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Microsoft Copilot vs ChatGPT: which is worth it for home users?

If you already pay for Microsoft 365, you get Copilot in Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook at no extra cost, though on Family only for the person who bought the subscription; Microsoft 365 Basic does not include the AI features. In Germany Microsoft 365 Single costs 10 euros a month and Family 13 euros (as of October 2026). ChatGPT Plus costs 23 euros and is the more versatile assistant, especially for research, images and coding. Copilot got a new app in August 2026 and dropped Deep Research for consumers along the way.

Microsoft Copilot or ChatGPT

Checked on 11 October 2026

  • Price in Germany1,6

    Microsoft Copilot:
    Copilot app free; Microsoft 365 Single €10 a month or €99 a year, Family €13 or €129, Premium €22 or €219
    ChatGPT:
    Free €0; Go €8; Plus €23; Pro from €103 a month; monthly plans only

  • Availability in Germany1,2,6,9,16

    Microsoft Copilot:
    Available; new Copilot app since 18 August 2026; Cowork (preview on Premium and Pro) only in the US and Canada
    ChatGPT:
    Available on the web and as an app; GPT-6 since 7 October 2026 for Plus, rolling out to Free and Go from 8 October

  • What you get1,2,6,9

    Microsoft Copilot:
    Free: chat, images, file uploads; with a subscription: Copilot in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and OneNote plus the Office apps and cloud storage (Single: 1 TB)
    ChatGPT:
    All-round assistant with web search, Deep Research, images and projects; with GPT-6 since October 2026

  • Limits1,3,6

    Microsoft Copilot:
    Allowances only vague ("higher than free"); on Family only the subscription owner gets the AI; Deep Research for consumers retired since 18 Aug 2026
    ChatGPT:
    Free and Go: Deep Research only limited; strongest models with caps

  • Privacy4,5,8

    Microsoft Copilot:
    Copilot in Word and co. not used to train foundation models, according to Microsoft; app has switches for memory and ad personalisation
    ChatGPT:
    Training controllable in Data controls; Temporary Chats kept up to 30 days, not used for training

  • Ads5,6,7

    Microsoft Copilot:
    Possible in the Copilot app without a Microsoft 365 subscription; personalisation can be switched off
    ChatGPT:
    Possible on Free and Go, not personalised in the EEA for now; Plus and Pro ad-free

  • Working with Office files1,6,14,15,17,18

    Microsoft Copilot:
    Directly inside Word, Excel and PowerPoint; on personal plans Copilot in Excel only works with files saved in OneDrive
    ChatGPT:
    Add-in for Word, Excel and PowerPoint; edits and formats directly in the Word document; usage limits apply, companies may need admin approval

  • Best for1,2,6

    Microsoft Copilot:
    Households that already use Microsoft 365 and want AI directly in Word, Excel and Outlook
    ChatGPT:
    Anyone who wants a versatile assistant independent of Office, also for research, images and coding

Our take: Choose Copilot if you already pay for Microsoft 365 or need Office anyway: you get AI directly in Word and Excel at no extra cost, though on Family only for the subscription owner. Choose ChatGPT if you want a versatile assistant for research, images and coding. For occasional questions the free versions of both are enough.

Copilot and ChatGPT: what is what?

For home users Microsoft Copilot comes in two forms. The Copilot app is free and offers chat, image creation and file uploads, with usage limits. A Microsoft 365 subscription also puts Copilot into the Office programs Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and OneNote and gives you higher limits.

OpenAI's ChatGPT is a standalone assistant in the browser and as an app. It searches the web, analyses files, creates images and can work with collected documents in projects.

On 18 August 2026 Microsoft relaunched the Copilot app for personal accounts. According to Microsoft, Deep Research, Podcasts and Group Chat were retired for consumers in the process. As a replacement for Deep Research, Microsoft names Researcher, which according to Microsoft is only available on the Premium and Pro plans.

What both cost in Germany (as of October 2026)

According to Microsoft's German comparison page, Microsoft 365 Single costs 10 euros a month or 99 euros a year, Family for up to six people 13 euros or 129 euros, and Premium 22 euros or 219 euros. These include the Office programs, cloud storage and Copilot. According to heise, Premium is clearly cheaper than the former combination of Microsoft 365 and the separate Copilot Pro subscription.

Important for families: according to Microsoft, the AI features in Family and Premium can only be used by the person who bought the subscription. The other members get Office and storage, but no extended Copilot.

According to the German pricing page, ChatGPT costs 8 euros a month for Go, 23 euros for Plus and from 103 euros for Pro, each cancellable monthly. Office programs or cloud storage are not included.

What Copilot does better and what ChatGPT does better

Copilot's strength is its place inside the program: you can have it revise a text in Word or draft an outline in PowerPoint without copying content back and forth. According to Microsoft Support, on plans for individuals Copilot in Excel only works with files that are saved automatically to OneDrive. For work accounts with Copilot Chat, Microsoft now also supports Excel files stored locally. Microsoft describes how much you may use only vaguely, as higher than the free version, and as extensive on Premium.

ChatGPT covers more ground. According to OpenAI, it has run the new GPT-6 since October 2026, as GPT-6 Sol on Plus and as GPT-6 Luna on Free and Go. On top come Deep Research, image creation and projects for collected documents. ChatGPT is now also available as an add-in for Word, Excel and PowerPoint, even on the free version. In Word, according to OpenAI, it can revise and format text directly in the document; usage limits apply, and in companies the add-in may first need to be approved by an admin.

In the Which? test reported by Stiftung Warentest in January 2026 the two were close: Copilot answered 67 per cent of questions correctly, ChatGPT 65 per cent. Older model versions were tested.

Privacy and ads

For Copilot in Word, Excel and the other Office programs, Microsoft states that prompts, responses and file contents are not used to train the foundation models. For the Copilot app, Microsoft's privacy page lists switches for memory, web search and personalised ads. Whether chats in the new app are used for training is not answered explicitly on that page.

According to Microsoft, people who use the Copilot app without a Microsoft 365 subscription may see ads. Personalisation can be switched off.

On ChatGPT you control training in Data controls. Free and Go may show ads, which OpenAI says are not personalised in the European Economic Area for now. Plus and Pro are ad-free.

Who should pick which?

The following is an editorial recommendation based on the providers' information, not our own test.

Copilot through Microsoft 365 fits if you use Word, Excel and Outlook every day anyway and want help directly in the document. Then you pay nothing extra.

ChatGPT fits if you want an assistant for many tasks: answering questions, researching the web, analysing photos of documents or creating images. Thorough research reports are now only available on Copilot's Premium plan for 22 euros a month and on the Pro plan, while ChatGPT offers them in limited form even on the free version.

If you only need either now and then, the free versions of Copilot and ChatGPT are enough.

Sources

  1. Microsoft 365 – compare plans (German page, opened from Germany on 10 Oct 2026)
  2. Microsoft Support: Copilot app updates for personal, work, and school accounts
  3. Microsoft Support: Deep Research is being retired in the Copilot app
  4. Microsoft Support: Copilot in Microsoft 365 apps for home – your data and privacy
  5. Microsoft Support: Microsoft Copilot for individuals – your privacy controls and choices
  6. ChatGPT pricing (German pricing page, opened from Germany on 10 Oct 2026)
  7. OpenAI Help: Ads in ChatGPT
  8. OpenAI Help: Data controls in ChatGPT
  9. OpenAI: GPT-6 and Intelligent UI for everyone (7 Oct 2026)
  10. Microsoft Blog: Introducing the new Copilot with Home, Code and Autopilot (25 Sep 2026)
  11. heise online: Microsoft 365 – new subscription level for private users
  12. Notebookcheck: Microsoft Copilot – Deep Research ends, successor is paid-only
  13. Stiftung Warentest: AI chatbots tested – Perplexity beats ChatGPT and Meta AI (German, 16 Jan 2026)
  14. OpenAI Help: ChatGPT for Word
  15. Microsoft Marketplace: ChatGPT for Excel, Word and PowerPoint
  16. Microsoft Support: How AI usage works across Microsoft 365 subscriptions for individuals
  17. Microsoft Support: Frequently asked questions about Copilot in Microsoft 365 subscriptions for individuals (as of 31 Aug 2026)
  18. Microsoft 365 Insider Blog: Query your local Excel files with Copilot Chat (24 Feb 2026)

Created with AI assistance and editorially approved before publication.