Microsoft Copilot Chat is Now Free — Here’s Why Your Business Should Use It

If you’re using Microsoft 365 for your business, there’s some exciting news: Microsoft has released a free version of Copilot Chat, giving small businesses access to AI-powered assistance, right inside the Microsoft apps you already use.

This new tool can summarize emails, draft documents, and find files—all while keeping your data secure and private within your Microsoft 365 environment.

So how does it compare to other tools like ChatGPT? And should you consider upgrading to the full Microsoft Copilot? Let’s break it down.

🚀 What is Microsoft Copilot Chat (Free)?

Copilot Chat is an AI assistant powered by the same advanced language model as ChatGPT—but it’s built directly into your Microsoft 365 environment. That means it can reference your:

• Emails in Outlook
• Files in OneDrive and SharePoint
• Calendar and Teams meetings
• Word, Excel, and PowerPoint documents

With Copilot Chat, you can ask questions like:

• “Summarize my recent emails from Sarah.”
• “What did we agree on in last week’s marketing meeting?”
• “Draft a quick follow-up email about the proposal.”

And the best part? It’s free with Microsoft 365 Business Basic, Standard, and Premium subscriptions. You just need to ask us to enable it.

🔐 Why Security Matters

Many free AI tools on the internet, including ChatGPT, are not designed with business data protection in mind. When you paste sensitive client information into a third-party AI tool, you risk exposing that data outside your organization’s secure environment.

With Copilot Chat, your data stays:

• Inside your Microsoft 365 tenant
• Governed by your organization’s security and compliance policies
• Not used to train the AI model

This means your emails, client files, and business documents are protected—unlike many public AI tools that store and analyze your data externally.

📊 Feature Comparison Cheat Sheet

🛠️ How to Enable Copilot Chat

If you don’t see Copilot Chat yet, it may need to be activated in your Microsoft 365 environment.

👉 Ask us to enable “Copilot Chat” from the Microsoft 365 admin center.

It can be used from:

• copilot.microsoft.com
• Microsoft Edge sidebar
• Teams and Outlook (limited integration for free version)

💬 Should You Upgrade to the Paid Microsoft 365 Copilot?

If your team is deeply invested in Microsoft Office apps and you’re looking to automate tasks like:

• Writing full documents in Word
• Generating PowerPoint decks from notes
• Creating formulas and analyzing data in Excel
• Summarizing full Teams meetings

Then the paid Microsoft Copilot for 365 might be worth it. It costs $47.15  AUD/user/month, with an annual commitment or $538.80 per year and offers full integration inside your Office tools.

But for most small businesses, the free Copilot Chat offers incredible value—and a secure way to start using AI.

📣 Final Thoughts

Microsoft’s free Copilot Chat is a big win for small businesses. It brings the power of AI into your daily work—without compromising your data or paying for expensive upgrades.

Start with the free version. Use it to handle emails, meetings, and quick research securely. And when you’re ready to scale, the full Microsoft Copilot is just a step away.

👉 Need help enabling Copilot Chat? Contact us and we’ll assist you with setup and staff training.