Copilot Licensing at a Glance
Visual map of Microsoft 365 Copilot licensing — SKUs, pricing, base licence requirements, what's included, and what isn't.
Which Copilot SKU do I buy, what does it cost, and what base licence do I need first?
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Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need Microsoft 365 E3 or E5 to buy Copilot?
You need a qualifying base licence — but the eligible list is much wider than people realise. Eligible bases include M365 E3/E5/F1/F3, Office 365 E1/E3/E5, M365 Business Standard/Premium, and M365 A3/A5 (faculty only). Frontline F1 and F3 ARE eligible — Microsoft expanded eligibility in 2024 — so the old 'Copilot is Enterprise/Business only' framing is out of date.
Is Copilot Chat the same as M365 Copilot?
No. Copilot Chat is the free, web-grounded chat experience with no organisational data access. M365 Copilot is the paid $30/user/month add-on that grounds answers in your tenant's data and works inside Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams, and more.
Can I trial Copilot before committing?
Microsoft offers paid pilots through partners and account teams (typically 300+ users). There's no self-serve free trial of M365 Copilot — but Copilot Chat is free and gives a feel for the chat experience without tenant grounding.
What's the minimum number of Copilot licences I can buy?
Microsoft removed the original 300-seat minimum. Most customers can buy as few as one licence today via their CSP or direct, depending on agreement type. Check with your account team for current minimums.