Last year, Microsoft introduced its Copilot Pro plan, requiring an additional $20 per month atop the existing Microsoft 365 Family or Personal subscription for AI-driven Office features. Earlier this year, after integrating Office AI functionalities into its Microsoft 365 subscriptions, the company has now initiated a transition to combine Copilot Pro with Microsoft 365 into a new offering known as Microsoft 365 Premium.
In comments to Technology News, Gareth Oystryk, Microsoft’s senior director of marketing for Copilot Pro and Microsoft 365, stated, “It’s really going to be our most powerful AI and productivity subscription for any individual. It brings together our trusted collection of productivity apps with Copilot built-in, along with our highest Copilot usage limits and exclusive features.”
Microsoft 365 Premium will be available for $19.99 per month, aligning its pricing with OpenAI’s ChatGPT Plus subscription. Subscribers will benefit from heightened usage limits on features including GPT-4o image generation, voice capabilities, Copilot Podcasts, Deep Research, Vision, and Actions. The plan will also encompass all benefits of Microsoft 365 Family, such as Office desktop apps for up to six users and 1TB of storage for each.
Oystryk emphasized the subscription targets solopreneurs, professionals, and high achievers who require robust AI tools for challenging productivity tasks. “When you look at the value you get with this plan at this price point, and you stack that against the competition, you’re going to find that the value is pretty undeniable,” he added.
The main competitor appears to be ChatGPT Plus, positioned by OpenAI as a productivity subscription that offers extended access to GPT-5 with higher limits on messaging, file uploads, data analysis, and image generation. However, Microsoft 365 Premium has the advantage of integrating AI features directly into Office desktop applications, alongside 1TB of personal cloud storage.
“Productivity is our DNA, we’re Office,” stated Sumit Chauhan, corporate vice president of Microsoft’s Office Product Group. He conveyed confidence in their offerings, asserting that competitors would struggle to replicate their software’s capabilities.
Additionally, Microsoft is set to expand access to its Researcher and Analyst reasoning agents within Microsoft 365 Premium, with implementation expected soon in Word, PowerPoint, and Excel applications.
A notable aspect of the launch is how Microsoft 365 Premium will interact with existing Family and Personal subscriptions, enabling users to utilize Microsoft’s AI features in their workplace. Oystryk remarked, “We have seen a lot of employees, all over the place, bringing their own AI to work. With Microsoft 365 Premium, along with Personal and Family, you can actually bring Copilot to work with you.”
This setup permits the activation of Microsoft 365 Copilot features for work accounts by simply signing into the work version of Office with a personal Microsoft account. This process will enable the use of AI features within workplace apps.
It essentially activates the Microsoft 365 Copilot license, while ensuring that security, compliance, and data protection measures are in place to prevent the sharing of corporate data with personal accounts. Oystryk indicated that this function would work across standard applications like Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, and Outlook on various devices but not on the web version, providing IT administrators the ability to control the functionality.
At present, only the primary account holder for Microsoft 365 Family or Premium subscriptions can unlock AI features for use at work or home. Oystryk acknowledged customer feedback regarding a desire for sharing options and mentioned that discussions are underway to explore potential solutions.
Current Personal and Family subscribers will receive access to GPT-4o image generation and voice features, offering usage limits above those of the complimentary Copilot tier. Furthermore, Copilot Chat, which was previously exclusive to Microsoft 365 commercial users, will soon be available to all consumer subscriptions.
These developments signal a transition away from the Copilot Pro plan, which had been designed for enhanced access to AI models and increased usage limits prior to the integration of Office AI features with Microsoft 365 subscriptions earlier this year.
Oystryk mentioned, “Copilot Pro is not entirely going away, but we will stop selling it. We’re not automatically opting-in Copilot Pro subscribers to Microsoft 365 Premium. We have no timing yet of if and when we’ll discontinue it.”
