Microsoft introduces Copilot Pro, making the generative AI chatbot accessible to all Office users. However, does its value justify the monthly subscription cost?

Microsoft’s Copilot Pro subscription, priced at $20 per month, grants users access to Microsoft’s Copilot AI assistant within Office. This means Copilot can assist with various tasks such as drafting Word documents, managing Excel spreadsheets, creating PowerPoint presentations, composing Outlook emails, organizing notes in OneNote, and providing information relevant to the open file.

The standout feature of Copilot Pro is the integration of AI into Office, now available to individuals rather than solely to businesses. However, Copilot Pro offers more than just Office integration, and Microsoft intends to promote it widely through advertisements, including experimental ads in Windows 11’s Settings app.

So, what exactly can Copilot Pro accomplish? How effective is it? And is it worth subscribing to?

Copilot vs. Copilot Pro vs. Copilot for Microsoft 365

Copilot, Microsoft’s generative AI-based chatbot, operates similarly to Microsoft’s ChatGPT, leveraging the same underlying technology. Initially launched as Bing Chat in 2023, Microsoft rebranded it as “Copilot,” with minimized Bing branding.

There are three distinct versions of Copilot:

1. Copilot: The standard version of Microsoft Copilot is free and comes integrated into Windows 11, with plans to extend compatibility to Windows 10. Users can access Copilot through the web or via dedicated apps for Android and iPhone.
2. Copilot Pro: This premium tier enhances Copilot with additional features, such as integration with Microsoft Office applications like Word, which is not available in the free version. Copilot Pro requires a paid subscription and targets consumers or individual professionals, rather than businesses.
3. Copilot for Microsoft 365: Designed specifically for businesses, this version of Copilot offers advanced capabilities beyond Copilot Pro. It comes at a higher price point and is not limited to Office app integration. Leveraging Microsoft Graph, it can access a company’s data to perform tasks like generating a Word document based on email contents or providing insights by referencing various documents within the organization’s database.

Copilot Pro: Price and availability

Microsoft’s Copilot Pro subscription is priced at $20 per month for individual users, with no free trial available, necessitating at least a one-month commitment to try it out.

To leverage Copilot Pro features within apps like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, users also require a Microsoft 365 subscription, which comes at an additional cost of $100 per year for a family plan covering up to six individuals or $70 per year for an individual subscription.

The $20 monthly fee aligns with the pricing of ChatGPT Plus, suggesting that Copilot Pro serves as Microsoft’s counterpart to ChatGPT Plus, with its most compelling feature being integration into Office applications.

For businesses, Microsoft charges $30 per user per month for access to Copilot for Microsoft 365, positioning Copilot Pro as a mid-tier option between the free consumer Copilot and the more expensive Copilot for Microsoft 365 product.

However, it’s worth noting that like Copilot itself, Copilot Pro is not yet available worldwide. Currently, Microsoft states that it is “available in Austria, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Switzerland, Germany, Spain, France, United Kingdom, India, Italy, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, and the United States,” with plans to expand availability to more countries in the future.

Copilot Pro: Features

Microsoft advertises several features as part of Copilot Pro:

1. Copilot in Microsoft 365 apps: Users gain access to Copilot integration in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and OneNote. This integration goes beyond a mere chat sidebar, allowing users to ask Copilot to create or edit documents directly.
2. Priority access: Copilot Pro subscribers receive priority access to the GPT-4 and GPT-4 Turbo large language models during peak times. This ensures faster responses and increased productivity for users who rely on Copilot.
3. AI image creation boosts: Microsoft Designer enables users to generate AI images using OpenAI’s DALL-E 3 image generation model. Copilot Pro subscribers receive 100 “boosts” per day for Designer, allowing for faster image creation and editing.

Additionally, Microsoft has announced plans to include a “Copilot GPT Builder” feature in Copilot Pro, enabling users to customize their Copilot experience for specific topics. However, this feature is not yet available at launch.

These features are cross-platform, meaning they are accessible across various devices and platforms, including mobile apps and the Copilot website. Moreover, Copilot features are available in Microsoft 365 apps for Windows, Mac, and iPad.

The value proposition of Copilot Pro is clear: faster access to Copilot’s chat experience, expedited AI image creation, and potential customization through the GPT Builder feature. Users can determine the utility of these features based on their usage patterns and productivity needs.

As for the effectiveness of Copilot integration in Office apps, it remains a crucial aspect that determines the overall success of Copilot Pro. Evaluating how well Copilot enhances productivity within Office applications is essential for assessing its true value.

How Copilot Pro works in Microsoft 365 (a.k.a. Office) apps

Copilot’s integration with Office applications, particularly in Word, showcases significant improvements compared to its integration in Windows. Here’s how it functions within Word:

1. Document Creation: Upon starting a new document, users encounter a “Draft with Copilot” box, prompting them to specify their desired content.
2. Line-by-Line Assistance: Each line of text within the document displays a Copilot icon, enabling users to initiate Copilot’s assistance for individual sections.
3. Ribbon Bar Functionality: Word’s ribbon bar features a dedicated “Copilot” button adjacent to the “Editor” button, providing easy access to Copilot’s sidebar. This sidebar allows users to interact with the document, requesting Copilot to compose text, summarize the content, or make alterations like formatting adjustments.
4. Contextual Options: Users can right-click on selected text and choose the “Copilot” option from the context menu to access features such as text rewriting directly.

Unlike the limited integration of Copilot within Windows 11, which primarily involves minor settings adjustments, Copilot’s functionality within Office documents is far more extensive. It boasts capabilities such as assembling PowerPoint presentations and generating AI images using Microsoft Designer. Additionally, Copilot excels in writing, formatting documents, and facilitating changes to the style and formatting of existing content within documents, offering users a comprehensive suite of tools for document creation and editing.

How useful is Copilot Pro in Office?

Copilot Pro retains the same underlying model as Bing Chat and ChatGPT, offering the familiar functionality integrated into Office applications. While its Office integration is commendable, questions remain regarding its practical utility, especially for professions like journalism, where human-authored content remains paramount.

As a journalist, entrusting Copilot with writing tasks seems improbable, given the inherently human-centric nature of journalism. The discernible difference in quality between human-authored content and Copilot-generated text is evident. In a scenario where Copilot authored this review, its output would likely fall short of the expected standards.

However, there are instances where Copilot Pro proves beneficial. For example, navigating lengthy and complex Word documents becomes more efficient with Copilot’s assistance. Users can pose questions to Copilot within the sidebar, facilitating quicker comprehension of document contents compared to traditional methods like manual searching. Additionally, Copilot can expedite formatting changes, streamlining tasks and reducing tediousness.

While Copilot Pro may not replace human-authored content in journalistic contexts, its ability to augment certain tasks within Office applications underscores its value as a productivity tool in specific scenarios. As with any AI-powered tool, its effectiveness ultimately depends on the user’s workflow and requirements.

Indeed, AI tools like Copilot Pro can be invaluable for generating standard formal documents such as complaint letters or inquiries, which often involve boilerplate language. Copilot excels in these scenarios, efficiently producing structured and polished content, saving users time and effort.

However, when it comes to tasks like creating PowerPoint presentations, users should approach with caution. While Copilot Pro can generate presentations, its performance may vary depending on the complexity of the instructions provided. It tends to excel when users offer detailed instructions, engage in iterative feedback, and delegate small, tedious tasks to the AI. Expecting Copilot to produce a business-ready presentation from a single sentence prompt may result in subpar outcomes.

In summary, Copilot Pro’s effectiveness hinges on the nature of the task at hand and the level of guidance provided by the user. While it excels in generating standard formal documents with predefined structures, users should exercise discretion when delegating more complex tasks such as creating presentations.

Unlike the business-focused Copilot for Microsoft 365, Copilot Pro operates in a more isolated manner within the current Office document. While Copilot for Microsoft 365 boasts the ability to gather information from multiple documents and emails, Copilot Pro’s functionality is more limited in this regard. Users primarily interact with Copilot Pro within the context of their current Office document, without the capability to access or integrate data from external sources.

Is Copilot Pro worth it?

At $20 per month, Copilot Pro offers a competitive pricing structure comparable to ChatGPT Plus while leveraging the same advanced technology. With AI image generation tools powered by the DALL-E 3 model and seamless integration into Microsoft Office applications, Copilot Pro presents a compelling proposition for many users.

For individuals evaluating the worth of Copilot Pro, it ultimately boils down to their usage of AI chatbots and the potential benefits of integrating such a tool into their workflow within Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and OneNote. Opting for the $20 first-month trial can provide a hands-on experience to gauge its usefulness firsthand.

Copilot Pro proves particularly advantageous for individuals engaging in repetitive tasks, data mining within Office documents, or crafting boilerplate documents. Its integration into Office applications offers a significant productivity boost and time-saving potential in such scenarios.

While Copilot Pro may not excel at tasks requiring creative or nuanced human input, its seamless integration with Office marks a notable improvement in its utility. The effectiveness demonstrated within Office applications suggests promising potential for future AI integration within other Microsoft products, hinting at a bright future for AI-enhanced productivity tools.