on their free tiers. ChatGPT’s Free and Go plans show ads in OpenAI’s test regions. Microsoft’s privacy controls page says the Copilot app may show ads without a Microsoft 365 subscription. Personalized ads there can draw on chat history and memories.
ChatGPT’s training rules are clearer. ChatGPT trains on personal chats until you opt out in Data controls. Microsoft’s FAQ for the older Copilot app says it trains on conversations unless you opt out and keeps them for 18 months by default. It offers no opt-out of human review. The pages for the updated app list no training switch.
Microsoft says it does not train on Copilot use inside the Microsoft 365 apps on Personal and Family plans. Copilot can also share chats with Bing, Edge and MSN through One shared experience unless you turn it off.
Email and Office Work
For email, Copilot works inside Outlook. ChatGPT reaches Gmail and Outlook through connectors from its own chat, as our list of the best AI for email writing explains. ChatGPT also works inside Word, Excel and PowerPoint through a Microsoft add-in, with Word added on September 17, 2026 on every plan, OpenAI’s release notes say. Copilot, however, comes built into the apps with Microsoft 365.
Who Owns Each
Microsoft owns about 27% of OpenAI, TechCrunch reported in July, and it committed up to $5 billion to Anthropic in November 2025. So Copilot runs models from two companies Microsoft has invested in, while ChatGPT is OpenAI’s own product.
Where Each One Is Weakest
ChatGPT is weakest on price and Office integration. Plus has no yearly option, Free and Go show ads, and ChatGPT works in Office only through an add-in rather than built in.
Microsoft Copilot is weakest on data clarity and research. The updated app’s training rules are unclear, the free app’s ads can use your chat history, and cited research reports need Premium.
Winners by Category
Office integration: Microsoft Copilot. Value bundle: Microsoft Copilot, with Office and 1 TB for $9.99. Yearly billing: Microsoft Copilot, at $199.99 for Premium. Model choice: Microsoft Copilot, with OpenAI and Anthropic models. Research reports: ChatGPT, on every plan. Coding: ChatGPT, with Codex on every plan. Data clarity: ChatGPT, with a documented opt-out. News accuracy: a tie, 36% against 37%, with Copilot ahead on sourcing. Ads: a tie, since both show them on free tiers.
When to Choose Microsoft Copilot Instead
Take Microsoft Copilot if you already pay for Microsoft 365, or want Office, storage and AI in one bill. Turn off ad personalization and One shared experience under Personalization if you use the free app.
Take ChatGPT for research reports, coding and a clearer training opt-out. Our list of the best ChatGPT alternatives covers other options.
How We Research
This comparison reuses the sources behind our ChatGPT review and our Microsoft Copilot review, rechecked on October 1, 2026. They include Microsoft’s plan comparison and privacy pages, OpenAI’s pricing and help pages, and the EBU and BBC study, each dated where used.
Both scores come from the same five criteria, applied to each tool in its own review. We run no tests of our own. The criteria behind every score live on our about page.
ChatGPT vs Microsoft Copilot FAQ
ChatGPT scores 3.6 in our reviews and Microsoft Copilot 3.3. Copilot fits Office users; ChatGPT fits research, coding and users who want clearer data rules.
It uses models from OpenAI and Anthropic. In September 2026, Microsoft announced Claude Opus 5.5 and GPT-6 Sol for its Office apps, WindowsForum reported.
Microsoft 365 Personal costs $9.99 a month with Copilot and the Office apps. ChatGPT Go costs $8 and Plus $20, monthly only.
No. Microsoft Copilot is the assistant in Windows, Edge and Microsoft 365. GitHub Copilot is a separate coding tool.
The older app trains unless you opt out; the updated app’s pages list no training switch. Microsoft says it does not train on Copilot use inside Microsoft 365 apps on Personal and Family.
The Verdict
ChatGPT vs Microsoft Copilot goes to ChatGPT on our score, 3.6 to 3.3, but Copilot wins for Office users. Copilot bundles AI with the apps and storage many people already pay for. ChatGPT offers research reports on every plan, Codex and clearer training controls.
If you pick Copilot, check its Personalization settings. On either one, turn off training before you paste anything private.