Microsoft Copilot vs. ChatGPT: What’s the difference?

Quick Answer: 

• What is the difference between ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot? ChatGPT is a standalone generative AI chatbot; Microsoft Copilot is a suite of AI tools integrated into Microsoft apps.
• Do they use the same technology? Yes — both leverage OpenAI models, though how they’re accessed and applied varies.
• Which should I use? Use ChatGPT primarily for creative problem-solving and flexible use cases; choose Copilot if you primarily work in Microsoft 365 tools.

Today two big names in artificial intelligence are Microsoft Copilot and ChatGPT. Both are making huge changes across multiple industries and promise to change the way we work. Many ask, “what is the difference between Microsoft Copilot and ChatGPT?” Is one better than the other? Or are they basically the same technology with different branding? At Red River, our team helps organizations navigate and leverage these AI tools effectively, ensuring you choose the right solution for your unique needs. In this blog we’re going to take a closer look at both ChatGPT vs.  Microsoft Copilot and demystify the difference between the two and the advantages of both.

The Microsoft OpenAI partnership

An important aspect of comparing Microsoft Copilot to ChatGPT is to understand the partnership between Microsoft and OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT. Microsoft has partnered with and given funding to OpenAI to “accelerate AI breakthroughs to ensure these benefits are broadly shared with the world.” (Microsoft and OpenAI extend partnership – The Official Microsoft Blog). This means that there will be similarities between Copilot and ChatGPT and the technologies that power them.

Microsoft Copilot vs. ChatGPT: What are they?

Before diving deeper into the differences between ChatGPT vs Copilot, it’s helpful to understand the core question many users have: what is Microsoft Copilot used for, and how does it compare to standalone AI tools like ChatGPT?

Microsoft Copilot is designed to enhance productivity inside Microsoft 365 apps like Word, Excel and Teams. It automates document creation, summarizes threads, analyzes spreadsheets and more. ChatGPT, on the other hand, is a conversational AI tool ideal for general-purpose brainstorming, problem-solving, and generating custom outputs.

We’ll go into more depth in a second, but at a glance, here’s how they shake out:

ChatGPT

ChatGPT is a natural language processing chat bot driven by generative AI. It allows you to have human-like conversations and complete various tasks. For example, it can answer questions and assist with composing emails, essays and code. ChatGPT is free to use or is available as a subscription for individuals, teams and enterprises with features varying depending upon the subscription type.

ChatGPT Free

The free version of ChatGPT gives you a natural language interface, to get assistance with writing brainstorming, problem solving, code development and more. ChatGPT Free users now get access to GPT-4o-mini, including basic file and image tools. It supports natural language queries, code assistance, image interpretation and limited access to tools like web browsing and file uploads. It is a solid option for casual use, but more constrained compared to paid plans.

ChatGPT Go 

ChatGPT Go launched at (and, at time of writing, is currently) $8/month and is designed for users who want expanded access to GPT-5.2 Instant at a lower price point, with 10x more messages, file uploads and image creation options than the free tier, along with a longer memory and context window.

ChatGPT Plus

ChatGPT Plus, which at time of writing is $20/month, provides priority access during high-traffic periods, offers higher GPT-5.2 limits and has access to advanced reasoning models that “think through” problems before answering. Additionally, it has access to Deep Research tools and AI generation, as well as better memory and context than lower-price tiers. There is also limited access to Sora video generation.

ChatGPT Pro

Pro, a $200/month (at time of writing) plan is for researchers, engineers, and power users. It includes unlimited access to all of OpenAI’s top models, advanced voice and the most advanced reasoning modes. You get priority access to research tools like Operator, Codex and Sora video generation. 

ChatGPT Business (formerly ChatGPT Team)

The Business subscription provides everything found in ChatGPT Plus, but includes higher message limits to GPT models and image generation tools. It allows for creating and sharing GPTs within your workspace, provides an admin console for management, includes SAML SSO, and lets you connect company docs, wikis and other tools so that responses reflect your business’ internal context. It requires a minimum of 2 users, and guarantees that OpenAI won’t train on your workspace’s data.

ChatGPT Enterprise

Enterprise offers everything in the Business plan but scaled for larger organizations with more complex needs. It includes unlimited access to OpenAI’s top models, SOC 2 compliance, advanced security and data privacy protections, analytics dashboards, directory sync and dedicated support. Pricing is custom and negotiated directly with OpenAI.

Learn more about the types and pricing of ChatGPT here.

Microsoft Copilot

When comparing Microsoft Copilot vs. ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot has many similarities to OpenAI ChatGPT. Both use natural language processing to allow users to interact with the tool in a natural way. Microsoft also uses large language models to generate responses to users’ prompts. Microsoft Copilot can also be used for a variety of different tasks from sparking creativity, doing research, generating new text writing code and more.

Microsoft Copilot

Microsoft Copilot is free and can be used for many things that ChatGPT is used for, such as writing emails or reports, doing research, sparking creativity and more. Copilot Chat is available at no additional cost to all Microsoft Entra ID users with an eligible Microsoft 365 subscription, and has rolled out inside Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote.

Microsoft 365 Personal/Family/Premium

Replacing the former Copilot Pro tier, this is designed for individuals who want to get more out of the Microsoft Copilot product. It is a paid subscription billed monthly. Premium is for power users who want more Copilot access.

Microsoft 365 Copilot for Business

This comes in two pricing tiers. The first is a more affordable version for organizations with 300 or fewer employees (at time of writing, $21/user/month, down from the original $30); the second is for larger businesses and retains the $30/user/month price. It is comparable to ChatGPT Business, and is designed for both individuals and teams working within Microsoft 365. It includes access to the AI assistant in Excel, Teams, Outlook and Copilot agents.

Microsoft Copilot comes with many more versions. For example, there are Microsoft Copilot versions specifically for use with GitHub power platform service departments and sales organizations, to name a few. For a breakdown of all currently available Microsoft Copilots, please refer to our ebook, “Microsoft’s Copilots”.

Which is Better for Business Use? 

When comparing ChatGPT versus Copilot in a business context, your choice may depend on your tech stack:

Microsoft 365 Copilot for Business is best for businesses already embedded in the Microsoft ecosystem. It integrates seamlessly with Outlook, Excel and Teams to automate repetitive workflows and boost team collaboration.

ChatGPT Business or Enterprise is more versatile across industries and platforms. It’s not tied to a specific suite of software, so it’s ideal for teams using multiple tools or needing custom GPTs for proprietary workflows.

Ultimately, ChatGPT offers more flexibility, while Copilot delivers more embedded, task-specific support.

ChatGPT vs Copilot for Coding

For developers, Copilot vs. ChatGPT for coding brings different strengths to the table. GitHub Copilot, powered by OpenAI’s GPT-5.3-Codex, is tightly integrated into development environments like VS Code and provides real-time code suggestions, completions and more. GitHub Copilot has grown massively since its earlier incarnations, and now supports multiple models from Anthropic’s Claude, OpenAI and Google’s Gemini. ChatGPT, especially in its current GPT-5 models, is better for reasoning through complex coding problems, debugging and generating larger code snippets based on natural language prompts. Many developers use both tools side-by-side for maximum productivity.

FAQ: ChatGPT vs Microsoft Copilot