ChatGPT vs Microsoft Copilot: which should you use in 2026?
ChatGPT is $20/month (Plus); Microsoft Copilot is $19.99/month (Microsoft 365 Personal). The one everyone knows — biggest ecosystem of features. The Office one — AI inside Word, Excel and Windows. Here's the honest side-by-side.
| Chatbot | Price / month | How smart is it? | Free version | Searches the web | Makes images | Voice conversations | Reads your files | Deep research reports | Phone app |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
OpenAI | $20 Plus · free tier too source | Top-5 on the LMArena crowd leaderboard GPT-5.5 source | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Microsoft | $19.99 Microsoft 365 Personal · free tier too source | Runs OpenAI's GPT-5-family models GPT-5 family source | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Choose ChatGPT if…
- All-rounders who want every feature in one app.
- Top-5 on the LMArena crowd leaderboard.
Choose Microsoft Copilot if…
- Microsoft 365 users who want AI in Office apps.
- Runs OpenAI's GPT-5-family models.
Still unsure? Both have free versions — try each for a week on your real tasks and keep the one you reach for. See the full comparison table or our methodology.