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Updated 4 September 2026 · Independent comparison

Microsoft 365 Copilot vs Rows:
which should you use?

Microsoft 365 Copilot and Rows, side by side. Find the one that fits what you need to do.

Find your best fit

The 30-second answer

Microsoft 365 Copilot is built for business, finance & professional work. Rows a spreadsheet that will fetch data and run analysis from a prompt, without leaving the grid.

Pricing, simplified

Start free. Upgrade when you need more.

1 of 2 have a free plan 0 of 2 prices re-read automatically · how we know No paid placement

The 30-second comparison

If you only read one section, make it this one. Rows where both sides say the same thing are left out — the point is where they differ. Where each row came from is listed underneath.

Microsoft 365 Copilot and Rows side by side, with the better fit for each row.
CategoryMicrosoft 365 CopilotRowsBetter fit
What it's built forSits inside Word, Excel, Outlook and Teams, so it works on the documents and meetings a company already has. The closest thing to AI that needs no change of habit.A spreadsheet that will fetch data and run analysis from a prompt, without leaving the grid. Familiar shape for anyone who already works in one.Microsoft 365 Copilot
Fit for business, finance & professional workBuilt for thisStrong fitMicrosoft 365 Copilot
Free planNo. Paid from the start.Yes. Free plan at $0: 5 AI tasks a month, data tables imported by hand, integrations across 10 accounts and up to 3 guestsRows
Cheapest way to pay$25.2 a month.$8 a month.Rows
What the paid tiers cost
  • One person, from priced on request
  • Per seat, from $25.20/month
  • Enterprise, from $30/month billed yearly
  • One person, from $8/month
  • Enterprise, priced on request
Tie
What to watch out forAn add-on rather than a standalone purchase: the enterprise Copilot seat is $30 a user a month on top of a qualifying Microsoft 365 licence you must already hold, and Copilot Chat is only included if you already pay for an eligible subscription. Agents need an Azure subscription on top again.A spreadsheet is only as right as its inputs, and a generated formula is easier to trust than to check. AI tasks are capped by tier, at 5 a month free, 200 on Plus and 1,000 on Pro, and Pro charges a flat monthly fee on top of its per-seat price. Prices are quoted net of sales tax or VAT.Tie
Made byMicrosoft — Redmond, US.Rows — Berlin, DE.Tie

Neither leads on the 7 rows above: 2 each. The job decides it, not the table.

Too close to call

Microsoft 365 Copilot or Rows

Neither leads on the rows above — the job decides it.

✓ The job is mainly business, finance & professional work ✓ Sits inside Word, Excel, Outlook and Teams, so it works on the documents and meetings a company already has. ✓ It is built for business, finance & professional work ✓ The closest thing to AI that needs no change of habit.
Choose Rows instead if…

A spreadsheet that will fetch data and run analysis from a prompt, without leaving the grid.

Rows is the better answer when the job is what it was built for rather than what the pick above does broadly.

✓ The job is mainly business, finance & professional work ✓ Sits inside Word, Excel, Outlook and Teams, so it works on the documents and meetings a company already has. ✓ It is built for business, finance & professional work ✓ The closest thing to AI that needs no change of habit.

How we know

Every row that separated these two, and where it came from. Nothing here is a hands-on test — if a line rests on a vendor’s own pricing page, it says so and links it.

The 4 rows that decided this page, with the source for each.
RowFavoursWeightWhere it came from
What it's built forMicrosoft 365 CopilotHow well it does the jobFrom this site’s own catalogue record for each product — compiled by hand, not imported. How a product gets listed
Fit for business, finance & professional workMicrosoft 365 CopilotHow well it does the jobBoth products are listed under business, finance & professional work in the catalogue, and this is the fit recorded against each listing. Everything listed under business, finance & professional work
Free planRowsHow well it does the jobFrom each vendor’s own pricing page. Dates and pages are listed below.
Cheapest way to payRowsEverything elseFrom each vendor’s own pricing page. Dates and pages are listed below.

The ratings

The category these two share. Business, Finance & Professional Work — both are listed there in the catalogue, and the fit recorded against each listing is a judgement made here, by hand.

The nine-category grid below. Derived from what each product is listed for, by one script, once per build — so the same pair always reads the same. It is a derivation, not a review.

What this is not

Neither product was run side by side to produce this page. Nobody was paid to appear on it and nothing here is ranked by commission.

To put the same question to both and read the answers yourself, run them side by side — that is a live test, and this is not.

Choose based on what you’re doing

All ten categories, including the ones where neither of these is the answer. These ratings are derived from what each product is listed for, not from running it — a rating here is a reading of the record, and the record is linked.

01

General-Purpose AI Assistants

Questions, brainstorming, explanations, everyday tasks, decision-making, general advice.

Microsoft 365 Copilot
Not a good fit
Rows
Not a good fit
Best choice: Neither
02

Search, Research & Academics

Web research, deep research, books, academic papers, citations, news, fact-checking.

Microsoft 365 Copilot
Not a good fit
Rows
Not a good fit
Best choice: Neither
03

Writing, Communication & Language

Emails, reports, essays, editing, summarizing, translation, presentations.

Microsoft 365 Copilot
Not a good fit
Rows
Not a good fit
Best choice: Neither
04

Coding, Data & Technical Work

Programming, debugging, data analysis, spreadsheets, math, engineering, technical research.

Microsoft 365 Copilot
Bad fit
Rows
Bad fit
Best choice: Neither
05

Business, Finance & Professional Work

Business strategy, investing, market research, legal, sales, HR, accounting, consulting.

Microsoft 365 Copilot
Built for this
Rows
Good fit
Best choice: Microsoft 365 Copilot
06

Image & Design

Image generation, photo editing, logos, graphics, product design, advertising creatives.

Microsoft 365 Copilot
Bad fit
Rows
Bad fit
Best choice: Neither
07

Video

Video generation and editing, clipping, subtitles, avatars, animation and motion capture.

Microsoft 365 Copilot
Bad fit
Rows
Bad fit
Best choice: Neither
08

Audio, Voice & Music

Voice generation, transcription, music, dubbing, sound cleanup and podcast production.

Microsoft 365 Copilot
Bad fit
Rows
Bad fit
Best choice: Neither
09

Marketing & Content Creation

Social media, SEO, advertising, copywriting, content ideas, scripts, brand development.

Microsoft 365 Copilot
Not a good fit
Rows
Not a good fit
Best choice: Neither
10

Productivity, Automation & Personal Life

AI agents, workflows, scheduling, meetings, organization, shopping, travel, personal finance.

Microsoft 365 Copilot
Not a good fit
Rows
Not a good fit
Best choice: Neither
Pick Microsoft 365 Copilot if

Sits inside Word, Excel, Outlook and Teams, so it works on the documents and meetings a company already has.

by Microsoft
The job is mainly business, finance & professional work
Sits inside Word, Excel, Outlook and Teams, so it works on the documents and meetings a company already has.
It is built for business, finance & professional work
The closest thing to AI that needs no change of habit.
Pick Rows if

A spreadsheet that will fetch data and run analysis from a prompt, without leaving the grid.

Berlin, DE
A spreadsheet that will fetch data and run analysis from a prompt, without leaving the grid.
You want to start without paying anything
You want the cheaper paid plan, $8 against $25.2
Familiar shape for anyone who already works in one.

Pricing, simplified

The plans people actually compare, read from each vendor’s own page.

PricingSimple, up-to-date plan overview.
Microsoft 365 Copilotby Microsoft
Rowsby Rows
Free version
Microsoft 365 Copilot
No — paid from the startPaid from the start
Rows
Yes — Free plan available5 AI tasks a month, data tables imported by hand, integrations across 10 accounts and up to 3
Individual plans
Microsoft 365 Copilot
Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat —
Rows
Plus $8 / month$6 / month (annual)
Pro $8 / month$6 / month (annual)
Business plans
Microsoft 365 Copilot
From $25.20 / user / monthFrom $21 / user / month (annual)Microsoft 365 Copilot Business, Microsoft 365 Business Standard with Copilot, Microsoft 365 Business Premium with Copilot
RowsNot sold to teams
Enterprise
Microsoft 365 Copilot
From $30 / user / month (annual)Microsoft 365 Copilot, the enterprise seat
Rows
Custom pricing
View full details
Microsoft 365 CopilotView Microsoft 365 Copilot pricing
RowsView Rows pricing
Interactive

Tell us what you use AI for

Pick your main job and the verdict below changes to match. Every answer is on the page already, so this works as a reader, not a lookup.

The verdict for that job
Evenly matched
Microsoft 365 Copilot. It is built for business, finance & professional work; Rows does it well without it being its focus; only Rows has a free plan; Rows is cheaper to start paying for, $8 against $25.2.
7 rows compared

Frequently asked questions

Is Microsoft 365 Copilot or Rows better?

Neither leads on the 7 rows above: 2 each. The job decides it, not the table. Microsoft 365 Copilot is built for business, finance & professional work; Rows does it well without it being its focus; only Rows has a free plan; Rows is cheaper to start paying for, $8 against $25.2. Microsoft 365 Copilot: Sits inside Word, Excel, Outlook and Teams, so it works on the documents and meetings a company already has. The closest thing to AI that needs no change of habit. Rows: A spreadsheet that will fetch data and run analysis from a prompt, without leaving the grid. Familiar shape for anyone who already works in one.

Is Microsoft 365 Copilot or Rows cheaper?

Rows — paid plans start at $8 a month against $25.2 a month.

Do Microsoft 365 Copilot and Rows both have free plans?

Rows does — Free plan at $0: 5 AI tasks a month, data tables imported by hand, integrations across 10 accounts and up to 3 guests. Microsoft 365 Copilot does not.

What should I watch out for?

Microsoft 365 Copilot: An add-on rather than a standalone purchase: the enterprise Copilot seat is $30 a user a month on top of a qualifying Microsoft 365 licence you must already hold, and Copilot Chat is only included if you already pay for an eligible subscription. Agents need an Azure subscription on top again. Rows: A spreadsheet is only as right as its inputs, and a generated formula is easier to trust than to check. AI tasks are capped by tier, at 5 a month free, 200 on Plus and 1,000 on Pro, and Pro charges a flat monthly fee on top of its per-seat price. Prices are quoted net of sales tax or VAT.

Read more

Microsoft 365 Copilot

What it is for, who makes it, what it costs and what to use instead.

Rows

What it is for, who makes it, what it costs and what to use instead.

Best AI for Business

Business strategy, investing, market research, legal, sales, HR, accounting, consulting.

How we compare AI tools
Every row is generated from the same record the rest of the site is built on, so this page cannot drift from what we say elsewhere. We separate winner, tie and depends rather than forcing each category into a ranking, and we drop rows where both sides say the same thing. A pick is only called an overall pick when it leads on rows about how well the tool does the job; a lead that rests on price or audience alone is labelled as one. Nothing here is a hands-on test — how we know lists the source and date behind every deciding row.