Microsoft launches Copilot Pro

Microsoft has announced the launch of Copilot Pro, a new subscription that will deliver advanced features and capabilities of Microsoft Copilot to individuals looking to enhance their Copilot experience. 

The new consumer plan, Copilot Pro, is priced at $20 per user per month. It provides access to Copilot GenAI features across Word, Excel (in English preview), PowerPoint, Outlook, and OneNote on PC, Mac, and iPad for Microsoft 365 Personal or Family plan users. Copilot Pro is a premium add-on and doesn't come bundled with a Microsoft 365 subscription. When combined with the Copilot enterprise offering (Copilot for Microsoft 365), the total cost of the lowest-tier Microsoft 365 subscription becomes $27 per month ($6.99 for Microsoft 365 Personal plus $20 for Copilot Pro).

Copilot Pro offers the same Microsoft 365 capabilities as enterprise customers, such as writing, editing, summarizing, and generating text in Word and OneNote, turning natural language commands into designed presentations and data visualizations in Excel and PowerPoint, and assisting with email responses in Outlook.

In addition to Microsoft 365 upgrades, Copilot Pro subscribers receive 100 daily 'boosts' in Designer, Microsoft's AI-powered image creation tool, to expedite image generation. They also get improved generation quality, landscape formatting options, and priority access to the latest GenAI models, including OpenAI's GPT-4 Turbo, for enhanced performance during peak times.

In the future, Copilot Pro subscribers will have the ability to switch between models based on preferences and use Microsoft's upcoming Copilot GPT Builder to create customized 'Copilots' for specific topics from sets of prompts. The Copilot GPT Builder is expected to integrate with Microsoft services and apps, providing even more customization options. As Copilot Pro evolves, Microsoft aims to offer users a comprehensive suite of AI-powered tools, solidifying Copilot as a significant component of their product portfolio and revenue strategy.

Co-Pilot For Business 

As Microsoft introduces a premium Copilot version for consumers, it is expanding the availability of the service for businesses. Copilot is now generally accessible to organizations subscribed to Microsoft 365 Business Premium, Microsoft 365 Business Standard, Microsoft 365 E3 and E5, or Office 365 E3 and Office E5.

Previously, Copilot for Microsoft 365 had a 300-user minimum purchase requirement and necessitated a Microsoft 365 license. However, both of these prerequisites have been eliminated. Notably, there are distinctions between Copilot for Microsoft 365 and Copilot Pro, with a significant feature in enterprise Copilot allowing real-time summaries and action items within Teams, specifically designed for organizational needs rather than individual consumers. This functionality aids in tasks like identifying individuals for follow-ups and creating meeting agendas.

Furthermore, Copilot for Microsoft 365 includes what Microsoft refers to as "enterprise-grade data protection" and the Semantic Index, a backend system that constructs a comprehensive map of an organization's data and content. This mapping enables Copilot to provide seemingly more personalized and relevant responses.

Customers using Copilot for Microsoft 365 also have the opportunity to utilize enhanced customization features through Copilot Studio, an upgraded iteration of Copilot GPT Builder. Introduced in November, Copilot Studio empowers users to create their chatbots and plugins, allowing for fine-tuning using first-party company data.

New Free Features 

While Microsoft is increasingly focusing on paid Copilot plans, it is not overlooking free users. The company has introduced Copilot GPTs, akin to OpenAI’s GPTs, which are customized for specific topics. Several Copilot GPTs have been launched on the web client, addressing areas like fitness, travel, and cooking.

A free mobile app for Copilot is now available on Android and iOS. It provides access to GPT-4, DALL-E 3 for image creation, and the ability to use images on a phone while chatting with Copilot. The app also features chat history syncing between mobile, PC, and the web. Microsoft is incorporating Copilot into the Microsoft 365 mobile app for Android and iOS, scheduled to roll out in the coming month. This integration will enable users to export content created with Copilot to a Word or PDF document.

Additionally, Microsoft is expanding the language support for Copilot. In the first half of 2024, Copilot will be available in Arabic, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Hebrew, Hungarian, Korean, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Swedish, Thai, Turkish, and Ukrainian.