Microsoft Copilot
The assistant inside Windows, Word, Excel and Teams — OpenAI power, Microsoft surface.
Standout features
Copilot puts OpenAI models where work already happens — across Windows and the Microsoft 365 apps millions use daily.
Worldwide search interest, indexed 0–100 · Google Trends.
Copilot’s value is location — a capable assistant exactly where office work happens.
- Lives inside Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and Teams.
- Frontier OpenAI models behind the scenes.
- An assistant built into Windows itself.
- Enterprise-grade data controls and admin tooling.
Copilot rides OpenAI’s models on Microsoft’s rails.
- Powered by current GPT models.
- Deepest reach into Office documents and Teams.
- Windows-level integration.
- Microsoft’s enterprise compliance stack.
A free tier sits below Pro and M365 Copilot.
Copilot is for the Microsoft-stack workplace.
- Teams already on Microsoft 365.
- Excel and PowerPoint heavy users.
- Enterprises needing governance and compliance.
- People wanting the best standalone chat.
- Non-Microsoft shops.
No tool is perfect — the trade-offs to weigh:
- Standalone chat trails ChatGPT despite shared models.
- In-app results can be inconsistent across Office apps.
- Best value needs a Microsoft 365 subscription.
- Rollout of features varies by plan and tenant.
- ✓Built into Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams
- ✓Frontier OpenAI models
- ✓Assistant baked into Windows
- ✓Enterprise governance and compliance
- ✓Familiar to millions of office users
- ✕Standalone chat trails ChatGPT
- ✕In-app results can be inconsistent
- ✕Best value needs a Microsoft 365 plan
- ✕Feature rollout varies by tenant
Copilot earns its place by being where work already happens — inside Word, Excel and Teams — and Office-heavy teams value that proximity plus Microsoft’s governance. The recurring criticism is that, despite sharing OpenAI’s models, the standalone chat and in-app results can feel a step behind ChatGPT. For Microsoft 365 organisations, sentiment is positive; as a standalone bot, more mixed.
Microsoft Copilot is built by Microsoft, layering OpenAI’s models across Windows and the Microsoft 365 suite.
Company figures are drawn from public disclosures and reputable trackers (gathered Jun 2026). User and revenue numbers are estimates and move fast.
Pick up to two other coding tools to see them head-to-head on the same rubric.