Microsoft Copilot in South Africa: which one, and what it costs

Microsoft Copilot is the name Microsoft uses for several different AI products, which is why its prices and features seem to contradict each other. The free Copilot app, the Copilot inside Word and Excel, Copilot Chat for work and Copilot Studio are separate things with separate prices.

Here is each one in plain words, with Microsoft’s South African prices where it publishes them in rand, and a clear answer on which one a small business should use. Prices were checked on Microsoft’s South African site on 28 September 2026.

The Microsoft Copilot AI family at a glance

The rand figures for the business products are conversions at R16.32 to the dollar, before VAT. Microsoft’s South African business pages show US dollar prices and say VAT is not included.

Copilot app: is Copilot AI free?

Yes. Microsoft says you can chat with Copilot, create images, upload files and more for free, subject to available capacity and limits. You do not even need to sign in, although signing in with a personal Microsoft account gives you chat history, image creation, longer conversations and voice.

Use it at copilot.microsoft.com, in the Copilot app for Windows, macOS, iPhone and Android, or in the Edge browser. When you hit a limit, you can wait or upgrade to a Microsoft 365 plan.

Microsoft is rolling out an updated Copilot app that works with personal, work and school accounts. As part of that change, Deep Research, Podcasts and Group Chat are being retired from the consumer app from 18 August 2026.

Copilot in Microsoft 365 Personal, Family, Premium and Pro

If you already pay for Microsoft 365 at home, you already have Copilot. Microsoft’s South African store lists these plans:

Two catches. First, the AI features belong to the subscription owner and cannot be shared. On a Family plan, shared members can use Copilot Chat at microsoft365.com, but Copilot inside the desktop apps stays with the owner. Second, usage limits apply on every plan, measured in what Microsoft calls AI credits.

These consumer prices include tax: MyBroadband reported a Microsoft billing email for Family that quoted “ZAR 1,999.00 including taxes” a year. Existing subscribers who do not want Copilot may be offered cheaper Classic plans when they cancel, but Microsoft says these are limited offers that may not always be available.

Copilot Chat: free AI chat for work accounts

Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat is the work version of the free app. Microsoft says it is available at no additional cost to people who sign in with a Microsoft Entra work account on an eligible Microsoft 365 subscription.

Copilot Chat gives staff AI chat grounded in the web, with the latest models, file uploads (limits apply), Copilot Pages, IT controls and what Microsoft describes as enterprise-grade privacy and security. It also appears inside some Microsoft 365 apps. What it does not do on its own is work from your company’s emails, files and Teams chats. That needs a Microsoft 365 Copilot licence.

Microsoft 365 Copilot for business: price per user

Microsoft 365 Copilot is the paid add-on that puts Copilot inside Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and Teams and lets it use your work data. It includes agents such as Researcher and Analyst. Microsoft’s South African site lists these prices, all excluding VAT:

The Copilot Business add-on is for existing customers with an eligible Microsoft 365 Business plan. The US$18 offer runs from 1 July to 31 December 2026, needs an annual commitment and applies to the first year only. The two bundles include the Microsoft 365 plan itself, so compare them with what you already pay. On Microsoft’s South African site, the enterprise page lists the US$30 price (or US$31.50, about R514, a month on monthly billing with an annual commitment) next to a note that the product is not available in your market, so larger organisations should confirm availability and pricing with Microsoft’s sales team.

Copilot Studio: building your own agents

Copilot Studio is Microsoft’s tool for building AI agents, such as one that answers staff questions from your policies or handles a step in a process. There are two ways in:

• Inside Microsoft 365 Copilot: licensed users can build and use agents for internal work at no extra cost.
• Standalone Copilot Studio: needed to publish agents to outside channels such as your website. It runs on Copilot Credits: US$200 a month buys a pack of 25,000 credits (about R3,264 before VAT), or you pay as you go through an Azure subscription. Microsoft says prepaying for credits can save up to 20%.

Each answer or action an agent completes uses a varying number of credits, so estimate your volumes before you commit. If you would rather have a custom agent built and maintained for you, see Zaiq’s AI automation work.

GitHub Copilot, in one line

GitHub Copilot is a separate coding assistant for developers, with a free tier and paid plans from US$10 a month (about R163 before VAT).

Which Copilot should a South African small business use?

• You already pay for a Microsoft 365 business plan: switch on Copilot Chat first. It costs nothing extra and keeps staff in a work account instead of personal apps.
• Some staff live in Outlook, Excel and Teams all day: buy Microsoft 365 Copilot Business for those people only, at US$21 per user a month, or US$18 in the first year under the current offer. Most small businesses do not need it for everyone.
• You need an agent that customers can use: look at standalone Copilot Studio, and price the credits against your expected volume.
• Keep company data out of personal accounts: staff should not paste customer details into the free app signed in with a personal account. Your POPIA duties stay with your business whichever tool is used; see our guide to AI and POPIA.

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