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? 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.

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 access GPT-4o by default, OpenAI’s fastest and most capable model. It supports natural language queries, code assistance, image interpretation and limited access to tools like web browsing and file uploads.

ChatGPT Plus

ChatGPT Plus is geared toward individuals who are looking to have a more powerful GPT experience. It has access to GPT-4 and GPT-4o, as well as the GPT 3.5 available in the free version. Additionally, it has access to DALL-E for image generation and allows for creating and using custom GPTs.

ChatGPT Team

The Team subscription provides everything found in ChatGPT Plus, but includes higher message limits to GPT models and tools like DALL-E. It allows for creating and sharing GPTs within your workspace, provides an admin console for managing your workspace and excludes team data from training the models by default.

ChatGPT Enterprise

The enterprise subscription gives everything that is available in the ChatGPT Team subscription but with unlimited high-speed access to all models and tools. It gives an expanded content window allowing for longer inputs and more advanced administrative controls.

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 Pro

Copilot Pro is similar to chat GPT Plus, in that it is designed for individuals who want to get more out of the Microsoft Copilot product. It is a paid subscription billed monthly.

Copilot for Microsoft 365

Copilot for Microsoft 365 is comparable to ChatGPT Team. It is designed for both individuals and teams working within Microsoft 365.

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 Copilot for Microsoft 365 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 Team 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 Codex, is tightly integrated into development environments like VS Code and provides real-time code suggestions and completions. ChatGPT, especially in GPT-4o, 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