Microsoft Copilot and Google Gemini are very similar at a glance. The interfaces look comparable, the functionality is analogous, and even the price is the same.
But dig deeper, and you’ll find that one of these AI products offers far more value for your money.
We’ve spent hours testing Copilot and Gemini in their respective ecosystems. Our guide below compares these AI tools and gives recommendations for different use cases.
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What is Microsoft Copilot?
Microsoft Copilot is an AI assistant integrated into Microsoft 365 apps. Copilot rolled out in 2023 to replace Cortana, Microsoft’s now obsolete virtual assistant.
Copilot is powered by OpenAI’s GPT-3.5 and GPT-4 Large Language Models (LLMs). It embeds GPT’s analytical and conversational prowess into your Microsoft Graph data, such as your calendar, email, documents, and spreadsheets. This makes Copilot a suitable choice if you collaborate with teams that use Microsoft apps such as Outlook, Word, PowerPoint, and Excel.
What is Google Gemini?
Gemini is Google’s generative AI chatbot, which replaced Google’s Bard in 2024. This AI is powered by the Gemini LLM, which Google calls its “best family of large language models.”
Much like Copilot, Gemini is designed to integrate with your data. This includes documents, presentations, spreadsheets, and mail, on their respective Google Workspace apps.
At the time of writing, Gemini’s launch and integration into these apps is still underway, so the AI’s functionality in the Workspace ecosystem is constrained to text generation and image creation. That said, Gemini’s built-in conversational skills already make it an eloquent assistant for creative writing tasks.
Copilot vs. Gemini performance comparison
If you don’t have time to read our full review, below is a summary of how Microsoft Copilot performs compared to Google Gemini.
AI Quality: Microsoft Copilot vs Google Gemini
Microsoft Copilot scores ahead of Gemini in AI quality because its output is more accurate and consistent.
Copilot’s Pro version is powered by OpenAI’s GPT-4, which so far outstrips most of its AI rivals in precision and responsiveness to feedback. It distorts facts at times, but such hiccups have become farther and fewer in between since the chatbot’s original release.
Meanwhile, Google’s Gemini feels like a slightly upgraded Bard with a new name (although it still calls itself “Bard” at times). This chatbot is a good conversationalist that actually sounds human. Despite the eloquence, Gemini gets its facts wrong far too often. Most alarmingly, it likes to overstate its capabilities. Gemini claims that it can access your Google Drive, send emails, and transcribe screenshots. Gemini will even ask you to wait while it executes these tasks… only to produce nothing in the end.
Have a look below:
And twenty minutes later:
Moreover, Gemini has another serious quality issue. On occasion, it abruptly deletes your earlier prompts along with its answers. Such bouts of amnesia can erase days’ worth of work without warning. So, beware: if you must use Gemini for a vital task, export and save all your sessions frequently.
Usability: Microsoft Copilot vs Google Gemini
Both Copilot and Gemini have a straightforward user interface (UI) that takes little effort to navigate. That said, Copilot integrates much better with Microsoft 365 apps than Gemini does with Google Workspace.
UI Comparison
Gemini UI
Gemini’s UI is clean and uncomplicated. You should be able to navigate this UI quickly and without hiccups, whether you’re a novice or an experienced AI user.
The interface resembles ChatGPT, with the chat bar at the bottom of the screen and recent conversations on the left side panel. The settings button lets you view and control your subscription, switch between dark and light themes, access extensions, and manage links you’ve created to your chat history.
You can also switch between Gemini and Gemini Advanced. The sole difference between the two as far as the UI is concerned is in the usage suggestions, which pop up above the chat window. Free Gemini suggests basic tasks, such as finding hotels or giving suggestions for job applications. Meanwhile, Gemini Advanced suggests code snippet generation, image creation, and other functions indicative of the more robust LLM that powers it.
Copilot UI
Microsoft Copilot UI is more feature-rich (but a bit more cluttered) than Gemini’s at first glance.
Like Gemini, Copilot has a chat window at the bottom of the screen. This chat function comes with three conversation style options: Creative, Precise, and Balanced. You can switch between the Copilot and Notebook views, with the latter letting you send more detailed prompts (18,000 characters vs 2,000 in the Copilot view).
Apart from chat, Copilot’s UI gives you four different GPTs from which to choose. These include Designer, Vacation Planner, Cooking Assistant, and Fitness Trainer — all have been trained to address their respective query types. If you opt for the Copilot Pro, you’ll be able to create your own GPTs on top of the four built into the free version.
App Integrations Comparison
Gemini Integrations in Google Workspace
Gemini claims to integrate with Google Workspace apps, but this is not always the case. Its rollout continues at the time of writing, and for now Gemini works with Gmail, Docs, Sheets, and Slides. Of these, only the Docs integration is fully functional. Meanwhile, the Sheets add-on is still in beta testing, and its Slides add-on only lets you generate images (not slides!)
You can prompt Gemini’s side panel in Slides to produce an image in a number of styles, and it will oblige. However, the images are basic and lack utility in Slides. Crucially, you can’t use Gemini to create new slides or make existing ones more visually appealing — although Gemini promises to add these capabilities in the future.
Microsoft Copilot integrations in Microsoft 365
Copilot’s integration with Microsoft 365 leaves Gemini’s Google Workspace add-ons in the Stone Age. Where Gemini adds a touch of convenience to a select few apps, Microsoft’s AI assistant improves the functionality of Outlook, Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and Teams by taking on tedious tasks and easing your workload.
For example, while Gemini is limited to generating one-off images, Copilot’s PowerPoint extension can create and edit entire presentations.
That said, Copilot’s slides still have a rudimentary feel. Each slide features the same template with three bullet points and bland, generic images. So while Copilot makes presentations quickly, its slides leave a lot to be desired. You’ll spend lots of time polishing them — especially in a professional setting.
So despite boasting greater functionality than Google Gemini, Copilot comes up short in three regards. Firstly, you have little freedom to customize your presentation before Copilot creates it; all you get is a single prompt. What’s more, Copilot’s slides are lackluster and repetitive — you can’t use them for professional presentations without lots of manual refinement. Finally, you can’t use Copilot with Google Workspace apps, such as Docs or Slides. This constraint limits collaboration opportunities if your team uses Google Workspace.
What’s missing?
Plus AI gives you the highest quality AI for creating slide decks and customizing your slides to create elegant, engaging presentations. Their AI is trained to make your slides look good. Moreover, Plus lets your teams collaborate seamlessly in both Google Slides and Docs.
Pricing: Microsoft Copilot vs Google Gemini
Pricing is identical for these two AI products. Their paid plans — Copilot Pro and Gemini Advanced — also have the same price of $20 per month for personal and $30 per month for business use (though you may need to sign up for an annual commitment)
Where the two AI assistants differ is in their trial offers. Microsoft Copilot has none — you must pay upfront to take the software for a test drive. Meanwhile, Gemini Advanced has a generous 2-month free trial period. This discrepancy is hardly surprising. Copilot Pro capitalizes on the reputation of OpenAI’s ChatGPT 4, while Google’s Gemini is catching up and needs to prove their model to customers.
In terms of value for money, your $30 goes much further with Copilot Pro than with Gemini Advanced. Bard’s supposedly improved incarnation is a smooth talker, but underneath the suave persona the product is unreliable and lacks the integrations of its Microsoft counterpart. That’s not to say that Google won’t improve its AI offering over time. Gemini is just not there yet.
While Copilot Pro integrates with more apps and affords more functionality, it’s still quite basic. Regrettably, you get few customization tools in apps that matter most — like Word and PowerPoint. For $20, Plus AI equips you with a whole suite of handy features that streamline slide creation and text composition. And unlike Copilot, Plus AI offers you a 7-day free trial.
What do consumers say about Microsoft Copilot and Google Gemini?
Here’s what consumers say about Microsoft Copilot:
- “Copilot in teams is an extraordinary help for meeting notes, open points, etc If. you spend long hours in meeting, you will love it. 4 stars as results can be disappointing once in a while.”
- “Microsoft made a great decision! Business Chat is the feature that most interested me since it gathers information from papers, presentations, emails, calendars, notes, and contacts to help you write emails, identify important dates, and construct a plan based on other project files.”
- “We use it in our company. co-pilot helps to accelerate development.”
And here is some consumer feedback on Google Gemini:
- “Perks: Image Captioning, Text Summary, Article Summary Demerits: Fails to recognise few pattern of Images or questions.”
- “I've tried Gemini recently, and it is pretty good. It is simple and easy to use. Looks like the update fixed previous issues. I also love how I can check links to the resources the chat uses.”
- “I recently tried the newly launched Google Bard integrated with Gemini, and unfortunately, my experience has been disappointing. The tool frequently produces hallucinations and inconsistent data, especially when responding to the same queries with different numerical information. This inconsistency makes it challenging to rely on the tool for accurate information or practical use. While the concept is promising, the current execution falls short of expectations, particularly in terms of reliability and accuracy. It's crucial for such tools to provide dependable and consistent responses to be effectively utilized in any practical scenario.”
Microsoft Copilot or Google Gemini: which AI should you choose?
Whether you should choose Copilot or Gemini depends on how you intend to use the AI:
- If you create text, images, spreadsheets, or presentations in Microsoft 365 apps, and need help with daily tasks in this ecosystem, try Microsoft Copilot.
- If you write or edit creative content, primarily in Google Docs, try Gemini.
- If you want the most advanced AI for presentations, consider try Plus AI.
At the end of the day, the best AI is the one that you actually use, so figure out which one serves your use case the best, and go with it!
