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Microsoft 365 Copilot & Agents Pricing Guide

Internal Reference + Client-Facing Resource Last updated: March 2026 | Based on Microsoft Level Up CSP Training (FY26 H2)

Note: Pricing and promotions change. Always verify current pricing at aka.ms/LevelUpCSPTraining or through your Microsoft partner portal before quoting clients.


The entry point. Included with every Microsoft 365 tenant at no additional cost.

CapabilityIncluded
Web-grounded chat (powered by GPT-4o)Yes
Copilot Pages (collaborative AI content)Yes
File uploadYes (limits apply)
Code InterpreterYes (limits apply)
Image generationYes (limits apply)
Create agents via Copilot StudioYes
Discover and pin agentsYes
Use agents grounded on web dataYes
IT management controlsYes
Enterprise Data Protection (EDP)Yes
Agents (pay-as-you-go consumption)Yes — billed separately

Key talking point: Copilot Chat is the door-opener. Every M365 customer already has it. The conversation starts with “are you using this yet?” not “do you want to buy something?”


The full AI assistant for work. Everything in Copilot Chat, plus:

CapabilityIncluded
Everything in Copilot ChatYes
Personal assistant across M365 appsYes
Copilot in Teams (meetings + recap)Yes
Copilot in Outlook (inbox prioritization, drafting, summaries)Yes
Copilot in Word (document creation, summaries, commands)Yes
Copilot in Excel (Python, formula creation, commands)Yes
Copilot in PowerPoint (Narrative Builder, designer, drafting)Yes
Copilot ActionsIn preview
Pre-built M365 agents (Interpreter, Facilitator, Project Manager, Employee Self-Service)In preview
Use agents grounded on shared tenant Graph data + 3rd party connectorsYes
Use agents with autonomous actionsYes
SharePoint Advanced ManagementIncluded
Copilot Analytics (usage + adoption reporting)Yes
Advanced analytics to measure ROIYes
Agent management controlsYes
Agent usage — zero-rated (no consumption charges)Yes

Key talking point: M365 Copilot licensed users get agent usage included at no additional consumption cost. Heavy Copilot Chat users consuming 2,000+ pay-as-you-go messages/month (~$20 value) should be upgraded to a full license — it’s more cost-effective and unlocks the full personal assistant experience.


Microsoft 365 Copilot Business — $21/user/month (NEW)

Section titled “Microsoft 365 Copilot Business — $21/user/month (NEW)”

The SMB offering, launched December 1, 2025. Same Copilot capabilities at a lower price point for small and medium businesses (up to 300 seats).

DetailValue
Price$21/user/month
Seat limitUp to 300 seats
PrerequisiteRequires a qualifying Microsoft 365 plan
CapabilitiesAll M365 Copilot capabilities at launch

Key talking point: This is a completely new SMB motion. Customers who previously couldn’t justify $30/seat now have a $21 option. Position during renewal conversations.


Launched December 1, 2025. Combines Microsoft 365 Business plans with Copilot Business in a single SKU — one purchase, one motion.

BundlePrice/user/month
Microsoft 365 Business Basic + Copilot Business$27
Microsoft 365 Business Standard + Copilot Business$33.50
Microsoft 365 Business Premium + Copilot Business$43

Key talking point: For customers on M365 Business Standard ($12.50/user), adding Copilot Business via the bundle is only $21 more. For renewals, this is a natural upsell — “for a small uptake, they can now add Copilot for Business.”


Current promotional window: December 1, 2025 — March 31, 2026

Microsoft is offering promotional pricing on both standalone Copilot Business and bundled SKUs. This creates a strong Q3 motion for CSP partners to drive upsell during renewal conversations.

Check your partner portal or the CSP Level Up Sales Bootcamp (BRK303 from Ignite 2025) for specific promotional discount amounts and terms.


4. Agent Consumption Billing (Pay-as-You-Go)

Section titled “4. Agent Consumption Billing (Pay-as-You-Go)”

For Copilot Chat users (not licensed for full M365 Copilot), agent usage is billed on consumption.

DetailValue
Rate$0.01 per message
Billing methodThrough linked Azure subscription
Upfront purchaseNone required
M365 Copilot licensed usersZero-rated (agent usage included)
Billing scope (M365 Admin Center)Copilot Chat, SharePoint Agents, M365 Copilot services
Billing scope (Power Platform Admin Center)Custom agents built in Copilot Studio deployed outside M365 surfaces, Dynamics 365 1P agents

When to Recommend a Full License vs. Pay-as-You-Go

Section titled “When to Recommend a Full License vs. Pay-as-You-Go”
ScenarioRecommendation
User sends < 500 agent messages/month (< $5)Stay on PAYG
User sends 500–2,000 messages/month ($5–$20)Evaluate based on need for personal assistant features
User sends 2,000+ messages/month (~$20+)Upgrade to M365 Copilot license — more cost-effective + unlocks full suite

The M365 Admin Center will surface alerts when users exceed 2,000 billed messages in the past 30 days, with a link to export the user list so admins can assign Copilot licenses.


Three pillars of cost management, available across M365 Admin Center and Power Platform Admin Center:

  • Licensing & metering: Understand which model applies (free chat, PAYG, licensed)
  • Consumption monitoring: Near real-time visibility in M365 Admin Center
  • Message consumption reports: Per-user, per-agent, per user-agent pair breakdowns
  • High consumption alerts: Automatic alerts for users exceeding thresholds
  • Timely insights: Usage data available within an hour of agent interaction
  • Departmental billing policies: Scope billing to Entra ID groups, linked to specific Azure subscriptions
  • Cross-charging: Enable departmental chargebacks based on actual usage
  • Budget limits at billing policy level: Set caps to prevent overruns (coming soon)
  • Overage enforcement: Control what happens when budgets are exceeded
  • Agent-level billing policy controls: Granular per-agent governance (in development)
  • Agent Consumption Estimator: Forecasting tool for projected agent costs
  • Consumption forecasting: Project future usage based on current trends
  • Azure Cost Management: Filter and view billing details by meter and Azure resource for PAYG agents
  • Downloadable reports: Export from Billing plan page in Power Platform Admin Center — breakdown by environment, app/agent, and user
  1. Navigate to Copilot > Billing & Usage
  2. Select “Add a Billing Policy”
  3. Name the policy, choose Azure subscription and resource group
  4. Select the Entra ID group this policy applies to
  5. Define billing terms and frequency
  6. Create the policy
  7. Under Pay-as-you-go services tab, assign policy to Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat
  8. Monitor budget consumption percentage and actual costs under the Budget tab
FeatureStatus
Budget limits at billing policy levelComing soon
Copilot Credit Consumption Capacity Packs (prepaid message packs)Upcoming
Agent-level billing policy controlsIn development
Agent usage reporting for Copilot Chat usersPlanned CY2025-H1

  • Included with M365 Copilot license
  • $3/user/month standalone for customers without Copilot
  • Covers: restricted access control, site lifecycle management, data access governance
  • Extended SharePoint Permissions and Default Sensitivity Label for SharePoint Document Libraries require separate Purview licensing
  • Standard Purview features (audit, retention, eDiscovery, basic DLP) are included with M365 E3/E5
  • Included with M365 Copilot: Build and publish agents
  • Copilot Chat (PAYG): Create agents, billed per message on consumption
  • Bring Your Own Model (BYOM): Via Azure AI Foundry — metered at the corresponding Azure AI Foundry Model meter rate (Public Preview)
FeatureCopilot Chat (Free)M365 Copilot ($30)
Enterprise Data ProtectionYesYes
IT management controlsYesYes
Agent managementYesYes
Agent access & usage through meteringYes— (zero-rated)
SharePoint Advanced ManagementYes
Copilot AnalyticsBasicFull
Advanced ROI analyticsYes
Agent usage reportingPlannedYes

Opening: “You already have Copilot Chat for free — is your team using it?”

Bridge: “Your heaviest users are probably spending $15–20/month on pay-as-you-go agent messages already. For $21/user, they get the full Copilot experience with zero consumption charges.”

Bundle play: “You’re up for M365 Business Standard renewal at $12.50. For $33.50 total, your team gets Copilot Business included — and right now there’s a promotional rate running through March 31.”

Opening: “With 1.3 billion AI agents projected by 2028, the question isn’t whether to adopt — it’s how to do it securely.”

Security angle: “M365 Copilot includes the full Copilot Control System — agent directory, policy controls, and Purview integration. Without it, you’re running AI without governance.”

Agent ROI: “A single customer service agent built in Copilot Studio can handle thousands of interactions at $0.01/message. Compare that to staffing costs.”

Cost control reassurance: “You get departmental billing, consumption alerts, and budget caps. No surprises.”

ObjectionResponse
”It’s too expensive”Start with free Copilot Chat. Demonstrate value. Upsell when users hit the consumption threshold. SMB bundles start at $27 total.
”We’re not ready for AI”Copilot Chat requires zero setup. Enable it, let people explore, measure adoption. Readiness comes from usage, not planning.
”What about data security?”Walk through the architecture: data stays in M365 boundary, Azure OpenAI is Microsoft-maintained, prompts don’t train models, Purview governs everything.
”How do we control costs?”Departmental billing, budget limits, consumption alerts, and the estimator tool. M365 Copilot users have zero agent consumption charges.
”We just want agents, not the full suite”Copilot Chat + PAYG agents is free to start. But once agent usage scales, an M365 Copilot license is more cost-effective and adds the personal assistant layer.

ResourceLink
Level Up CSP Training Hubaka.ms/LevelUpCSPTraining
Sales Bootcamp (pricing + GTM detail)aka.ms/LevelUpCSPBootcamp
In-Person Sales Contentaka.ms/LevelUpCopilotSalesTraining
CSP Calendaraka.ms/LevelUpCSPCalendar
Sales Badge Assessmentaka.ms/MicrosoftTitan (Code: JXTR-QPDA)
AI@Work CSP Insider Newsletteraka.ms/AIatworkCSP

SKUPriceBest For
Copilot ChatFreeEveryone — door opener, adoption starter
Copilot Business$21/user/moSMB (< 300 seats) — full Copilot at SMB price
M365 Copilot$30/user/moEnterprise — full suite + analytics + governance
M365 Basic + Copilot Business$27/user/moSMB bundle — cheapest all-in option
M365 Standard + Copilot Business$33.50/user/moSMB bundle — most popular
M365 Premium + Copilot Business$43/user/moSMB bundle — security-conscious
Agent messages (PAYG)$0.01/msgLight agent usage on Copilot Chat
SharePoint Advanced Mgmt$3/user/moStandalone (free with Copilot)