Is Microsoft 365 Premium worth it? What $20 a month gets you - and how it compares to ChatGPT Plus

Is Microsoft 365 Premium worth it? What $20 a month gets you - and how it compares to ChatGPT Plus">

["Inflation may be easing, but the cost of software subscriptions continues to rise. Microsoft's price hike for Microsoft 365 Personal and Family plans last year was just the beginning. Now, the company is pushing existing subscribers to upgrade to Microsoft 365 Premium, a new plan that costs $200 a year, or $20 a month.

That's 54% more than the price of Microsoft 365 Family. However, for existing subscribers, Microsoft is offering a discounted rate of $100 for the first year, which works out to $30 to try the new edition for a year.", "So, what do you get with Microsoft 365 Premium? The plan includes priority access to the latest ChatGPT models, as well as AI features in the free web versions of Word, Excel, OneNote, and Outlook.

If you're already a Microsoft 365 Personal or Family subscriber, you'll also get those AI features in the desktop Office apps. Microsoft 365 Premium is essentially a bundle of the old Copilot Pro with Microsoft 365 Family included. I've put together a table to help you see at a glance what's in Microsoft 365 Premium and how it compares to the other subscription plans in the Microsoft 365 group.", "The 'exclusive AI features' in Microsoft 365 Premium include three agents - Researcher, Analyst, and a Photos Agent, which is still in preview.

These options are only available in the M365 Copilot web app to the owner of an M365 Premium subscription. Copilot features are free in Windows, in Edge, and in the Copilot mobile app, as part of the Copilot Free plan. That plan has some usage limits - 15 boosts per day to generate images, and access to the latest AI models is only during nonpeak hours.

The expanded AI features are only available with a Microsoft 365 subscription.", "Microsoft 365 Premium is a direct competitor to ChatGPT Plus, OpenAI's main paid offering for consumers. The change to Microsoft 365 Premium keeps the same $20-per-month price tag as ChatGPT Plus, but adds the benefits of a Microsoft 365 Family subscription. Copilot in Microsoft 365 uses the same OpenAI models as ChatGPT Plus and has similar usage limits, but allows you to engage directly with Word, Excel, and other Office files.

If you're already a Microsoft 365 subscriber and you use ChatGPT Plus extensively, you might want to try the Microsoft variation, especially with the current promotional offer.", "The target market for Microsoft 365 Premium is people who already subscribe to Microsoft 365 Personal or Family, enjoy engaging with an AI chatbot or tinkering with AI-enhanced images, and regularly hit usage limits with ChatGPT or other commercial options. If your use of AI features ranges from 'occasionally' to 'never,' you don't need it. You can get a free one-month trial of Microsoft 365 Premium here.