ChatGPT vs Microsoft Copilot: Which AI Should You Use?
By Parker Henkel · Last reviewed
ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot both run on OpenAI models, but they serve different purposes. ChatGPT is a powerful general-purpose assistant, while Copilot is designed to live inside Microsoft 365 apps. Choosing between them depends on where you do your work.
Bottom Line
If your company runs on Microsoft 365, Copilot is transformative - it drafts emails in Outlook, builds presentations in PowerPoint, and analyzes data in Excel without leaving those apps. For everything else, ChatGPT is more capable, more flexible, and a better value.
Category Scores
| Category | ChatGPT | Microsoft Copilot |
|---|---|---|
| Writing Quality | 8/10 Direct access to OpenAI's current models with granular prompt control. Better for crafting specific tones and formats. | 7/10 Runs on OpenAI models under the hood, but behind Microsoft's guardrails. Output is solid and less customizable. |
| Microsoft 365 Integration | 4/10 No native Office integration. You copy-paste between ChatGPT and Office apps. | 10/10 Built into Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Teams. Reads your files and edits them in place. |
| Reasoning & Analysis | 9/10 Full control over reasoning effort for complex analysis and math. | 7/10 Reasoning is competent but does not expose advanced reasoning models. Focused on productivity tasks. |
| Speed | 9/10 Fast across all models with streaming responses. | 8/10 Responsive inside Office apps. Slightly slower when processing large documents or spreadsheets. |
| Price | 7/10 Free tier available. Plus at $20/month. Great value as a standalone tool. | 5/10 Copilot Pro at $20/month. Microsoft 365 Copilot for business at $30/user/month on top of M365 subscription. |
Best For
ChatGPT
General AI tasks, advanced reasoning, standalone use
Microsoft Copilot
Microsoft 365 workflows, enterprise teams