Microsoft 365 Copilot vs. ChatGPT Enterprise: Which Fits Your Company?

Microsoft 365 Copilot is the better choice if your company already runs on Microsoft 365 and you want AI to work directly in Outlook, Teams, Word and Excel with access to your files and emails. ChatGPT Business or Enterprise fits better if you want a strong, standalone AI workspace that does not depend on your office suite, for example because you use Google Workspace or a mix of tools. According to the vendors, neither uses your business data for training. What decides the value in the end is less the licence than whether your team knows how to use it.

As of October 2026. Product names, plans, prices and data protection terms change constantly at both vendors. Everything below comes from the official Microsoft and OpenAI websites, which we checked on 8 October 2026. Prices are the German list prices in euros. Check them again before you buy. aiworx is not tied to any vendor and does not earn anything from licences.

What is Microsoft 365 Copilot?

Microsoft 365 Copilot is an add-on licence to an existing Microsoft 365 plan. Copilot works in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and Teams and, through Microsoft Graph, can access the emails, meetings, chats and documents that each person has permission to see. According to Microsoft Learn, Microsoft 365 Copilot is being renamed "Microsoft Copilot". During the transition, the old name still appears in licences and on the pricing pages.

Copilot Chat is something different. According to Microsoft Learn, this basic version is included in eligible Microsoft 365 licences and does not require a Copilot licence. It mainly works with web data and files you upload yourself. Broad access to your company data and Copilot directly inside Word, Excel and PowerPoint require the paid licence.

What are ChatGPT Business and ChatGPT Enterprise?

ChatGPT Business (formerly ChatGPT Team) and ChatGPT Enterprise are OpenAI's plans for companies. They provide a dedicated workspace for the team with central administration, shared projects, custom GPTs and agents for workflows. According to the OpenAI pricing page, ChatGPT can connect to Google Workspace, Slack, GitHub and Microsoft 365, among others.

According to OpenAI, Business is designed for teams of 2 to 200 people and can be bought online. Enterprise is aimed at larger organisations, is sold through the sales team and adds further security and admin features.

The comparison at a glance

	Microsoft 365 Copilot	ChatGPT Business	ChatGPT Enterprise
Integration with Microsoft 365	deep: directly in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams, access to files and emails via Microsoft Graph	connects to Microsoft 365 and other tools via connectors, work happens in the ChatGPT workspace	as Business, plus a connector directory
Models	model choice with automatic routing, including OpenAI and Anthropic models, enabled by admins	current OpenAI models, according to the pricing page including the GPT-6 series	as Business, larger context window for fast models
Training on your data	no, according to Microsoft	no, according to OpenAI	no, according to OpenAI
EU Data Boundary / data residency	for EU customers Copilot is a service within the EU Data Boundary. Exception: Anthropic models are currently excluded	no data residency according to the pricing page	data residency in ten regions, including the EU
Administration	Microsoft 365 admin center, existing permissions, retention via Microsoft Purview	admin console, SAML SSO, admin roles, domain verification	additionally SCIM, role-based access, Enterprise Key Management, compliance API
Price (excl. VAT)	Business, up to 300 people: €18.20 per person per month billed annually, promotional price €15.60. For large enterprises €26.00	standard seat €21 per month according to the pricing page, premium seat €105	custom pricing via sales
Requirement	eligible Microsoft 365 plan	none	contract with OpenAI
Strengths	works where your files and emails already live	strong standalone AI workspace, independent of the office suite	security, data residency and support for large organisations

Sources: Microsoft 365 Copilot Business, Microsoft 365 Copilot for enterprise, Microsoft Learn: data, privacy and security, OpenAI: business pricing. As of October 2026.

Pricing in detail

Microsoft 365 Copilot Business costs €18.20 per person per month billed annually, excluding VAT, for up to 300 people, according to Microsoft. From 1 July to 31 December 2026 there is a promotional price of €15.60. It applies only to existing customers with an eligible business plan, only with an annual subscription and only for the first year. Microsoft also offers bundles, such as Microsoft 365 Business Standard with Copilot Business for €20.36 or Business Premium with Copilot Business for €27.73 per person per month billed annually.

Microsoft 365 Copilot for enterprise costs €26.00 per person per month billed annually, or €27.30 when paid monthly on an annual subscription, excluding VAT, according to Microsoft. Here too you also need an eligible Microsoft 365 plan.

ChatGPT Business comes with two seat types that can be mixed, according to OpenAI. The pricing page lists €21 per month for the standard seat; in US dollars that is $20 billed annually or $25 billed monthly. The premium seat with five times more usage costs €105 per month according to the pricing page. Check during checkout whether the euro prices include VAT.

ChatGPT Enterprise has no published price. OpenAI quotes custom pricing through its sales team.

Data protection: what to look out for

Both vendors state clearly that your inputs and business data are not used to train their models. For Microsoft, according to Microsoft Learn, this applies to prompts, responses and data from Microsoft Graph. For OpenAI, it is stated for Business and Enterprise on the pricing page.

The differences lie in where data is stored and processed:

• Microsoft 365 Copilot is, according to Microsoft, a service within the EU Data Boundary for EU customers. Anthropic models, which can be added as subprocessors, are currently excluded. Admins decide whether these models may be used.
• ChatGPT Enterprise offers data residency in ten regions, including the EU, according to OpenAI.
• ChatGPT Business offers no data residency according to the OpenAI pricing page.

One point is often underestimated with Copilot: it shows everything a person has access to. If too many folders in SharePoint or Teams are shared with everyone, Copilot will find them too. So clean up permissions before you start.

Regardless of the vendor, you need a data processing agreement, clear internal rules on which data may go into the AI and, depending on the use, a data protection impact assessment. Read more in our article on AI and GDPR.

Decision guide by company type

1. You run entirely on Microsoft 365 and your file storage is tidy: Microsoft 365 Copilot. The biggest advantage is access to your emails, meetings and files directly in the familiar apps.
2. You have Microsoft 365 but want to test first: start with the included Copilot Chat and license Copilot for a pilot group first. That shows you who actually uses the licence.
3. You use Google Workspace or a mix of tools: ChatGPT Business. It works independently of the office suite and connects to many tools.
4. Small team of 2 to 20 people with lots of writing, research and analysis: ChatGPT Business is often the easier entry point because you can buy it online without another licence. If you already use Microsoft 365 Business, put Copilot Business next to it and compare.
5. Large company with strict requirements on data location and identity management: Copilot for enterprise with the EU Data Boundary, or ChatGPT Enterprise with EU data residency. IT security, data protection and procurement should decide together.
6. You want to automate an entire workflow, not just support individuals: then neither assistant is the whole answer. Workflows like invoices or shared inboxes need an AI agent that works inside your systems. More in How much does AI automation cost?

Some companies use both: Copilot Chat or Copilot for everyone, ChatGPT for a small group with a lot of analysis or writing work. That means paying twice but can make sense. In that case you need clear rules on which tool is meant for which data.

Why licences without training achieve little

Many companies buy licences and wait for the effect. After a few weeks, a handful of enthusiasts use the AI every day while the rest hardly open it. That is rarely the tool's fault. Usually three things are missing:

1. Concrete use cases: people who do not know what to use AI for in their role try it once and then stop.
2. Good prompts and templates: the quality of the answers depends heavily on how you ask and what context you provide.
3. Confidence with data: people who are unsure what is allowed would rather not use the AI at all, or they use private accounts on their own.

There is also a legal obligation: since 2 February 2025, companies that use AI must promote AI literacy among their staff (Art. 4 EU AI Act, as amended by the Digital Omnibus in July 2026). What that means in practice is explained in our article on the AI training obligation.

In our workshops we work on your team's real tasks, whether you use Copilot, ChatGPT or both. A half day of about 4 hours costs €2,750 and a full day of about 8 hours €4,950, both excluding VAT. You receive a certificate of attendance that covers the training obligation under Art. 4. The full day also includes a prompt and template library and a sample AI policy. Because we are not tied to any vendor, we also tell you honestly when a tool does not fit. Read more about our approach on our about page.

How to roll out Copilot or ChatGPT successfully

1. Set a goal: which tasks should get faster? Emails, minutes, quotes, research, analysis?
2. Check data and permissions: for Copilot mainly SharePoint and Teams sharing, for ChatGPT the rules on which data may be uploaded.
3. Start with a pilot group: 10 to 20 people from different departments with clear tasks for four to six weeks.
4. Train before you roll out: one workshop at the start saves many weeks of trial and error.
5. Measure usage: both vendors offer usage analytics. After four weeks, check who really needs the licence.
6. Publish an internal AI policy: what is allowed, what is not, and who is the contact person?

Frequently asked questions

Is Microsoft Copilot the same as ChatGPT? No. Copilot uses models from OpenAI among others, but it is a separate Microsoft product embedded in Microsoft 365 with access to your company data. ChatGPT is OpenAI's product with its own workspace.

Do I need an additional Microsoft 365 licence for Copilot? Yes. According to Microsoft, Microsoft 365 Copilot is an add-on licence that requires an eligible Microsoft 365 plan. Copilot Chat without the add-on is included in eligible Microsoft 365 licences.

Can ChatGPT Business be used in line with GDPR? According to OpenAI, data from Business and Enterprise is not used for training. Whether your use is compliant depends on the contract, the type of data and your internal rules. If you need data residency in the EU, OpenAI offers it only in ChatGPT Enterprise.

Which is cheaper, Copilot or ChatGPT? According to the official pricing pages in October 2026, Copilot Business and the ChatGPT Business standard seat are in a similar range per person per month. With Copilot, the Microsoft 365 licence comes on top if you do not already have it. More expensive than any licence is a licence nobody uses.

Does aiworx offer Copilot training? Yes. Rolling out Copilot and similar assistants successfully is one of our workshop topics. We train for ChatGPT or other assistants just the same, depending on what you use.

Can I automate workflows with Copilot or ChatGPT? Both offer agent features, for example Copilot Studio or workspace agents in ChatGPT. For workflows that connect several of your systems, need approvals and should be logged, we build dedicated AI agents.

Want to know which assistant fits your team and how to make it stick? Talk to us in a free intro call.