ChatGPT Plus vs. Copilot Pro: Which AI is better?

Main points

• ChatGPT Plus and Copilot Pro use GPT-4, but have significant differences due to integrated tools and user interface.
• Copilot is faster, offers more integrated image editing tools, and integrates with Microsoft 365.
• ChatGPT excels at writing eloquent content, has fewer ads, and limits content parody more than Copilot.

OpenAI’s ChatGPT Plus and Microsoft’s Copilot Pro are the most well-known products in the field of artificial intelligence. However, these chatbots arguably have more in common than any other subscription-based AI software. This is because both platforms are built using the GPT-4 version. In theory, this means that one person should not be smarter than another. However, while the underlying training data is similar, there are some clear differences between the two AI platforms that can make a big difference when it comes to choosing where to spend your $20-a-month subscription.

I created a ChatGPT Plus vs. Copilot Pro battle by providing the same prompts to both programs. Both use GPT-4 and DALL-E, but Copilot has just made GPT-4 Turbo available to non-paying customers. This move makes Microsoft’s products a little faster. However, that’s not the only difference. The drastically different user interfaces, integrations, and strategies create a clear gap between the two AI chatbots. ChatGPT tends to be a bit verbose but offers more descriptive language and diverse sentence structures. Copilot, on the other hand, offers more tools in AI applications while integrating into more places, such as Word and Outlook.

Since both subscriptions cost $20 per month and use GPT-4 and DALL-E, the differences between ChatGPT Plus and Copilot Pro make the two a better fit. Here’s how the two programs differ.

However ChatGPT better provides the required style

Both chatbots faced the same dilemma that feels fairly common among generative AIs—neither could spell “Happy Birthday” correctly in the graphic itself when I asked it to create a birthday card. Likewise, both use human hands to struggle and depict characters in a way that doesn’t feel contrived.

While these platforms all face similar struggles, Copilot leads the way when it comes to integration tools. Microsoft’s AI created four image options, while ChatGPT created one. But the real benefit of Copilot comes from the integrated tools. Designer is a GPT for creating images, and it has integrated tools where you can edit the generated graphics. Comprehensive styles allow me to switch to different genres such as watercolor or pixel art. I can even click on a portion of the image to create a background blur or color pop effect or switch to a square aspect ratio, all without leaving Copilot.

One thing I feel ChatGPT does well is getting the style right on the first try. When I asked for a watercolor image, ChatGPT generated a watercolor image. With Copilot, the renderings it produces look nothing like watercolors. With Copilot, I can use the built-in tools to choose a style, and the result is closer to what I want. Still, the co-pilot’s watercolor features a black outline, more in line with comic art than painting.

Writing test: ChatGPT is wordy, but more eloquent

Co-pilot is able to add more recent facts

ChatGPT tends to get verbose if you don’t require a specific length. But OpenAI’s program also produces more polished content. ChatGPT writing, whether for business or creative tasks, contains more varied sentence structures, less passive voice, and more descriptive language.

By contrast, when the co-pilot is tasked with writing a short story about a haunted house, he begins with “once upon a time” and ends with “happily ever after,” in a strange mash-up of horror tropes and fairy tales. Copilot performed better when I switched from the fast to creative conversation style, although I still preferred ChatGPT’s story. Copilot also misunderstood the instructions when I asked Copilot to write a letter of recommendation for a former colleague and it was a letter addressed to me, not written by me.

One area where Copilot performs slightly better is in extracting the latest information. Upon request, ChatGPT put together more details in an email about the iPhone 15 Pro, but acted as if the phone hadn’t been released yet and reminded me to check the specs. Copilot seems to be doing a better job of incorporating the latest information, adding specs about the smartphone on its first try. Both programs incorrectly state that the Pro version has an A16 chipset, as a reminder to always check factual data when using AI.

Suggested tests: ChatGPT often suggests more options

But the co-pilot still made some sound suggestions.

What felt like a lengthy process when writing a professional email turned into more ideas when I asked ChatGPT for advice. When I asked for gift ideas, the chatbot came up with more ideas overall than Copilot.

However, the two programs feel most similar when it comes to chatting and asking for advice. I could have asked for a specific number of ideas and gotten very similar results. ChatGPT lists more options, but when I asked about gift ideas and job interview tips, both gave pretty standard advice.

Speed ​​test: co-pilots tend to finish faster

When speed matters most, the co-pilot can choose from three modes

Since ChatGPT comes from OpenAI, the company behind GPT-4, it’s a bit surprising that Copilot is actually the first to use GPT-4 Turbo. While the upgraded GPT is available to ChatGPT Pro beta users, Copilot is starting to integrate the Turbo version for consumers first, leading to a trend toward answering questions faster.

When I asked for a poem, Copilot added four more images when it was finished (which I didn’t ask for), and then ChatGPT even finished the text. Overall, the co-pilot finished faster almost every time.

Copilot also offers three conversation styles to choose from, so you can prioritize speed, creativity, or precision. Switching to creative mode sometimes lets ChatGPT finish first. But overall, Copilot accomplishes more in the first place.

ChatGPT seems to be experiencing more freezes. A maximum of 40 messages can be sent every three hours. Microsoft doesn’t list specific numbers for Copilot, but the company recently lifted the 300-message-per-day limit on its free tier.

Ethics test: both chatbots use similar training data

But ChatGPT has more content restrictions

Since both chatbots use GPT-4, the ethical difference between the two platforms lies in each company’s content policy guidelines. Both chatbots refused to generate Van Gogh-style images. However, when I requested images inspired by recent living artists, ChatGPT declined because imitating a specific artist’s style violates the content guidelines.

When asked to emulate the style of writers past or present, neither platform said no.

Privacy test: Copilot doesn’t use data for training

But both platforms have some data controls

Both ChatGPT and Copilot allow users to delete previous chat history. If you turn off chat history, ChatGPT will automatically delete your data every 30 days. Copilot has a privacy center that users can access and manually delete their data, but this will also delete Bing search history.

Microsoft says it won’t use the data fed into Copilot for training — which makes sense, since the system is based on OpenAI’s training data. ChatGPT will use your data for training, but users can turn it off in settings.

But ChatGPT has more customized GPT and less ads

Naturally, as a Microsoft product, Copilot is integrated into more applications. If you also have a Microsoft 365 subscription, you can use Copilot in Word and PowerPoint. Microsoft is also integrating artificial intelligence into Outlook email. This means fewer copy-and-paste attempts to put AI-written content into emails, word processing programs, or presentations. You don’t need to switch back and forth between the Copilot app or web version and the program you’re using.

Copilot also has more integrated tools. You can edit images directly from the image generator. Copilot Notebook will also generate content for you without a chat-like experience, allowing you to describe in more detail what you want AI to write for you.

While ChatGPT doesn’t have these same integrations, it does have a longer list of custom GPTs. The Explore GPT section has tons of different options in a number of different categories, while Copilot is limited to co-pilots, designers, vacation planners, cooking assistants, and fitness instructors.

There are also no ads within ChatGPT’s paid mobile app or web platform. After almost every generation, Copilot annoyingly sneaks in some links and even some photo ads.

Conclusion: Which AI chatbot subscription is the best?

CoPilot has a free trial version, which is faster, and the free version uses GPT-4

Despite sharing similar training data, both ChatGPT Plus and Copilot Pro have unique quirks that make the decision about which chatbot to use more clear. Both cost the same $20 per month, but Microsoft is the only company to offer a one-month free trial with the download of the mobile app.

By integrating into Microsoft 365, Copilot is a better option for users who already subscribe to the brand’s suite of tools like Word and PowerPoint. While AI isn’t included in the Microsoft 365 subscription fee, this integration means less back-and-forth between different applications.

Copilot is also the faster of the two AI systems and has fewer message restrictions. Microsoft’s chatbot also has more integrated image editing tools that work with DALL-E graphics. The user interface also has a separate Copilot Notebook, allowing text generation without a chat-like experience.

While Copilot is a better choice for users who already use Word and Outlook, ChatGPT Pro consistently produces more persuasive written content. Copilot feels more like a first draft, while OpenAI offers more varied sentence structures and vocabulary for smoother reading. ChatGPT also has content restrictions that prevent imitations of other modern artists. The OpenAI program also lacks the advertisements dotted on Copilot.

Beyond the free tier subscription, the decision is even clearer. The free version of Copilot uses GPT-4, while ChatGPT uses the older GPT-3.5 for non-paying users. This allows Copilot to deliver better results in less time to those who cannot control costs. However, free access to GPT-4 and GPT-4 Turbo is limited to off-peak hours, and the free option doesn’t include Microsoft 365 integration.