Most businesses now want one AI assistant for their team, and the choice usually comes down to two: Microsoft 365 Copilot or ChatGPT. Both write, summarise, analyse and answer questions. The differences are in where they work, what they can see, how they handle your data and what they cost.
This guide compares Copilot vs ChatGPT for UK businesses, with prices checked in October 2026.
Copilot vs ChatGPT at a glance
| Microsoft 365 Copilot | ChatGPT Business | |
|---|---|---|
| Works inside | Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams | Its own app on desktop, web and mobile, with connectors to other tools |
| Can see | Your Microsoft 365 emails, files, chats and calendar, within each user's permissions | What you upload or connect, such as Google Workspace, Slack, GitHub and Microsoft 365 |
| Best for | Firms that already run on Microsoft 365 | Firms on Google Workspace or mixed tools, and teams that want the most flexible assistant |
| UK price (business) | Copilot Business add-on from £16.10 per user per month, paid yearly | Standard seat £15 per user per month billed yearly, £18 monthly |
| Data used for training? | No, for business accounts | Not by default on business plans |
Prices exclude VAT and change often, so check before you buy.
Microsoft 365 Copilot
Copilot is built into the Microsoft 365 apps your team already uses. In Outlook it summarises long threads and drafts replies. In Teams it recaps meetings and lists actions. In Word it drafts and edits documents from your own files, and in Excel it helps analyse and chart data.
Its biggest strength is context. Because it works inside your Microsoft 365 account, Copilot can draw on your emails, documents, chats and calendar, while respecting the permissions each person already has. Ask it to "summarise what we agreed with this client last month" and it can find the answer in your own records.
Copilot pricing in the UK
In October 2026, Microsoft listed:
- Microsoft 365 Copilot Business as an add-on to an existing Microsoft 365 plan, from £16.10 per user per month paid yearly (with a promotional price of £13.80 at the time of writing).
- Microsoft 365 Business Standard with Copilot from £18.10 per user per month, paid yearly.
- Microsoft 365 Business Premium with Copilot from £24.60 per user per month, paid yearly, adding advanced security.
Some advanced AI features are billed by usage on top.
Watch out for
- Permissions matter. Copilot can surface anything a user has access to. If your SharePoint and OneDrive sharing is messy, tidy it before you switch Copilot on, or people may see files they shouldn't.
- It's strongest inside Microsoft. If your team lives in Google Workspace, much of Copilot's value is lost.
ChatGPT for business
ChatGPT is a standalone AI assistant from OpenAI, used on desktop, web and mobile. It's strong at writing, analysis, research and coding, and its business plan adds a shared, secure workspace for your team.
ChatGPT Business pricing in the UK
In October 2026, OpenAI listed ChatGPT Business, for teams of 2 to 200 people, at:
- Standard seat: £15 per user per month billed yearly, or £18 billed monthly.
- Premium seat: £75 per user per month billed yearly, or £90 monthly, with much higher usage limits.
You can mix seat types. Business plans include single sign-on, central billing, connectors to tools such as Google Workspace, Slack, GitHub and Microsoft 365, and no training on your business data by default. ChatGPT Enterprise is priced on request.
Watch out for
- Don't let staff use personal accounts for work. Free and personal plans have different data terms. A business plan keeps work in a managed workspace.
- It only knows what it's given. Without connectors or uploads, ChatGPT can't see your files and emails the way Copilot can.
Copilot or ChatGPT: which should you choose?
Choose Microsoft 365 Copilot if:
- your business already runs on Microsoft 365, especially Outlook and Teams;
- most of the value you want is in email, meetings and documents;
- you want AI that works within the permissions and security you already have.
Choose ChatGPT Business if:
- you use Google Workspace or a mix of tools;
- you want the most flexible assistant for writing, research and analysis;
- you want to mix cheaper and higher-usage seats.
Some businesses use both: Copilot for everyday Microsoft 365 work, and a handful of ChatGPT seats for people doing heavier research, writing or analysis.
Before you roll out either
- Write a short AI policy. What staff may use AI for, what data they may and may not share, and who checks AI-written work before it goes to clients.
- Tidy your permissions, particularly for Copilot.
- Train people on real tasks, not features. Show the team how to use AI on the work they do every week.
- Measure something. Pick two or three tasks and compare how long they take before and after.
Our AI readiness assessment is a good place to start.
Beyond chat: connecting AI to your systems
Copilot and ChatGPT are assistants: they help people work faster. The bigger gains often come when AI works inside your processes, such as reading documents as they arrive, updating your CRM after a meeting or answering enquiries overnight. See our guide to AI agents for business for examples.
How FDE Solutions can help
We're tool-agnostic. We help UK firms choose between Copilot, ChatGPT and other options, set them up safely, write the policy and train the team, and connect AI to the systems you already use where that's where the time savings are.
Read about our AI agents and integration service or book a discovery call.
