- Microsoft plans to bring Copilot Plus access to Microsoft 365 Home and Family subscribers.
- The access will be limited and only for the account owner on the Family plan.
- This change will cause the price of Microsoft 365 consumers to increase.
- The company is currently testing the bundle in some regions, but it’s unclear if it’ll expand.
Microsoft has finally realized that people are not willing to pay an extra $20 per month to access Copilot on top of the subscription they are already paying for Microsoft 365. However, chatbot AI integration for Office apps and other products isn’t going away. Instead, the company will bundle the Copilot Plus access as a new Microsoft 365 Home and Family subscription feature.
But there’s one little caveat. Since each access to the AI costs money to process, the company plans to raise the prices for the Microsoft 365 plans. In other words, instead of having the choice, you will now be forced to pay more money to access the Copilot Plus service, or you won’t be able to access your Office apps.
Microsoft is already testing the Microsoft 365 and Copilot Plus bundle in Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, and Thailand. However, the company hasn’t confirmed the plans to bring this bundle to the United States, Canada, and other markets.
In addition, the software giant is also adding the Microsoft Designer app to its Microsoft 365 plans, at least initially to the same regions where the company is adding access to Copilot Plus.
The other caveat is that the access to Copilot won’t be unlimited. Instead, the company will implement a monthly allowance of AI credits for those using the Personal and Family plans to access the chatbot in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote, and Designer.
Also, the pool of credits will be the same as that applicable to accessing the AI features on Photos, Paint, and Notepad with the Rewrite feature.
If Microsoft keeps the same AI credits as they’re currently available, you will probably get 60 monthly non-rollover credits. On the other hand, the company currently offers “extensive usage of AI features” for Copilot Plus subscribers, but if the company plans to keep the “Plus” subscription, it’s unlikely that Microsoft 365 users will get the same allowance.
Although I understand that each AI request takes a certain amount of power that translates into cost, having a limited number of credits doesn’t work, as you would constantly be second-guessing when to use them since you won’t be able to use the AI features freely. Also, at any point, you can run out of AI credits, and this could be at the moment you need it the most.
If Microsoft and other companies want people to adopt AI a little more, they have to figure out a way to make access unlimited in the same way one uses a search engine.
Furthermore, if you happen to have a Microsoft 365 Family subscription, only the owner of the plan will be able to use Copilot, meaning that those users you share the benefits of the subscription won’t be able to access the chatbot.
It’s important to note that the price increase will be different depending on the region. For example, in Australia, the Personal subscription will increase by AUD 5, and the Family plan will increase by AUD 4.
I think the most significant news here is that it’s clear that offering access to Copilot for an extra $20 hasn’t worked as the company would have hoped, considering that ChatGPT costs the same and works better, even though the same technology powers Copilot.
I can say this by experience because I have paid for and used both chatbots, and ChatGPT always came on top with more accurate answers. However, I don’t believe either of these services is worth paying the $20 per month. At the most, ChatGPT should be $10, and Copilot should be $5.
What do you think about this new bungle strategy? Did Microsoft blow its opportunity to lead the way on AI? Let me know in the comments.
Mauro Huculak is a Windows How-To Expert who started Pureinfotech in 2010 as an independent online publication. He has also been a Windows Central contributor for nearly a decade. Mauro has over 15 years of experience writing comprehensive guides and creating professional videos about Windows and software, including Android and Linux. Before becoming a technology writer, he was an IT administrator for seven years. In total, Mauro has over 21 years of combined experience in technology. Throughout his career, he achieved different professional certifications from Microsoft (MSCA), Cisco (CCNP), VMware (VCP), and CompTIA (A+ and Network+), and he has been recognized as a Microsoft MVP for many years. You can follow him on X (Twitter), YouTube, LinkedIn and About.me. Email him at [email protected].