Yes. With connections via Power Automate or Microsoft Graph, Copilot can trigger actions (e.g. create tasks, send reminders, update records) from natural language prompts, reducing friction in workflows.
Microsoft Copilot vs ChatGPT (including Dynamics, GitHub, Studio & 365 Copilot) to find out which AI tool fits your business needs today… and when to use them.
Contents
Agentic AI Is Already Here… But Are You Ready?
What Is A Data Lake?
Ok, so a quick heads-up before I start. AI is changing fast.
And I don’t mean “fast” like your usual tech cycle fast. I mean breakneck, blink-and-you’ll-miss-it fast.
New features roll out every week. Pricing changes overnight. Interfaces are redesigned, renamed or deprecated before most teams have even adopted them.
What’s brand-new today could feel outdated by next month. And that makes makes the Microsoft Copilot vs chatGPT debate… well, slightly slippery.
But here’s what I think… you don’t need to have a crystal ball to make the right choice.
Because the best AI tool isn’t the trendiest one, it’s the one that actually works for how you and your team work today.
Not six months from now.
Not when IT finally finishes a rollout.
Now.
In this article, I won’t be trying to crown a winner or push a particular product. Instead, I’ll try and walk you through how both ChatGPT and Microsoft’s growing family of Copilots stack up… the pros, the gaps and the types of work each one really shines at.
If you’re deep into Microsoft 365 or Dynamics 365, Copilot will likely feel like a natural extension of your workday. If you’re exploring, experimenting or looking to spin up ideas quickly, ChatGPT might still be the more flexible choice for you. For many organisations, the sweet spot will probably sit somewhere in between.
So let’s get into it and help you decide which AI tool (or combo) is worth your time right now.
When people ask, “Which is better, Microsoft Copilot vs chatGPT?”, they’re often comparing apples to golf clubs.
These tools may both be powered by generative AI, but they’re built for very different things, which has made comparing them both harder, and a lot easier too.
To help you make a clear, informed choice, it’s worth understanding what each platform actually is first… and what sits within each ecosystem.
Let’s break it down.
ChatGPT is OpenAI’s conversational AI platform… you probably know it as the one that kicked off all this AI hype back in Nov ’22.
However, what started as a chatbot has quickly evolved into a powerful, multi-purpose tool that can generate content, summarise documents, explain (and write) code, interpret data and now even handle voice and vision inputs in GPT-4o, the latest model at the time of writing. (I know GPT-5o is out, but the kinks are still being worked out there).
But there’s a lot more to it than just chatting.
If you’re a ChatGPT Plus user (the paid plan), you also get access to Custom GPTs, a feature that lets you create your own tailored AI assistant in minutes.
No coding required.
You simply define the tone, upload files, set instructions and if you’re feeling fancy, even connect APIs.
For example, you could build a Custom GPT to answer FAQs about your business, review documents for tone of voice or guide new team members through onboarding… all within the same friendly ChatGPT interface.
Unlike ChatGPT, Microsoft’s “Copilot” isn’t a single product.
It’s actually a whole ecosystem of AI tools embedded directly into the Microsoft tech stack. It’s designed less for exploration and more for productivity and operational support.
And depending on your licence, industry and tech maturity, Copilot can show up in a few different ways.
Let’s break down the key players:
This is the version most users come across first.. AI that lives inside the Microsoft tools you already use:
It’s essentially a workplace assistant that understands your schedule, documents and communication history, and works quietly in the background to help you get more done.
Key strength: Context. It knows your content, calendar, emails and meetings… and can draw insights across them all.
This is Microsoft’s low-code/no-code platform that lets you build your own Copilots for internal or external use.
Think of it as a more enterprise-focused version of ChatGPT’s Custom GPTs… but with much tighter integration into Microsoft data and systems.
With Copilot Studio, you can:
It’s a great option for companies that need process automation, knowledge bots or system guidance… but want to stay within the Microsoft ecosystem for data security and governance.
Copilot D365, as the name suggests, was built specifically for teams using Dynamics 365… whether that’s Sales, Customer Service, Finance, Marketing (Customer Insights Journeys) or Supply Chain.
Here’s what it can do:
It’s less about creativity, more about speed and precision. And it works because it understands your live CRM/ERP data.
Biggest win? It saves hours by automating updates, insights and communication… especially for customer-facing teams.
And of course, there’s the developer’s favourite: GitHub Copilot.
Built in partnership between Microsoft and OpenAI, this tool sits directly inside Visual Studio Code, GitHub and other IDEs to offer real-time code suggestions, documentation help and even test generation.
Now with GitHub Copilot Chat, developers can ask questions about their code, get explanations and even debug in natural language, all without switching tabs.
Not Great For: Creative thinking, business use cases or explaining broader topics… it’s laser-focused on code.
In almost all businesses, these tools won’t compete, they’ll complement.
ChatGPT is where your team thinks, drafts and experiments. Copilot is where you deliver, automate and scale.
ChatGPT is often the first generative AI tool people use, and for good reason.
It’s intuitive, fast, well known and doesn’t require any setup. You open a tab, type a question, and within seconds you’ve got answers, ideas, summaries, outlines or code.
But beneath its friendly tone and clean interface, ChatGPT (especially the paid Plus version) offers powerful functionality that goes far beyond a simple chatbot.
Let’s unpack what makes it such a valuable tool… especially for teams working in marketing, strategy, operations or product.
One of ChatGPT’s biggest strengths is its sheer range. You can ask it to:
It’s like having a copywriter, analyst, junior dev and comms manager in one, available 24/7, with no ego and no coffee breaks.
This makes it especially useful in marketing teams, cross-functional projects and early-stage product development, where speed, iteration and experimentation matter more than structure.
If you’re on ChatGPT Plus, you also get access to Custom GPTs, and for me, this is where things get really interesting for businesses.
With no code and very little time, you can build your own AI assistant to:
You can upload documents, define rules, set the tone and even connect APIs.
And once you’ve built a Custom GPT, anyone in your team with a Plus account can use it instantly.
It’s particularly handy for marketing, sales and HR teams who need consistency, speed and creativity, without waiting on tech teams or custom dev cycles.
ChatGPT isn’t just clever. It’s comfortable.
The interface feels more like a conversation than a form or search engine, which makes it more accessible to people who don’t love tech. You don’t need to learn prompts, syntax or processes. You just… type.
That natural UX is one reason teams actually use it, not just talk about using it.
With the Pro (Plus) plan, you also unlock:
And all this lives in one just place, with no extra setup or integrations.
You don’t need to ask IT to approve anything. And that’s a huge advantage when you’re moving fast.
For all its strengths, ChatGPT isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution.
There are clear limitations… especially for businesses operating in regulated, security-conscious or highly integrated environments.
Here are a few of the main watchouts:
That said, if you understand the limits and use it with purpose, ChatGPT becomes a hugely powerful tool in your team’s arsenal.
Here’s a quick view of where it plays best:
| Use Case | ChatGPT Strength Levels |
| Content Creation | Quick, creative and on-brand |
| Brainstorming | Great for idea generation |
| Internal Tools | Custom GPTs are fast to build |
| Deep Integration With Business Systems | Limited without some dev work |
| Role Specific Automation | It’s possible.. but will require dev work |
While ChatGPT is your agile creative partner, Microsoft Copilot is your embedded enterprise assistant.
It doesn’t live in a separate app or tab, it shows up inside the tools you already use, helping you get more done without changing how you work.
But let’s be clear, “Microsoft Copilot” isn’t a single tool.
It’s a family of AI experiences across Microsoft 365, Dynamics 365, GitHub and more. Each one is slightly different, but they all share a goal: make work faster, smarter and more focused by embedding AI into the apps your teams already rely on.
Whether you’re writing reports, forecasting sales, managing customer relationships or debugging code, there’s likely a Copilot built to help.
No switching tabs. No new logins. Copilot is designed to sit inside the software your people already use: Word, Excel, Outlook, Teams, PowerPoint, Dynamics, Azure DevOps and more.
That means your team doesn’t have to adopt “yet another tool.” Copilot meets them where they already are and works with the content they’re already handling.
For example:
That level of integration gives it a real advantage in organisations that already rely heavily on Microsoft tools, which, let’s face it, is most of them.
Unlike ChatGPT, which only knows what you give it, Microsoft Copilot (with the right permissions in place) can see across your emails, files, calendars, CRM records, Teams chats and business apps.
It understands the context of your workday, and that means its suggestions are often more relevant, faster and easier to trust.
In practice, that means:
This ability to surface the right data, at the right time, for the right person is what makes Copilot feel smart… not just clever.
Microsoft Copilot isn’t trying to be a creative writing tool.
It’s built for real, day-to-day business output: drafting, summarising, automating, formatting and analysing.
You’re not getting whimsical metaphors or quirky copy, you’re getting a clean, concise first draft.
That’s a win when you’re under pressure to send a proposal or clean up a spreadsheet.
Need to turn bullet points into a PowerPoint deck? Done. Want to summarise a 50-email chain? Easy. Need to update CRM records without touching your keyboard? Copilot’s got it.
It might not be fun, but it is fast… and in business, that’s often what matters most.
For many organisations, especially in regulated industries, this is where Microsoft Copilot pulls ahead.
Because it runs inside your Microsoft 365 environment, it inherits all the compliance, identity and security controls already in place. That means:
This makes it a safer bet for enterprises who can’t take risks with customer data, contracts, or IP.
Copilot isn’t just for one team. It’s designed to scale.
And with tools like Copilot Studio, you can build your own use cases, extending its power to frontline teams, customer service or even client portals.
Whilst Copilot is deeply integrated, it’s still evolving.
Not every feature is consistent across apps. For example, what it can do in Excel is still more limited than what it can do in Word. And some users report bugs, latency or incomplete results, especially in new rollouts or preview versions.
This will improve over time, but today, it means you can’t rely on it 100%, especially for complex tasks.
Copilot is brilliant for polishing, summarising and reformatting content, but it’s not great at thinking outside the box.
If you’re trying to write a campaign headline, come up with product names or find a unique angle for a case study, you’ll likely get better results from ChatGPT. Copilot isn’t bad, it’s just a bit… safe.
While basic Copilot functionality works out of the box, more advanced use cases (especially in Dynamics or custom workflows) require setup, configuration or developer support.
Some examples include:
That means that whilst Copilot is low-friction for everyday users, businesses still need a partner (like FormusPro) or internal expertise to unlock its full potential.
The flip side of deep integration is… lock-in.
To use Copilot effectively, you need to already be using Microsoft tools. or be ready to migrate. If your business runs on Google Workspace, Salesforce or third-party tools, you won’t get the same value without a major tech shift.
That might not be a deal-breaker, but it’s something to consider before going all-in.
The bottom line?
Microsoft Copilot is brilliant for structured, task-based work, especially if you’re already using the Microsoft stack. It saves time, reduces friction, and scales well across the business.
But it’s not trying to be ChatGPT, and that’s okay.
Use it to power through your day. Let ChatGPT handle the blue-sky thinking.
As more businesses start building their own AI tools, one question I get asked again and again is:
Should we build a Custom GPT in ChatGPT? Or create something in Copilot Studio?
At first glance, they sound similar, both promise no-code or low-code ways to build custom AI assistants for your team or clients. But under the hood, they serve very different purposes, with different levels of control, integration and scalability.
Custom GPTs live inside ChatGPT. Anyone with a ChatGPT Plus subscription can build one in under 10 minutes, no dev team, no platform knowledge, no deployment steps.
You can:
Once it’s live, you or your team can start chatting with it… instantly.
You can build a content editor, tone-of-voice checker, onboarding assistant or even a compliance reviewer just by uploading relevant materials and setting some rules.
In Short: Custom GPTs are ideal for fast internal tools, pilots, and creative workflows, but they don’t scale well across departments or connect to live business systems.
Copilot Studio, part of Microsoft’s Power Platform, is a more robust, low-code tool designed for businesses that want automation and integration… at scale.
It lets you:
Unlike Custom GPTs, Copilot Studio is built for enterprise needs, where bots need to pull from live systems, respect access controls and deliver consistent experiences across large teams or customer bases.
In Short: Copilot Studio is built for large-scale business processes and customer-facing tasks, not for quick internal experiments.
The answer depends entirely on what you’re trying to do, and who it’s for.
Here’s my thoughts…
If you’re looking to build something quickly, without touching a line of code, say, a tone-checking assistant for your brand or a tool to help onboard new staff, then Custom GPTs are ideal. They’re perfect for marketing, HR, sales or internal comms teams who want to experiment or test ideas without needing help from IT.
On the other hand, if your use case needs access to live business data (like CRM records, HR platforms or finance systems), or you’re automating internal processes that span multiple teams, then Copilot Studio is the better choice.
It’s designed to integrate securely within your Microsoft Tech stack, apply role-based permissions and scale reliably across the business.
For one-off creative tools or training bots used by a small team, Custom GPTs offer speed and simplicity. But for anything that needs structured logic, workflow automation, enterprise security or multi-channel deployment… Copilot Studio is built for that job.
In Short: use Custom GPTs for fast, flexible internal tools and Copilot Studio for structured, scalable business automation.
In practice, many organisations are using both and as I said when I started this, it’s often the sweet spot.
Think of it like this:
Use Custom GPTs to test fast.
Use Copilot Studio to scale what works.
Let’s shift gears for a moment.
Most of this article focuses on AI tools for general productivity, internal enablement and knowledge work. But if you’ve got a dev team in the mix, whether they’re building internal systems, client platforms or custom solutions, then you’ll want to hear about GitHub Copilot.
It’s part of the Microsoft Copilot family, but it’s very different from the Copilots in Word or Dynamics.
GitHub Copilot is an AI pair programmer that lives inside your code editor. It’s trained on billions of lines of public code and documentation, and it suggests whole lines or blocks of code as you type, helping developers write faster, learn new frameworks and automate repetitive tasks.
Now, with GitHub Copilot Chat, developers can even ask it questions like:
It’s designed to speed up development and reduce friction… especially for routine or repetitive coding tasks.
It’s a great companion for any developer, whether they’re writing APIs, building apps or working on client solutions.
This is very much a niche tool, but for dev teams, it can be a huge productivity booster.
In the context of ChatGPT vs Microsoft Copilot, GitHub Copilot stands apart. You wouldn’t compare it to ChatGPT or M365 Copilot directly, but if you’re building apps, integrating APIs or customising Dynamics, it’s worth considering as part of your team’s AI toolkit.
For organisations using Custom GPTs or Copilot Studio, GitHub Copilot can also accelerate the work behind those tools, helping devs build connectors, flows or data layers faster.
Back to the business suite… and possibly the most strategic part of the Microsoft Copilot story for enterprise users.
If your organisation uses Dynamics 365 for sales, customer service, finance, marketing or operations, Dynamics 365 Copilot could be your secret weapon. It brings AI directly into your CRM and ERP tools, not as a bolt-on, but as a deeply integrated assistant that works with your data, users and business processes.
Dynamics 365 Copilot is Microsoft’s AI offering within the Dynamics suite, designed to help teams reduce manual admin, surface insights faster and take action based on real-time data.
It’s not just writing suggestions. It can:
The goal?
Help people spend less time on data entry and more time on decision-making.
It’s especially valuable for client-facing teams who spend more time in meetings and Outlook than in dashboards.
This is one of the areas where ChatGPT really can’t compete, at least, not natively.
Whilst ChatGPT can help a sales team role-play scenarios or brainstorm email templates, it can’t access real-time customer data or log CRM activities unless you build custom integrations. Dynamics Copilot, on the other hand, is plugged directly into your data, teams and timelines.
It doesn’t generate off-the-wall creative ideas. But it does reduce admin, surface insights and improve consistency across your customer lifecycle.
For Dynamics-heavy organisations, this is a clear and compelling use of AI, one that delivers value now, not in theory.
Here’s the truth most articles won’t say out loud:
There’s no absolute winner. Just the right tool for the job.
Both ChatGPT and Microsoft’s Copilot ecosystem are powerful. They just solve different problems, for different people, in different ways.
If you’re already living in Microsoft 365 or Dynamics? Copilot is the natural fit. It helps you move faster inside the tools you already use, automates admin work and keeps everything secure, scalable and compliant. It’s not trying to reinvent your workflow, it’s making it more efficient.
If you’re looking for speed, flexibility or creative freedom then ChatGPT still leads. It’s the place to explore ideas, test tone, prototype tools and solve unusual problems, without needing IT, licences or setup.
And with Custom GPTs, you can build real value in a matter of hours.
The smartest businesses aren’t choosing one or the other. They’re using both, strategically.
This isn’t an either/or decision.
It’s an opportunity to build a smarter tech stack, one that combines creativity with productivity, speed with structure and flexibility with enterprise control.
| Task | Best Tool |
| Writing blogs, emails, headlines | ChatGPT (especially with Custom GPTs) |
| Drafting proposals or formal docs | Microsoft Copilot in Word |
| Summarising meetings and threads | Copilot in Teams or Outlook |
| Analysing spreadsheets or financials | Excel Copilot |
| Logging sales activity or writing follow-ups | Dynamics Copilot |
| Helping devs write, fix and refactor code | GitHub Copilot |
| Building a quick internal tool or training bot | Custom GPT |
| Automating business processes or support flows | Copilot Studio |
At FormusPro, we’re big believers in choosing tech that fits you, not the other way around.
As a Microsoft partner, we’ve seen the power of Copilot across real-world client environments. But we’ve also used ChatGPT behind the scenes to speed up thinking, spark creativity and unblock team workflows.
This space is moving fast, but the need for clarity, simplicity and smart choices? That’s not going anywhere.
So, pick the tool that makes sense for your team today.
And don’t be afraid to adapt tomorrow.
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Can Copilot be used to aid task automation across apps?
Yes. With connections via Power Automate or Microsoft Graph, Copilot can trigger actions (e.g. create tasks, send reminders, update records) from natural language prompts, reducing friction in workflows.
How does FormusPro support organisations in training and adoption of Copilot?
We deliver change management, user workshops, prompt libraries, sample use-cases, best practice guides, support for governance and feedback mechanisms, so that Copilot becomes embedded in culture rather than being under-used or misused.
Can Copilot help with generating or automating reports?
Yes. For example Copilot can pull together data from chats, emails, meetings, Excel or BI dashboards and auto-generate summaries, slide decks or status reports, which saves manual data gathering and improves consistency.
How does cost/licencing/usage work for Copilot, and what should organisations consider?
There are different levels/licences depending on which Copilot you use (Microsoft 365, Dynamics, Security etc.), how much usage (number of prompts, users, data connections), data capacity and whether custom training or prompt frameworks are built. Organisations should assess usage patterns and start with pilot licensing to avoid over-commitment.
How does Copilot work with “prompt engineering”?
Prompt engineering (crafting good prompts) is key: specifying context, defining expected style or output, using internal data or content, refining prompts based on feedback. FormusPro helps users learn how to write good prompts to get more useful output.
Can Copilot help NonProfit, Public Sector or heavily regulated organisations?
Absolutely. These sectors can use Copilot whilst ensuring strong compliance frameworks, maintain data privacy, restrict usage, audit all actions and use it to improve service delivery, reduce admin, improve reporting or grant writing etc.
How can Copilot be used in customer service or support roles?
In support, Copilot can draft responses, suggest resolutions based on past cases, summarise incoming tickets, provide agents with context from customer history and help route or escalate issues using its understanding of your data.
Can Copilot help with knowledge management and internal documentation?
Yes. Copilot can summarise documents, provide “ask questions of your documents” features, generate FAQs or guides from internal content, helping employees find the information they need more quickly.
What business outcomes should organisations expect with Copilot?
Faster content creation, better consistency of output, improved user satisfaction, reduced manual repetitive tasks, enhanced decision-making from insights, better team collaboration and over time efficiency gains and creativity boosts.
What are common pitfalls when adopting Copilot, and how can they be avoided?
Pitfalls include unclear prompt/design of how Copilot will be used, missing or poorly configured data permissions, inadequate training or assuming Copilot replaces rather than augments human work. Avoid these via pilot projects, governance, feedback loops, change management.
How quickly can value be seen after deploying Copilot in a business?
Some use cases (like drafting emails, summarising meetings, or generating initial drafts) can show noticeable gains within days to a week; more advanced uses (integrating it with business-systems, custom prompts, automation across apps) may take a few weeks to configure properly.
What AI-features are standard with Copilot, and how do they differ across the “for Microsoft 365”, “for Dynamics”, “for Security”, etc. modules?
Standard features include natural language prompt input, summarisation, content generation, task automation. The different modules overlay domain-specific capabilities: e.g. Dynamics Copilot focuses on business data / records, Security Copilot on threat insight, Fabric/BI Copilot on analytics insights, etc.
What are the security and privacy considerations with Copilot, and how are they managed?
Copilot inherits your organisation’s existing security, identity and compliance policies. Data isn’t used to train the LLMs outside your tenant, permissions are enforced and FormusPro helps configure tenant settings, roles, audit logs so privacy risks are minimised.
How does FormusPro help organisations implement Copilot effectively?
We assist with readiness: identifying relevant business scenarios, connecting the correct data sources, ensuring security & governance is correctly configured, training users, embedding Copilot into workflows so it enhances work rather than disrupts it.
How does Copilot integrate with Dynamics 365 and business systems?
Copilot for Dynamics can pull in records, customer interactions, financial data etc., suggest next best actions, help generate insights from CRM / ERP data, assist in case resolution, sales forecasting or process optimisations using your organisation’s own datasets.
How can Copilot help boost productivity across everyday Microsoft 365 apps?
Copilot can draft emails, summarise meeting notes, create slide decks, analyse data in Excel, help brainstorm or plan in Word, generate chat responses in Teams… all saving time, reducing repetitive work and making content-creation easier.
What does Microsoft Copilot do?
Copilot is Microsoft’s AI assistant that combines large language models with your organisation’s data (via Microsoft Graph, Dynamics, etc.) to help automate, generate and enhance your workflow… writing, summarising, analysing, and acting, directly in apps people use every day.
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