If your business runs on Microsoft 365, you're probably already paying for some AI. Microsoft says Copilot Chat comes with eligible business plans at no extra cost. It's a web-grounded assistant, and it includes Copilot in Outlook.
The paid add-on is a different product. It brings Copilot into Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Teams, works from your own email, files, calendar and meetings, and includes pre-built agents like Researcher and Analyst. It's sold for businesses with up to 300 users, billed monthly or yearly, but committed for a year. Microsoft also sells it bundled: Business Standard with Copilot at $23.50 and Business Premium with Copilot at $32 per user per month, paid yearly.
The math for a 25-person office: 25 × $21 × 12 = $6,300 a year. Five seats is $1,260.
Most of a 25-person team won't use the paid features enough to justify a year's commitment on day one. The people who spend their day in Outlook, Excel and Teams meetings might. Start with them.
Before you buy, check
- Who uses the free version. Run Copilot Chat for 30 days, then ask who used it and for what.
- Your file permissions. Microsoft says Copilot only surfaces data a user already has permission to see. If your SharePoint and OneDrive sharing is a mess, Copilot makes that mess easier to find. Lock down payroll and HR folders first. (Microsoft: data, privacy and security)
- Your renewal date. It's a year-long commitment, so calendar the decision before you buy.