Artificial intelligence is no longer a futuristic concept. It’s here, it’s working alongside your favorite apps, and it’s transforming how businesses operate. Microsoft 365 Copilot aims to unlock new levels of productivity, efficiency, and insight. But how does it compare to OpenAI’s subscription-based companion, ChatGPT Plus, and which works better for business purposes?
What is Microsoft 365 Copilot?
First, let’s quickly look at some Microsoft 365 Copilot basics. It’s not a standalone product, but a branded experience that integrates large language model (LLM) capabilities across Microsoft 365 applications. Microsoft uses the Copilot name to describe its suite of LLM AI tools. Think of Microsoft 365 Copilot as an intelligent digital assistant, integrated into Microsoft 365 apps like Word, Excel, Outlook, Teams, and PowerPoint. This paid subscription tool uses natural language to help you securely interact with your business data, documents, and communications. Theoretically, it’s like a super-efficient intern who’s always available, understands your workflow, and helps you summarize, draft, research, and organize—all within the apps you already use. Compared to ChatGPT Plus, Microsoft 365 Copilot’s biggest benefit is that it keeps queries private, in a closed system that won’t land your proprietary business data in the public domain.
Weighing Data Security Against Task Performance
I emphasize theoretically above because in our experience, Microsoft 365 Copilot doesn’t meet business requirements—at least, not yet. At a cost of $30 a month per user, Microsoft 365 Copilot cannot achieve what ChatGPT Plus can do for $20 a month per user. Microsoft 365 Copilot out of the box does a little bit of everything—not very well. ChatGPT Plus outperforms Microsoft 365 Copilot on task quality, consistency, and ease. Stated more bluntly, ChatGPT Plus handles most tasks better than Microsoft 365 Copilot. One reason for that is that Microsoft 365 Copilot operates on an outdated LLM. While ChatGPT Plus runs on today’s most advanced versions of the AI-powered tool, Microsoft 365 Copilot relies on older versions with lesser capabilities.
How Microsoft 365 Copilot Works
When you type a prompt into a Microsoft 365 app, Copilot generates responses by combining user prompts with organizational context from Microsoft Graph—integrating information from your emails, files, and more—before processing tasks through an LLM nestled in the safety of a Microsoft cloud environment. The intended result is a context-aware response grounded in your company data. The entire process stays within a secure loop, preventing sensitive business information from floating in the abyss.
Further complicating Copilot confusion, there’s also a Copilot for the web, which pulls insights from public internet sources. Web-based Copilots exist in other Microsoft products such as Edge and Bing Chat Enterprise, which include generative AI features like image creation (via DALL·E). Web-based Copilots don’t access internal company data unless they’re integrated with a signed-in Microsoft 365 work account. Copilot for the web is more private than public AI tools like ChatGPT Plus—especially when used through a logged-in Microsoft 365 work account. That’s because Copilot doesn’t share your data with third parties unless you give it permission, nor does it use your data to train its AI models without your consent.
Benefits of Microsoft 365 Copilot
Microsoft 365 Copilot can help businesses:
- Summarize key documents and emails
- Catch up on team communications
- Draft professional messages and reports
- Answer complex questions using internal data
The goal is faster speed and higher productivity across roles. As developers work to refine Microsoft 365 Copilot, it could become a game-changer for organizations juggling large datasets and complex workflows. Based on what we’re seeing, however, it’s just not there yet.
What Does it Cost?
To use Microsoft 365 Copilot, you need:
- A Microsoft 365 Business Premium license without Teams Premium:
Costs $22-26/user/month (for businesses with 10-300 employees and a year-long commitment) - A Microsoft 365 Copilot license:
Costs an additional $30/user/month (with a year-long commitment) - Entra ID P2:
Costs about $9/user/month (and is strongly recommended for users with access to sensitive information)
A Better Way Forward: Private GPT
Comparing the tools’ strengths and weaknesses may leave you wondering if it’s possible to get the higher task performance of ChatGPT Plus and the privacy of Microsoft 365 Copilot, all in one solution. The answer is yes! With K3 Technology, your tech is your jet fuel. We build private GPT solutions tailored to business needs. Our custom AI solutions harness the power of today’s LLMs in a private cloud environment—yielding intelligent, full-context insights from your unique data—while keeping that data secure.
Security Matters
AI is transforming how businesses operate—helping professionals work smarter by optimizing time management while reducing overhead expenses. A word of caution: With great power comes great responsibility. Because Microsoft 365 Copilot can access everything users can see, setting appropriate controls around data access is crucial. Here are a couple of examples why that’s the case:
- A user unaware they have access to HR files could surface payroll details with a single prompt.
- If a compromised account is licensed with Copilot, a cybercriminal may need hours (instead of weeks) to access sensitive data.
Businesses should utilize conditional access policies and privileged identity management (PIM) to keep sensitive information in the right hands.
When building private GPT for businesses, K3 Technology sets controls that enable users to access only the data they need.
To stay protected, businesses should:
- Revisit their data governance and identity security policies
- Implement role-based access controls (RBAC)
- Use higher-level licenses for users with broader access to internal systems
Implementation Tips
Before you fully roll out AI across your business, consider starting with small steps:
- Identify a pilot group of employees who may benefit most from LLM
- Provide end-user training around prompt engineering to maximize return on investment (ROI) and avoid misuse
- Work with IT stakeholders to define clear business outcomes
- Measure success over time
- Expand adoption based on business value and security readiness
For organizations focused on AI in meetings specifically, Microsoft Teams Premium is an affordable way to unlock similar Copilot features for $10-12/user/month.
The Future Is Now
Much like the internet in the early ‘90s — AI that’s optional today will be inevitable tomorrow. Within five years, most businesses will require AI for core operations. Even if you’re not ready to fully implement AI today, now is the time to:
- Plan your strategy
- Organize your data
- Evaluate business use cases
Companies that act early and embrace AI’s capabilities will stay ahead of the curve while those that don’t may find themselves playing catch-up. Whether you're planning a full rollout of Microsoft 365 Copilot, starting smaller with Teams Premium, or exploring private GPT that’s tailored to your business, K3 Technology can help. We assess AI readiness, design governance, train teams, and deploy solutions that fit your unique business needs.
Ready to start your business AI journey?
Let’s talk about how we can help your business prepare for the AI revolution and unlock its full potential—safely.
