Key takeaways
- As of October 30, 2026, Claude costs $0, $20 (Pro) and from $100 (Max) a month; consumer Copilot comes with Microsoft 365 at $9.99 to $99.99.
- Claude paid plans have a five-hour session limit and weekly limits; Microsoft describes Copilot usage only as higher, extensive or highest.
- GitHub Copilot is a separate coding product: Free, Pro at $10 and Pro+ at $39 a month.
Claude vs Copilot is mostly a question of what the money buys. As of October 30, 2026, Claude sells chat plans at $0, $20 a month (Pro) and from $100 (Max), while Microsoft Copilot for individuals comes bundled with Microsoft 365 at $9.99, $12.99, $19.99 and $99.99 a month.
This comparison is based on the products' docs and published results. Neither product was tested for it. It covers the consumer plans. GitHub Copilot, the coding assistant, is a separate product and gets a short section below.
Claude vs Copilot plans and prices
All prices are US dollars, as read on October 30, 2026, from Anthropic's pricing page and Microsoft's consumer Copilot page.
| Tier | Claude | Microsoft Copilot |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0, Sonnet and Haiku, up to 5 projects | Free tier implied, limits not published |
| Entry paid | Pro, $20 a month, or $17 a month billed annually ($200 up front) | Microsoft 365 Personal, $9.99 a month or $99.99 a year |
| Family | None listed | Microsoft 365 Family, $12.99 a month or $129.99 a year, up to 6 people, AI for the owner only |
| Higher paid | Max, from $100 a month, billed monthly | Microsoft 365 Premium, $19.99 a month or $199.99 a year |
| Heaviest | Max at 20x Pro usage, same "from $100" listing | Microsoft 365 Pro, $99.99 a month, no yearly option |
The price lists are shaped differently. Claude's plans are for Claude. A Microsoft 365 plan is an Office subscription with Copilot inside it: desktop Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook, plus 1 TB of cloud storage on Personal and 2 TB shared on Family.
What you get with Claude
Pro adds Opus to the free Sonnet and Haiku, plus Claude Code, Research, more Projects, Claude in Chrome, Claude in Microsoft 365 and Outlook, and usage credits. Anthropic lists a context window of up to 1M tokens (varying by model) on every plan. Max adds a monthly API credit of $100 or $200 depending on the tier, higher output limits, early access to new features and priority access at high traffic.
All plans include web search, file creation and code execution, Artifacts, memory, Skills, connectors and voice mode. Anthropic's page says model training is opt-out on consumer plans.
What you get with Microsoft Copilot
Microsoft's page says Personal gives advanced Copilot chat, visual AI, audio (English only) and image creation at "higher usage than free." Premium adds "extensive usage," Copilot features exclusive to Premium and Pro, and limited agentic AI for tasks such as advanced research. Family shares storage and apps across up to six people, but the AI features are for the subscription owner only.
Microsoft's page does not describe the free tier in detail. Our guide on whether Copilot is free covers what is free and what is not.
Claude vs Copilot usage limits
Neither company publishes a message count. Anthropic's help center says paid plans have a session limit that resets every five hours and weekly limits that reset once a week. How fast you use it up depends on conversation length, the model, the features and the effort level. Claude.ai, Claude Code and Claude Desktop share one allowance. Anthropic's pricing page says Pro gives at least 5 times the free usage per session, and Max is 5 times or 20 times Pro. On paid plans you can buy usage credits when you hit a limit.
Microsoft describes usage only in relative terms: higher than free, extensive, highest. It states that usage limits apply and gives no numbers.
GitHub Copilot, briefly
GitHub Copilot is the coding assistant that runs in editors, and it is sold separately. GitHub's plans page lists Free at $0, Pro at $10 a month and Pro+ at $39 a month as of October 30, 2026. A Microsoft 365 subscription does not include it. The closest Claude product is Claude Code, which is included from Pro. See our comparison of Copilot vs ChatGPT plans, prices and limits for the same breakdown against OpenAI.
Which one fits
If you already pay for Microsoft 365 and want AI inside Word and Excel, Personal at $9.99 is the cheaper way in. If you want a standalone assistant with a choice of Sonnet and Opus, a long context window and Claude Code, Pro at $20 is the matching plan. Heavy users should compare Microsoft 365 Pro at $99.99 with Max from $100, but the usage each gives can't be compared, because neither publishes numbers.
Prices and limits change, so check both pages before you subscribe.
Frequently asked questions
Is Claude better than Copilot?
They sell different things. Claude plans are for the Claude assistant, while Microsoft 365 plans are Office subscriptions with Copilot included. Neither company publishes benchmarks of its consumer plans against the other, so this comparison covers features, prices and limits only.
How much does Claude Pro cost compared with Copilot?
As of October 30, 2026, Claude Pro is $20 a month, or $17 a month billed annually. Microsoft 365 Personal, which includes Copilot, is $9.99 a month, and Premium is $19.99 a month.
Does Claude have usage limits like Copilot?
Yes. Claude paid plans have a session limit that resets every five hours and weekly limits. Microsoft says usage limits apply to Copilot but publishes no numbers.
Is GitHub Copilot the same as Microsoft Copilot?
No. GitHub Copilot is a coding assistant sold separately, with Free, Pro at $10 and Pro+ at $39 a month as of October 30, 2026.
Sources
- Claude pricingAnthropic
- How do usage and length limits work?Anthropic
- Microsoft Copilot for individualsMicrosoft
- GitHub Copilot plansGitHub
