On the Path to Consolidation: Microsoft’s Integrated Approach
Microsoft started last year with a brave proposition, asking users to pay an additional $20 monthly for its Copilot Pro plan to gain AI-powered Office features on top of a Microsoft 365 Family or Personal subscription. Back then, it seemed like the tech giant was perhaps reaching too far. Things changed this year when they incorporated these AI features into Microsoft 365 subscriptions, fusing the Copilot Pro and Microsoft 365 into a new Microsoft 365 Premium subscription.
“Our most powerful AI and productivity subscription designed for any individual,” declares Gareth Oystryk, Senior Director of Marketing for Copilot Pro and Microsoft 365. “The new plan seamlessly combines our trusted productivity applications with in-built Copilot, complemented by our highest Copilot usage limits and exclusive features.”
Value Like No Other
You might wonder how much this all-inclusive subscription costs. The technology giant has competitively priced Microsoft 365 Premium at $19.99 per month, the same as OpenAI’s ChatGPT Plus subscription. What sets it apart is Microsoft’s highest usage limits in features like GPT-4o image generation and voice, alongside unique offerings such as Copilot Podcasts, Deep Research, Vision, and Actions. Apart from these, you also have access to all Microsoft 365 Family benefits, like Office desktop applications for six, 1TB of storage per person, and more.
“We designed this subscription specifically for solopreneurs, professionals, or high achievers looking to tackle the most demanding productivity tasks with AI at their side,” says Oystryk. “When you compare the value this plan offers at this price point with the competition, the value is undeniable.”
Microsoft’s direct competitor is unequivocally ChatGPT Plus. Offered as a productivity subscription by OpenAI, ChatGPT Plus provides extended access to GPT-5 with higher limits on messaging, data analysis, file uploads, and image generation. The Microsoft 365 Premium plan sets the bar higher by offering access to Office desktop apps equipped with Copilot features, plus a whopping 1TB of cloud storage for each individual.
We asked Sumit Chauhan, Corporate Vice President of Microsoft’s Office Product Group, about this competition. His response? “Productivity is our DNA, we’re Office. While others may try to replicate, there’s no substitute for the real thing.”
Microsoft’s commitment to bringing AI into productivity is also reflected in its decision to open up access to its Researcher and Analyst reasoning agents to Microsoft 365 Premium users. These will soon be integrated into the Word, PowerPoint, and Excel apps, making productivity more seamless and efficient.
Bringing Copilot to Work
One of the groundbreaking aspects of Microsoft’s 365 Premium is how it enables individuals to deploy AI features in their Office apps at work within their existing Family and Personal subscriptions. “We’ve seen a number of employees bringing their own AI to work,” Oystryk explains. “Now, with Microsoft 365 Premium, along with Family and Personal plans, you can actually bring Copilot to your workplace.”
Microsoft 365 Copilot features, usually only available through workplace subscriptions, will now be accessible to anyone with a personal Microsoft 365 Premium, Family, or Personal account at work. All you need to do is sign into your work version of Office with your personal Microsoft account, and the AI features will be enabled in your work Office applications.
This innovative step toward greater fluidity lets you leverage the Microsoft 365 Copilot license while ensuring all corporate data remains secure. Compliance, security, and enterprise data protection features ensure business data stays separate from personal Microsoft accounts. “It doesn’t work on the web, but in the apps most people use, you can sign in and apply that capability,” states Oystryk. IT administrators will also have the power to enable or disable the sign-in functionality at their discretion.
Currently, the ability to unlock AI skills in Office at work or home is restricted to the main account holders for Microsoft 365 Premium or Family subscriptions. “We are aware of customer requests for some sort of sharing. We’re reviewing options,” promises Oystryk.
Existing Personal and Family subscribers also gain from the inclusion of features like GPT-4o image generation and voice access, with more generous usage limits compared to the free Copilot tier. Further expanding access to AI, Copilot Chat, previously only available to commercial Microsoft 365 customers, is now included in all consumer subscriptions.
Does This Mean the End for Copilot Pro?
All these updates seem to suggest that Microsoft is phasing out the Copilot Pro. Not so, says Oystryk. “Copilot Pro isn’t completely disappearing. However, we will stop selling it.” The company isn’t automatically opting-in Copilot Pro subscribers to Microsoft 365 Premium, although the transition away from it could be on the cards. “We do not have a timetable for discontinuation as yet,” concludes Oystryk.
Read more about Microsoft 365 Premium here.
