Head-to-head · profiles checked Oct 1, 2026
Pick Gemini if you live in Google apps and want published limits; pick Copilot if Microsoft 365 is where you work. Both have a $0 tier. Gemini paid plans start at $4.99/month, Copilot's at $9.99/month. Gemini documents its context windows and privacy rules, while Copilot's free-tier limits and training use are not stated.
We based this comparison on our Google Gemini profile verified 2026-09-30 and our Microsoft Copilot profile verified 2026-10-01, both built from official vendor pages; it uses no third-party benchmarks and no vendor paid for placement.
Google Gemini is the better-documented choice: its free tier, plan limits, context windows, file caps and privacy terms are all published, and paid plans start at $4.99/month. Microsoft Copilot is the natural fit if your work already runs on Word, Excel, Outlook and Teams, but its free-tier limits, training use and data retention are not stated on the pages we checked. Pick Gemini if you live in Gmail, Drive and Chrome, or want exact numbers before you pay. Pick Copilot if you already pay for Microsoft 365.
Based on our Google Gemini profile verified 2026-09-30 and Microsoft Copilot profile verified 2026-10-01; Copilot's free-tier limits, training use, retention and API were not stated on its pages, Microsoft business plans were not covered, and no benchmark was run.
Our own captures of each vendor's public pages. Click a frame for the full-size image.
If you only want the answer, this is the table. Everything below is the evidence from the two documented profiles.
| You want to | Use | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Chat about everyday questions for free | Either | Both have a $0 tier; Gemini's includes Deep Research and Canvas, Copilot's includes chat, search and images |
| Summarize a long PDF or report | Google Gemini | Gemini publishes a 1M-token context on Pro and up to 10 files per prompt; Copilot's file limits are not stated |
| Draft in Word, Excel or PowerPoint | Microsoft Copilot | Copilot works inside Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and Teams on an eligible Microsoft 365 plan |
| Work with Gmail, Drive and Calendar | Google Gemini | Gemini Connected Apps read and act on Gmail, Calendar, Drive, YouTube and Maps |
| Summarize Outlook mail and Teams | Microsoft Copilot | Copilot lists Outlook and Teams integration; availability varies by market |
| Multi-source research report | Google Gemini | Gemini's Deep Research analyzes hundreds of sources; Copilot's profile lists no equivalent |
| Generate images | Either | Gemini lists image generation on Free; Copilot lists image creation on its free tier |
| Generate video | Google Gemini | Gemini video generation starts on Google AI Plus; Copilot's profile lists no video generation |
| Choose between model families | Microsoft Copilot | Copilot lets you pick OpenAI or Anthropic models; Gemini's app uses Google models |
| Build on a model API | Google Gemini | Gemini has a documented Developer API with a free tier; Copilot's API is not stated |
| Plan | Tool | Price | Limits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gemini Free | Google Gemini | $0 | 32k context; compute-based limits refresh every 5 hours; 15 GB storage |
| Google AI Plus | Google Gemini | $4.99/mo | 2x Free usage; 400 GB storage |
| Google AI Pro | Google Gemini | $19.99/mo | 4x Free usage; 1M context; 5 TB storage |
| Google AI Ultra (5x) | Google Gemini | $99.99/mo | 5x Pro usage; Deep Think and Spark |
| Google AI Ultra (20x) | Google Gemini | $199.99/mo | 20x Pro usage |
| Gemini Enterprise Business | Google Gemini | From $21/seat/mo | Up to 300 seats; billing term not stated |
| Gemini Enterprise Standard / Plus | Google Gemini | From $30/seat/mo | Unlimited seats; contact sales |
| Copilot (free) | Microsoft Copilot | $0 | Some capabilities subject to usage limits |
| Microsoft 365 Personal | Microsoft Copilot | $9.99/mo ($99.99/yr) | 1 person; 5 devices; 1 TB storage |
| Microsoft 365 Family | Microsoft Copilot | $12.99/mo ($129.99/yr) | 1-6 people; AI for owner only; 6 TB storage |
| Microsoft 365 Premium | Microsoft Copilot | $19.99/mo ($199.99/yr) | Extensive chat, image and audio usage; limited agentic AI |
| Microsoft 365 Pro | Microsoft Copilot | $99.99/mo | Monthly billing only; highest usage limits |
USD as published on each vendor's pricing page, checked Oct 1, 2026. Google Gemini pricing in full · Microsoft Copilot pricing in full
| Google Gemini | Microsoft Copilot | |
|---|---|---|
| Messages / rate limits | Compute-based; refresh every 5 hours up to a weekly limit; Plus 2x, Pro 4x Free; may change | Free-tier limits not stated; paid plans described only as higher usage |
| Context / file size | Free 32k tokens; Pro and Ultra 1M tokens; up to 10 files per prompt, 100 MB each (video 2 GB) | Not stated |
| Seats / team | Gemini Enterprise Business up to 300 seats; Standard/Plus unlimited | Family: 1-6 people, but AI is for the subscription owner only |
| Feature | Google Gemini | Microsoft Copilot |
|---|---|---|
| Image generation | Yes (Free) | Yes (image creation) |
| Voice | Yes (Gemini Live) | Yes, when signed in |
| File upload | Yes, up to 10 files per prompt | Yes, when signed in |
| Web search | Yes (Deep Research) | Yes (search) |
| Reasoning mode | Deep Think on Ultra | Not stated |
| Agents / tools | Gems, skills, Spark agent on Ultra | Researcher and Analyst on Premium and Pro |
| API | Yes, billed separately | Not stated |
| Mobile apps | Yes | Yes (iOS, Android) |
| Google Gemini | Microsoft Copilot | |
|---|---|---|
| Training on your data | Keep Activity on: used to train, subset human-reviewed; off or temporary: not; paid API and Enterprise: not | Not stated |
| Retention | Default auto-delete 18 months; temporary chats 72 hours | Not stated |
| Business controls | Enterprise: no training or ads; VPC-SC, CMEK, data residency on Standard/Plus | Not stated |
Taken from each vendor's published policy pages at the time of our check. Policies change; the source links are at the bottom.
Google's multimodal AI assistant, available free with higher limits through Google AI subscriptions.
Free stops at: Varying access to 3.1 Pro, Standard compute-based usage limits; refresh every 5 hours until weekly limit
Verified gemini.google.com (opens Google Gemini website in a new tab)
Free · paid from $4.99/mo US · checked Sep 30
Microsoft's AI assistant app on web, Windows, Mac, iOS and Android, connected to Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and Teams.
Free stops at: Some capabilities subject to usage limits
Verified copilot.microsoft.com (opens Microsoft Copilot website in a new tab)
Free · paid from $9.99/mo US · checked Sep 29
Gemini has the lower entry price: Google AI Plus is $4.99/month against $9.99/month for Microsoft 365 Personal. At the $19.99/month level the two match (Google AI Pro and Microsoft 365 Premium). Both have a $0 tier. The plans bundle different things: Gemini plans include Google storage, Copilot plans include Office apps.
Yes. The free tier works on web, Windows, Mac, iOS and Android, with chat, search and image creation. File upload, voice and memory need a signed-in account, and some capabilities have usage limits that Microsoft does not quantify on the pages we checked.
Gemini documents it: personal accounts with Keep Activity on are used to train models and a subset is read by human reviewers, while temporary chats and Keep Activity off are not. For Copilot, training use and retention were not stated on the pages we checked, so read Microsoft's privacy policy before sharing sensitive data.
Only Gemini publishes the numbers: a 32k-token context on Free and 1M tokens on Google AI Pro and Ultra, with up to 10 files per prompt. Copilot lets signed-in users upload files, but its file size and context limits are not stated.
Only official vendor pages. No third-party benchmarks, forum threads or press were used. How we review.
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