In the last year, Microsoft has been investing heavily to bring AI into their own products. Under the Copilot brand, Microsoft has been innovating by leveraging OpenAI (ChatGPT) technologies and bringing them to customers worldwide.
However, most customers might be confused about which of the many Copilots they need and why, as there are so many variations and varieties that it is easy to get completely lost. If you have been reading the news, the most discussed has been Copilot in Windows or Edge, as these bring the power of AI to all users using Windows or Edge. From a business perspective, the most powerful innovation has been Microsoft Copilot for Microsoft 365, which brings AI into your corporate documents and has the greatest potential to make a difference in productivity across a company. Copilot for Microsoft 365 also includes the option to have Copilot as part of your (Microsoft) Office, i.e., Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, which further enhances its abilities to make a difference.
Microsoft AI magic comes packaged in many different SKUs and might be overwhelming when you start looking at all this. The majority of these are being sold as add-ons, but sometimes, the functionality is available as part of some of the existing (premium) packages.
If you are planning to start a Copilot pilot in your own company, Microsoft Copilot for Microsoft 365 is probably the most logical entry point into the world of corporate AI, with further deployments of more specialized Copilots.
I managed to collect information about 21 currently available major Copilot offerings in the table below. This list was compiled in May of 2024, and it is probably outdated as I write this blog.
Product | Experience | Type | Short Description | Licensing |
---|---|---|---|---|
Microsoft Copilot for Microsoft 365 | Everyone | Standalone AI Tool | Boost productivity with AI assistance across Microsoft 365 apps. | Requires $30/user/month |
Copilot in Windows | Everyone | Integrated AI Assistant | Integrated AI assistant available in the Windows taskbar. | Included with Windows 11 (no additional cost). Learn more |
Copilot for Security | Everyone | Standalone AI Tool | AI-powered tools to enhance security operations. | Requires a Microsoft 365 Defender or other security-related subscription. Pricing varies by plan. |
Copilot in Azure (preview) | Everyone | Integrated AI Features | AI features in Azure for various use cases, currently in preview. | Requires Azure subscription. Pricing varies by usage, typically starting at $0.75 per hour for standard instances. |
Copilot in Dynamics 365 Business Central | Business | Integrated AI Features | AI capabilities integrated into Dynamics 365 Business Central. | Requires Dynamics 365 Business Central Essentials ($70/user/month) or Premium license ($100/user/month) |
Copilot in Customer Insights | Business | Integrated AI Features | Enhance customer insights with AI-driven analytics in Dynamics 365. | Requires Dynamics 365 Customer Insights Professional ($1500/month) or Enterprise license (custom pricing) |
Copilot in Dynamics 365 (various apps) | Business | Integrated AI Features | Various AI features across different Dynamics 365 applications. | Requires relevant Dynamics 365 application licenses (e.g., Sales Enterprise $95/user/month, Customer Service Enterprise $95/user/month). |
Copilot for Finance | Industry | Standalone AI Tool | AI tools tailored for finance operations. | Requires Dynamics 365 Finance license, starting at $180/user/month. |
Copilot for Sales | Industry | Standalone AI Tool | AI tools designed to enhance sales processes. | Requires Dynamics 365 Sales Enterprise ($95/user/month) or Professional license ($65/user/month) |
Copilot for Service | Industry | Standalone AI Tool | AI-driven service management tools. | Requires Dynamics 365 Customer Service Enterprise license ($95/user/month) |
Copilot templates for store operations | Industry | Standalone AI Templates | Templates to streamline store operations with AI. | Requires Dynamics 365 Commerce ($180/user/month) or Supply Chain Management license ($180/user/month) |
Copilot template for personalized shopping (preview) | Industry | Standalone AI Templates | AI-driven personalized shopping experiences, currently in preview. | Requires Dynamics 365 Commerce ($180/user/month) or Customer Insights license (pricing varies), available in preview. |
Copilot in Microsoft Fabric and Power BI (preview) | Makers | Integrated AI Features | AI features in Microsoft Fabric and Power BI, currently in preview. | Requires Microsoft Fabric and Power BI Pro ($9.99/user/month) or Premium licenses (starting at $4,995/capacity/month), available in preview. |
Copilot in Power Apps (preview) | Makers | Integrated AI Features | AI capabilities in Power Apps to assist app makers. | Requires Power Apps per app plan ($5/user/app/month) or per user plan ($20/user/month), available in preview. |
Copilot in Power Automate | Makers | Integrated AI Features | Automate workflows with AI in Power Automate. | Requires Power Automate per user plan ($15/user/month) or per flow plan ($500/5 flows/month). |
Copilot in Power Pages (preview) | Makers | Integrated AI Features | AI tools for web development in Power Pages, currently in preview. | Requires Power Pages license ($200/month for authenticated users, $75/month for anonymous users), available in preview. |
Microsoft Copilot Plugins | Developer Tool | Developer Tool for Custom Plugins | Create custom plugins for Microsoft Copilot. | Requires a relevant Microsoft 365 or Azure subscription. |
Microsoft Copilot Studio | Developer Tool | Developer Tool for Customization | Develop and customize Copilot experiences. | Requires Copilot Studio User License, available through Microsoft 365 admin center. |
GitHub Copilot | Developer Tool | AI Code Assistance Tool | AI code suggestions and autocompletion for developers. | Requires GitHub Copilot subscription, $10/user/month or $100/user/year. |
Microsoft Azure AI Studio | Developer Tool | Developer Tool for AI Models | Build and deploy AI models with Azure AI Studio. | Requires Azure subscription, pricing varies by service usage. |
Copilot in Viva | Everyone | Integrated AI Features | AI-powered assistance to enhance employee experience in Viva applications. | Requires Viva suite or standalone app subscription, starting at $4/user/month. |