Facts checked Oct 18, 2026Price checked Oct 16, 2026 on microsoft.com.
Explain it simply
Microsoft 365 Copilot is an AI assistant inside the Office apps many businesses already use. It can draft documents and emails, summarize meetings and answer questions using your company's own files. Partners also build agents on it, for example to read and code invoices.
Copilot works inside Microsoft 365 apps and draws on your organization's emails, files and meetings. Copilot Chat comes with eligible plans; a Copilot licence adds Copilot in the apps, Work IQ grounding, Microsoft's Researcher and Analyst agents, and custom agents. Copilot Studio builds agents.
Firms that want AI grounded in their own emails and documents
Watch-outs
Know before you start
Needs an eligible Microsoft 365 plan, and the full licence is per user
It answers from what it can access, so file permissions matter
Custom agents in Copilot Chat are metered
Pricing and access
Copilot Chat comes at no extra cost with eligible Microsoft business plans. The full Copilot licence is paid per user, either as an add-on or bundled into the Business Standard and Business Premium plans.
Price checked Oct 16, 2026 on microsoft.com. Prices and plans change; check the official site before you buy.
Facts and sources
Microsoft says Copilot Chat users can use custom agents on a metered basis, while licensed users can use assistive custom agents at no extra cost.Microsoft, Oct 16, 2026
Microsoft lists the Copilot Business add-on at $18 per user a month paid yearly ($25.20 monthly), and Copilot Chat in Outlook at no extra cost with eligible plans.Microsoft, Oct 17, 2026