WhichBot › Alternatives › Alternatives to Microsoft Copilot
Last checked Oct 29, 2026 · plain English · no paid picks
Best alternatives to Microsoft Copilot
Stay with Microsoft Copilot if you already pay for Microsoft 365 and want help inside Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook.
Try ChatGPT if you want one app that does a bit of everything: chat, voice, images, files and deep research.
Try Gemini if you live in Gmail, Docs and Android and want a generous free plan.
Try Claude if you mostly write, edit or work through long documents and want the most natural-sounding writing.
The alternatives
Chat assistants
ChatGPT
Chat app from OpenAI · OpenAI
Pick it if you want one app that does a bit of everything: chat, voice, images, files and deep research.
Price: Free $0; Go $8/mo (US); Plus $20/mo; Pro 100 $100, Pro 200 $200, Pro 500 $500 /mo. New Oct 28, 2026: Pro and Business subscribers can claim free OpenAI developer service credits each month (Pro $100/$200/$500 tier: $100/$200/$500; Business: $20 per Standard seat, $100 per Premium seat, capped at $500 per workspace). Credits expire at the end of each billing cycle and don't cover Codex via developer service key
Free plan: Yes
Watch out for: Go plan may include ads (OpenAI pricing page)
Microsoft Copilot vs ChatGPT · Alternatives to ChatGPT · Checked Oct 29, 2026
Chat assistants
Gemini
Chat app from Google · Google
Pick it if you live in Gmail, Docs and Android and want a generous free plan.
Price: Free; Google AI Plus $4.99/mo; Google AI Pro $19.99/mo; Ultra $99.99/mo (5x Pro limits) or $199.99/mo (20x). US prices on Google's plans page, checked Oct 17, 2026. Gemini 4 Argon is on Pro and Ultra
Free plan: Yes
Microsoft Copilot vs Gemini · Alternatives to Gemini · Checked Oct 29, 2026
Chat assistants
Claude
Chat app from Anthropic · Anthropic
Pick it if you mostly write, edit or work through long documents and want the most natural-sounding writing.
Price: Free $0; Pro $20/mo ($17/mo annual); Max from $100/mo
Free plan: Yes
Watch out for: No built-in image generation
Microsoft Copilot vs Claude · Alternatives to Claude · Checked Oct 29, 2026
Research
Perplexity
Answer app from Perplexity that cites its sources · Perplexity
Pick it if you want answers with sources you can check, especially on current events.
Price: Free $0; Pro $17/mo billed annually; Max $167/mo billed annually
Free plan: Yes
Watch out for: Free plan has limited Pro Search and Research
Alternatives to Perplexity · Checked Oct 29, 2026
Microsoft Copilot next to the top alternatives
| Microsoft Copilot | ChatGPT | Gemini | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | Chat app from Microsoft, also built into Microsoft 365 | Chat app from OpenAI | Chat app from Google |
| Made by | Microsoft | OpenAI | |
| Price | Microsoft 365 Personal $9.99/mo; Family $12.99/mo; Premium $19.99/mo; Pro $99.99/mo (monthly billing only; highest Copilot limits) | Free $0; Go $8/mo (US); Plus $20/mo; Pro 100 $100, Pro 200 $200, Pro 500 $500 /mo. New Oct 28, 2026: Pro and Business subscribers can claim free OpenAI developer service credits each month (Pro $100/$200/$500 tier: $100/$200/$500; Business: $20 per Standard seat, $100 per Premium seat, capped at $500 per workspace). Credits expire at the end of each billing cycle and don't cover Codex via developer service key | Free; Google AI Plus $4.99/mo; Google AI Pro $19.99/mo; Ultra $99.99/mo (5x Pro limits) or $199.99/mo (20x). US prices on Google's plans page, checked Oct 17, 2026. Gemini 4 Argon is on Pro and Ultra |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Good at | Works inside Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook; Best for: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook | Broadest feature set in one app: voice, images, files, deep research; Best for: all-rounder, data analysis, images, voice | Built into Gmail, Docs, Drive, Android; generous free plan; Best for: Google Workspace, research, images, voice, homework |
| Watch out for | On Family plans, AI features are only for the subscription owner | Go plan may include ads (OpenAI pricing page) | Not listed in our data |
| Privacy | Not listed in our data | Personal accounts: chats may train models by default; turn off 'Improve the model for everyone' in Data Controls. Business/Enterprise: no training by default | Keep Activity is on by default (18+): chats may be used to train AI and a subset reviewed by humans (kept up to 3 years). Turning it off stops future training; chats kept up to 72 hours |
| Where it runs | Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, web | web, iOS, Android | web, Android, iOS |
| Status | Current. Microsoft is retiring the Critique and Council preview features in Microsoft 365 Copilot Researcher (Frontier program users only) from late Oct to mid-Nov 2026; Researcher and Analyst stay (Message Center MC1515927, Oct 19, 2026) | Current. Custom GPTs retire Dec 11, 2026 (Enterprise workspaces with an approved delay: Feb 11, 2027); OpenAI says move them to Plugins. Existing chats with GPTs stay accessible. New Oct 20, 2026: locked chats (hide a chat behind a 4-digit PIN or device unlock) rolling out to Free, Go, Plus and Pro | Current |
| Sources | microsoft.com · microsoft.com (2) · mc.merill.net | chatgpt.com · openai.com · help.openai.com · help.openai.com (2) · help.openai.com (3) · help.openai.com (4) · developers.openai.com | gemini.google · support.google.com |
Related pages
- ChatGPT vs Microsoft Copilot
- Gemini vs Microsoft Copilot
- Claude vs Microsoft Copilot
- Alternatives to ChatGPT
- Alternatives to Claude
- Alternatives to Gemini
- Alternatives to Grok
- Alternatives to Mistral Vibe
Questions people ask
What is the best alternative to Microsoft Copilot?
It depends on what you need. Try ChatGPT if you want one app that does a bit of everything: chat, voice, images, files and deep research. Try Gemini if you live in Gmail, Docs and Android and want a generous free plan. Try Claude if you mostly write, edit or work through long documents and want the most natural-sounding writing.
Is there a free alternative to Microsoft Copilot?
Yes. These have a free plan: ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Perplexity.
Is Microsoft Copilot still worth using?
Yes, if you already pay for Microsoft 365 and want help inside Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook. Its status in our directory: current.
Are these picks paid for?
No. There are no paid picks, sponsors are always labeled, and WhichBot never takes sponsorship from AI labs.
Facts come from the companies' own pages, linked above, and were last checked Oct 29, 2026. Prices are US and can change. Picks are Hector's: no paid picks, sponsors always labeled, and no sponsorship from AI labs. Our policy.