In the first article we saw how to understand which Copilot you already have active. Now the question becomes: how much does the paid version cost, and does it make sense compared to alternatives like ChatGPT, Gemini, or Claude? Let's look at the numbers — with an honest disclaimer.

A note on prices. AI pricing changes often, with frequent promotions and adjustments. The values below are indicative, VAT excluded, updated as of June 2026: always check the current price on the vendor's site or with your reseller (partner) before deciding.

5. Copilot licenses and their prices

Microsoft's paid offering is mainly structured as a per-user add-on, plus a consumption-based model for agents. The Copilot license must always be added on top of an eligible Microsoft 365 base subscription.

Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat — Protected AI chat (enterprise data protection), reasons over the web · Included with eligible M365 business/enterprise subscriptions

Microsoft 365 Copilot (add-on) — Copilot integrated into Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams — connected to your data · €28.10/user/month (annual commitment). Promo running until 6/30/2026 starting at €15/month\*

Base M365 license (required under Copilot) — Base subscription required for the Copilot add-on · Business Standard €10.50 · Business Premium €18.90 /user/month

Pay-as-you-go agents (Copilot Studio) — Consumption-based automations/agents, without a full license for everyone · Packages of 25,000 credits ≈ €173.30/month, consumption model

\ Microsoft promotion active until 6/30/2026 on Copilot Business (e.g. Copilot standalone from €15/month, bundle with Business Standard from €19/month, with Business Premium from €27/month; 10 licenses minimum). Terms subject to change.*

Two practical aspects. First: Copilot Business plans require an annual commitment, with monthly or annual billing (monthly usually has a small surcharge); there's no real "month-to-month" that can be canceled at any time. Second: you always need an eligible base Microsoft 365 license under Copilot, so the cost of the base subscription must be added to the add-on cost.

Worth keeping an eye on: Microsoft has announced a price update starting July 1, 2026, with increases for commercial customers that vary (averaging around 5% on Business plans). The new prices apply to purchases and renewals after that date: if you're evaluating now, factor in the renewal impact.

6. Copilot, ChatGPT, Gemini, or Claude: which is best for a company

They are all great assistants, but they serve different needs. The most important difference for a company isn't "which is smarter," but how well it integrates with the tools and data you already use — and with what protection.

Integrates with your files and email — Yes, natively (Word, Excel, Outlook, Teams via Microsoft Graph) · Only with separately configured connectors · Gemini: yes inside Google Workspace. Claude: no native integration

Ideal ecosystem — Companies already on Microsoft 365 · Those who want the most versatile GPT model, independent of a suite · Gemini: companies on Google Workspace. Claude: long-form writing and analysis

Indicative price (VAT excl.) — €28.10/user/month + base license · ≈ €20–23/user/month · Gemini: included in Workspace plans (≈ €8–25). Claude: ≈ €19–23/seat (5 min)

Business data protection — Yes: tenant data doesn't train the models · Yes on Business/Enterprise plans · Yes on their respective business plans

Prices for ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude originally in dollars and converted here as indicative values; Gemini as of 2026 is included in Google Workspace paid plans rather than sold as a separate add-on. Always verify official pricing.

The key point. If your company already lives inside Microsoft 365, Copilot is often the most natural choice: it works on your documents, emails, and meetings without complex setup and respects existing permissions. ChatGPT shines as a versatile generalist assistant, independent of the suite; Gemini makes sense for those on Google Workspace; Claude is highly regarded for long-form writing and analysis. Many companies, in practice, use more than one: Copilot inside the apps, a generalist assistant for the rest.

What makes sense to do, in practice

There's no one-size-fits-all answer, but there's a reasonable path that works for almost all companies.

  • Start with the free version. Check that Copilot Chat with enterprise protection is available and that people access it with their work account. It's a zero-cost way to get the team used to AI and gather the first real use cases.
  • Identify high-impact roles. Paid licenses pay off more where there's a lot of writing, many meetings, and many documents: sales, marketing, leadership, project management, HR, customer service. You don't need to give Copilot to everyone from day one.
  • Run a measured pilot. Activate a small group (say 10–20 people), set concrete goals (hours saved, response times), and after 4–8 weeks look at the usage reports: active users and frequency of use will tell you if the investment is working.
  • Take care of the prerequisites, especially data. Paid Copilot is only as powerful as your environment is orderly: SharePoint permissions, sharing, document sensitivity. Before extending it, make sure people can't see — through Copilot — files they shouldn't have access to.
  • Consider consumption-based agents for specific cases. If you need to automate a process (an agent that answers on a knowledge base, for example) without giving everyone a full license, the pay-as-you-go model can be more efficient.
  • Review licenses on a fixed cadence. Every quarter compare licenses purchased, assigned, and used. Reassign or reduce what's left unused: it's the simplest way to avoid wasting budget.

Sources

  • Microsoft 365 Copilot plans and pricing (Microsoft)
  • Microsoft 365 Copilot pricing – AI Agents / Copilot Studio (Microsoft)
  • Microsoft 365 price increases from July 2026 (resellers/partners)
  • ChatGPT Business / Enterprise pricing (OpenAI Help Center)
  • Gemini included in Google Workspace plans (Google Workspace Help)
  • Anthropic – Claude Team / Enterprise plans