Microsoft's AI built into Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Teams, with ready-made agents for research and data analysis. Microsoft sells it in small-business plans for up to 300 users.
Pricing
Subscription: From Microsoft's plan pages (Oct 28, 2026), per user/month on an annual subscription: Business Standard with Copilot $23.50, Business Premium with Copilot $32.00 (paid yearly). Copilot Business add-on price wasn't shown. Some advanced features are billed by usage on top.
Getting set up
According to Microsoft: new customers pick a Microsoft 365 plan with Copilot. Existing customers on an eligible Business plan can add the Copilot add-on in the Microsoft 365 admin center.
The plain-English overview
Does your business live in Outlook, Word, and Excel? Microsoft 365 Copilot for Business is the AI that works right inside them. We read Microsoft's official pages on Oct 28, 2026. Here's the rundown.
Here's what it does, app by app, in Microsoft's words:
- Outlook: catch up on email, draft responses, and manage your calendar.
- Word: write, edit, and summarize documents.
- Excel: analyze data, create charts, and pull out insights.
- PowerPoint: turn ideas into presentations, with outlines and layout suggestions.
- Teams: recap meetings, respond to chats, and highlight action items.
It goes beyond quick help, too. Microsoft lists:
- Pre-built agents: like Researcher, Analyst, and Facilitator, for research reports, data analysis, and meetings.
- Cowork: give it a goal and context, and it plans and delivers the work while you review and guide it.
- Autopilot: give it a role and a goal for ongoing work, and you set the boundaries.
- Copilot Studio: build your own agents for internal use, included with a Copilot license. A separate Copilot Studio license adds things like publishing to your website.
What's free and what's not? Microsoft says Copilot Chat, a web-grounded AI chat, is included at no extra cost with eligible Microsoft 365 plans. But it doesn't connect to your files, emails, or chats. For that, you need a plan with Copilot or the Copilot add-on.
On privacy, Microsoft says prompts and responses aren't used to train the underlying AI models, and Copilot follows your existing Microsoft 365 security settings.
Pricing, as listed (per user per month, annual subscription):
- Microsoft 365 Business Standard with Copilot: $23.50.
- Microsoft 365 Business Premium with Copilot: $32.00, paid yearly. Adds stronger security and device management.
- Microsoft 365 Copilot Business add-on: for existing customers with an eligible plan. Its price wasn't shown on the page we checked, so it's unknown for now.
Heads-up on extra costs: Microsoft says some advanced features, like Cowork and Autopilot, are billed by usage with Copilot Credits, on top of your license. Admins can set spending controls. Business plans cover up to 300 users.
A quick note: the return-on-investment claims on Microsoft's pages are its own marketing, so we've left them out.
Sources
- Microsoft Copilot for small business — product page and FAQ (checked Oct 28, 2026)
- Microsoft 365 business plans — pricing and FAQ (checked Oct 28, 2026)
Where each fact came from
- What it can do · checked Oct 28, 2026 · rechecked regularly — Microsoft Copilot for small business — product page and FAQ
- Overview · checked Oct 28, 2026 · rechecked regularly — Microsoft Copilot for small business — product page and FAQ
- Where it runs · checked Oct 28, 2026 · rechecked regularly — Microsoft 365 business plans — pricing and FAQ
- Getting set up · checked Oct 28, 2026 · rechecked regularly — Microsoft 365 business plans — pricing and FAQ
- Pricing · checked Oct 28, 2026 · rechecked often — Microsoft 365 business plans — pricing and FAQ
- Pricing model · checked Oct 28, 2026 · rechecked often — Microsoft 365 business plans — pricing and FAQ
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