Google and Microsoft both offer free versions of their AI chatbots, but the paid versions provide significantly enhanced features. Google has introduced its Gemini Advanced chatbot, integrated with the Google One AI Premium suite. This positions it as a direct competitor to Microsoft’s Copilot Pro, which incorporates AI across Office applications. So, which offer stands out? Let’s explore the details.
Availability and Pricing
Gemini Advanced and Microsoft Copilot Pro are competitively priced at $20 per month, providing access to a similar range of productivity tools and services.
Google currently offers a promotional two-month free trial for web and mobile users, although the duration of this offer is uncertain. Microsoft provides a one-month free trial of Copilot Pro for those who install the Copilot app on iOS or Android devices.
Signing up for either service is straightforward. For Gemini, a Google account is required, while Copilot Pro necessitates a Microsoft email address. Both services allow free sign-ups for those without existing accounts.
Gemini Advanced is among the newer AI offerings. In February, Google merged its original Bard chatbot and the Duet AI productivity suite under the Gemini branding. The Gemini Advanced chatbot is powered by the Gemini Ultra 1.0 large language model (LLM) and is marketed alongside various perks from Google One AI Premium.
Meanwhile, Microsoft has maintained a strategic alliance with OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT, since 2021. This partnership enables Microsoft to seamlessly integrate GPT LLMs across its product lines, including the Edge browser, Designer app, and Microsoft 365. Initially branded as Bing Chat, Microsoft’s GPT chatbot was later renamed Copilot, reflecting its broader use in the company's AI applications.
Microsoft Copilot Pro utilizes the GPT-4 and GPT-4 Turbo LLMs, ensuring priority access and faster performance during peak usage. In addition to its exclusive connection to GPT-4, Copilot Pro offers AI-enhanced features across Microsoft’s suite of productivity and creativity applications. Like Gemini Advanced, the $20 Copilot Pro plan includes integration with Office applications such as Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote.
Notably, Microsoft also offers a $30 tier labeled “For Organizations,” which includes additional administrative features like Copilot for Teams and Microsoft Graph Grounding.
Capabilities and Features
As a relatively new entrant, Gemini Advanced hasn’t been extensively evaluated by industry experts but has received positive feedback from Google’s research teams. The brand asserts that Gemini Advanced is well-suited for tasks like coding, logical reasoning, detailed instruction following, and creative collaboration. The chatbot is designed to generate long-form content that closely resembles ChatGPT Plus’s output style.
A standout feature of Gemini Advanced is that it allows an unlimited number of replies in a single conversation with the chatbot.
Focusing on productivity, Google has integrated Gemini Advanced with its Workspace suite of applications. Upcoming integrations will enhance functionality across Gmail, Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Meet, enabling users to streamline tasks via prompts. For instance, users can input queries in the prompt bar within an email reply box to generate AI-driven responses.
Gemini also offers a unique “extensions” feature, allowing users to streamline tasks in the chatbot by using an “@” mention to direct Gemini towards specific apps or services such as Google Flights, Hotels, Maps, Gmail, Drive, Docs, or YouTube. This facilitates browsing, summarizing, planning, or organizing tasks across compatible applications. While this feature is available in both the free and paid versions, the more advanced LLM may yield greater efficiency in Gemini Advanced.
Despite some minor controversies surrounding Gemini’s image generation capabilities, particularly regarding historical inaccuracies, there has been no indication that these issues persist in Gemini Advanced.
Microsoft Copilot Pro has undergone rigorous testing and is widely regarded for its high-performance integration with Microsoft 365 applications. The service excels in coding, delivering concise outputs, and creativity-oriented tasks, leveraging DALL-E 3 for image generation.
Highlight features of Microsoft Copilot Pro include rapid AI image creation, allowing for up to 100 image generations daily within the Designer app. Users can also create, modify, and share customized Copilot GPTs using the Copilot Builder tool.
Additionally, Copilot Pro integrates AI within Microsoft 365 web applications at no extra fee, with plans to extend this capability to Microsoft 365 apps and Outlook for mobile platforms soon. To try Copilot Pro on a PC or Mac, users must subscribe to a Microsoft 365 Personal or Family plan. Since Copilot Pro is designed as a single-user subscription, those with shared family accounts will need separate registrations for each user.
For optimal performance, it’s advisable to register with a Microsoft email provider (e.g., @outlook.com, @hotmail.com, @live.com, or @msn.com). Users with third-party emails like Gmail, Yahoo, or iCloud can access Outlook, but compatibility with Copilot features may be limited.
Gemini Advanced vs. Copilot Pro: Which is Superior?
As part of Google One AI Premium, Gemini Advanced is accessible in English to users in 150 countries and will soon include support for Japanese and Korean. This service is ideal for those heavily invested in the Google ecosystem, offering a clear productivity focus with features tailored to diverse needs. For existing Google One cloud storage subscribers, upgrading to the “AI Premium” tier is a seamless transition.
Conversely, Microsoft Copilot Pro is available in 222 countries and regions where its free version operates. This service is well-suited for users looking for deep Microsoft integration, emphasizing creativity and development, accompanied by several additional perks.
Despite Microsoft Copilot Pro's broader availability, Gemini Advanced may present a more appealing value proposition for many. Its straightforward offerings eliminate surprises regarding extra desktop expenses, and its compatibility requirements are more user-friendly. Furthermore, Google’s extended free trial provides a hassle-free customer experience.
It appears Microsoft aims to transition Copilot Pro users into Microsoft 365 desktop subscribers, offering web access as a free trial while requiring additional steps for PC or Mac users to engage fully with the Copilot experience. Presently, the only Copilot for Microsoft 365 option targets business users or those willing to add Copilot Pro as an upgrade to their Microsoft 365 plan.
The future direction of these services remains to be seen, and users should keep in mind that the landscape of AI is ever-evolving. Regardless of the service you select, you are not locked into a subscription, ensuring flexibility as innovations unfold.
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