Neither tool imports chat history or custom instructions from the other — start fresh, and confirm your Microsoft 365 plan is eligible for the Copilot add-on first.
Quick verdict: Move to Copilot if your organization already runs Microsoft 365 and wants AI natively grounded in Word, Excel, Outlook and Teams without adopting a separate tool.
Most buyers only budget for the new subscription. This estimates the hidden labor, data-cleanup, and retraining cost of actually making the switch.
Estimate assumes: 1 hour of data-mapping/cleaning labor per 2,000 records, a blended $75/hr ops rate, tiered migration & cleaning tooling fees, and 4 hours of retraining per seat at a $45/hr fully-loaded rate.
$18 against Claude’s $20, at least through 2026.
Directly in your files and email.
With eligible Microsoft 365 plans, before adding the paid tier.
You lose Claude Code and its included coding-agent access, and you take on a dependency on an underlying Microsoft 365 Business plan.
| Step | What you do |
|---|---|
| 1Note what you actually use | List the specific tasks (drafting, coding, analysis) and any custom instructions or saved prompts you rely on today. |
| 2Confirm you have an eligible Microsoft 365 Business plan | Confirm you have an eligible Microsoft 365 Business plan, then add the Copilot Business add-on for each user. |
| 3Enable Copilot across your Microsoft 365 apps | Confirm Copilot is active in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and Teams, and review the Microsoft Graph data-grounding settings. |
| 4Reconnect integrations | Reconnect any connectors, add-ins or workspace integrations the new tool needs. |
| 5Train your team on the differences | Run the same task through both tools with a few teammates before rolling out broadly. |
| 6Cancel the old seats | Once the team is comfortable in the new tool, cancel the old subscription or add-on. |
What this path doesn’t do for you:
Claude Code’s inclusion in every paid seat has no Copilot equivalent at this tier — plan for a separate coding tool if your team relies on it.
| Plan | Claude | Microsoft 365 Copilot |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing basis | Per seat, standalone | Add-on to Microsoft 365 |
| Entry price | Team $20/seat/mo (annual, 2-seat min) | $18/user/mo (annual, discounted through Dec 31, 2026; reverts to $21) |
| Requires | Nothing — works with any office suite | An eligible Microsoft 365 Business plan |
| Coding | Claude Code included | No comparable dedicated coding agent |
Prices checked on each vendor’s pricing page on September 23, 2026. Microsoft 365 Copilot price is its current discounted rate, stated by Microsoft to revert to $21 after December 31, 2026.
| Capability | Claude | Microsoft 365 Copilot |
|---|---|---|
| Coding | Claude Code included | No comparable agent |
| Requires | Nothing extra | Microsoft 365 Business plan |
| Price | $20/seat/mo | $18/user/mo (discounted, reverts to $21) |
Going the other direction, or want the full comparison first?
Read the Claude vs Microsoft 365 Copilot comparison Switching from Microsoft 365 Copilot to Claude instead?No. Start fresh; neither platform ports conversation history to the other.
At the current discounted rate, yes, by $2 a seat — but that reverts to $21 after December 31, 2026, making Claude the cheaper option again.
Yes — Copilot has no comparable dedicated coding-agent feature at this tier.
No. Conversation history, custom instructions and any saved assistants are specific to each platform and are not portable between them — start fresh in the new tool.
Every pricing fact, rating, AI billing model and switching guide we hold on each tool, on one page, with the date each figure was last verified.
Prices on this page were recorded from each vendor’s own pricing page on the date shown at the top of the page. Vendors change pricing often — check the live source before you buy.
Every figure is also in our open dataset (JSON and CSV, CC BY 4.0), with its source page and verification date. See how we research pricing.
Plain-language guides: the steps, what to check before you buy, common mistakes, and every tool it takes with verified prices.
Verified prices costed for your team size, a check against your must-have requirements, the questions to settle before you sign, and a source for every figure. Print it, or paste it into an email to whoever approves the spend.
Built for the leader who owns the selection, answers for the spend, drives the rollout, and lives with the results. HelpCompare covers the whole decision, not just the first step.