Claude starts at $20/mo, Microsoft Copilot at $9.99/mo. Both have a free plan. Every plan from both vendors, the limits each one actually publishes, and what changed recently, with a source on every line.
Pick Microsoft Copilot if you want the lowest monthly bill. Beyond price and free access, the deciding factor is which models and features you need; we track the money, not the model quality.
| Fact | Claude | Microsoft Copilot |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Free tier | Free tier |
| Cheapest plan | Pro · $20/mo | Microsoft 365 Personal · $9.99/mo |
| Top plan | Max 20x · $200/mo | Microsoft 365 Premium · $19.99/mo |
| Plans tracked | 4 | 4 |
| Yearly discount | up to 15% | up to 17% |
| Allowance periods | 5-hourWeekly | Not stated |
| Latest change | benefit added | None logged |
| Last checked |
| Tool | Plan | Price | Limits as stated & source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Claude | Pro | $20/mo | More usage than Free per five-hour session plus a weekly limit across all models (resets at a fixed weekly time per account). Message counts not published; vary by message length, attachments, model. Claude Code included, sharing the same limits. Source: support.claude.com · checked 2026-10-16 |
| Claude | Max 5x | $100/mo | 5x the Pro per-session usage allowance; session limit resets every five hours; weekly limit across all models; separate weekly limit for Fable. Includes $100/month API credits. Source: support.claude.com · checked 2026-10-16 |
| Claude | Max 20x | $200/mo | 20x the Pro per-session usage allowance; five-hour session reset; weekly limit; separate Fable weekly limit. Includes $200/month API credits. Source: support.claude.com · checked 2026-10-16 |
| Claude | Enterprise | $20/mo | Usage billed at API rates. Source: claude.com · checked 2026-10-16 |
| Microsoft Copilot | Microsoft 365 Personal | $9.99/mo | 1 person; 1 TB; Copilot in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote with 'higher usage than free' (not quantified). Source: microsoft.com · checked 2026-10-16 |
| Microsoft Copilot | Microsoft 365 Family | $12.99/mo | 1-6 people (AI for subscription owner only); up to 6 TB; same Copilot usage as Personal. Source: microsoft.com · checked 2026-10-16 |
| Microsoft Copilot | Microsoft 365 Premium | $19.99/mo | 'Extensive usage'; AI agents (research reports, data analysis); advanced Copilot features. Source: microsoft.com · checked 2026-10-16 |
| Microsoft Copilot | Microsoft 365 Copilot Business (add-on) | $18/mo billed yearly | Business add-on to existing Microsoft 365 plans. Source: microsoft.com · checked 2026-10-16 |
| Tool | Free? | What you get for $0 & source |
|---|---|---|
| Claude | Free tier | Free $0: chat on web/desktop/mobile, web search, file creation & code execution, memory, connectors, Artifacts, up to 5 Projects. Sonnet and Haiku models (no Opus); no Claude Code. Usage limits reset on a rolling five-hour session window; message counts not published. Source: claude.com · checked 2026-10-16 |
| Microsoft Copilot | Free tier | Microsoft Copilot app is free; paid Microsoft 365 plans give 'higher usage than free' (Personal/Family) or 'extensive usage' (Premium). Free usage limits not published on this page. Source: microsoft.com · checked 2026-10-16 |
Anthropic's platform release notes: 'Claude Max and Team plans now include monthly API credits.' Credits don't cover interactive Claude Code and don't roll over.
Announced July 28, 2025, effective Aug 28: an overall weekly limit and an Opus weekly limit, both resetting every 7 days. Anthropic estimated <5% of subscribers affected.
Microsoft Copilot is cheaper to start: Microsoft 365 Personal costs $9.99/mo, against $20/mo for Claude Pro. At the top end, Claude Max 20x is $200/mo and Microsoft 365 Premium is $19.99/mo.
Claude: Yes. Free $0: chat on web/desktop/mobile, web search, file creation & code execution, memory, connectors, Artifacts, up to 5 Projects. Sonnet and Haiku models (no Opus); no Claude Code. Usage limits reset on a rolling five-hour session window; message counts not published. Microsoft Copilot: Yes. Microsoft Copilot app is free; paid Microsoft 365 plans give 'higher usage than free' (Personal/Family) or 'extensive usage' (Premium). Free usage limits not published on this page.
Claude Pro ($20/mo): More usage than Free per five-hour session plus a weekly limit across all models (resets at a fixed weekly time per account). Message counts not published; vary by message length, attachments, model. Claude Code included, sharing the same limits. Microsoft 365 Premium ($19.99/mo): 'Extensive usage'; AI agents (research reports, data analysis); advanced Copilot features.
Claude: up to 15% off when billed yearly (Pro: $17/mo instead of $20). Microsoft Copilot: up to 17% off when billed yearly (Microsoft 365 Personal: $8.33/mo instead of $9.99).
7 Oct 2026, Claude: Claude Max now includes monthly API credits ($100 on Max 5x, $200 on Max 20x). 28 Aug 2025, Claude: Claude Pro and Max get weekly usage limits on top of 5-hour limits.