Is Copilot AI Free? The Hidden Costs & How to Get Meeting AI for $0

f you are confused by Microsoft's pricing, you are not alone. With names like Copilot, Copilot Pro, and Copilot for Microsoft 365, it is incredibly hard to know what you actually get without pulling out your credit card.

The short answer: Yes, there is a completely free version of Copilot. You can start using it today without paying a cent.

The problem: The free version is essentially just a chatbot (similar to ChatGPT). If you want the features that actually save you time at work—like summarizing your Teams meetings, writing emails in Outlook, or analyzing Excel sheets Microsoft puts up a steep paywall.

The Twist: To get full AI meeting capabilities, Microsoft expects you to pay over $360 per year. In this guide, we break down exactly what is free, where the hidden costs lie, and how you can get "Copilot-level" meeting notes for $0 by using a smart workaround with meetergo Log.

What is actually included in the Free Version?

When Microsoft says "Copilot is free," they are referring to their web-based assistant. It is a powerful tool, but it lives in your browser, not in your work apps.

Here is what you get for $0:

• Copilot on the Web: Accessible via copilot.microsoft.com. You get access to GPT-4 class AI for chatting, answering questions, and writing text.
• Image Generation: You can create images using DALL-E 3 (with daily limits on speed).
• Copilot in Windows: The sidebar in Windows 11 that helps you change PC settings or summarize text on a webpage.
• Mobile App: The standalone Copilot app for iOS and Android.

The Catch (Why it’s not enough for work):

1. No Meeting Intelligence: The free version cannot join your Teams calls, transcribe audio, or summarize what was said.
2. No Document Integration: It cannot see your Word documents or Excel sheets unless you manually upload them every time.
3. Privacy Warning: In the free consumer version, Microsoft may use your data and chat history to train their AI models. For sensitive business data, this is often a dealbreaker.

The "Copilot Tax": When do you have to pay?

This is where Microsoft’s marketing gets tricky. They offer two main paid subscriptions, and choosing the wrong one can be a costly mistake if your main goal is AI meeting notes.

1. Copilot Pro ($20/month per user)

• Target: Individuals and families.
• What you get: Priority access to GPT-4 and AI integration in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook (if you have a Personal/Family M365 subscription).
• The Trap: It does NOT include AI for Microsoft Teams meetings. You cannot use this plan to transcribe calls or generate meeting summaries.

2. Copilot for Microsoft 365 ($30/month per user)

• Target: Businesses.
• What you get: Everything in Pro, plus Copilot in Teams. This is the specific feature that writes meeting minutes and summaries.
• The Hidden Cost: You cannot just buy this for $30. You must also have a commercial license (like Microsoft 365 Business Standard or Premium).
• Total Cost: You are looking at a minimum spend of roughly $42–$52 per user, per month just to get that meeting summary button.

Why paying $360/year for Meeting Summaries is overkill

Let’s do the math. To get the one feature most professionals actually want—automated meeting notes—you have to sign up for the business tier.

The Math: $30 per month × 12 months = $360 per year, per person. If you have a team of 10 people, that is $3,600 a year just for AI summaries.

The Platform Lock-in: Microsoft Copilot is strictly a Microsoft tool. It only works inside Microsoft Teams.

• What happens if a client invites you to a Zoom call?
• What happens if a partner uses Google Meet? Your $360 AI is suddenly useless. You are back to taking notes by hand.

The Privacy Issue (The "Recall" Controversy): Cloud-based AI requires data to move. Microsoft recently faced massive backlash over features like "Recall," which take constant snapshots of your activity. While Copilot for Business promises data protection, your audio still leaves your device to be processed on Microsoft's servers. For many privacy-conscious users, deep OS-level integration of AI feels invasive.

The Free Alternative: Get AI Meeting Notes without the Subscription

Here is the secret Microsoft doesn’t tell you: You don't need their massive cloud servers to transcribe a meeting anymore. Modern computers (especially those with M-Series chips or newer Intel/AMD processors) are powerful enough to do this locally.

You can skip the "Copilot Tax" entirely by using meetergo Log.

It is a dedicated AI transcription tool that runs on your desktop, and it beats the paid version of Copilot in three key areas:

• Cost: $0 (Free Forever). There is no monthly subscription and no credit system.
• Platform Independence: Unlike Copilot, meetergo doesn't care which app you use. It works perfectly with Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Google Meet, and even WhatsApp calls.
• Privacy: It uses Local AI processing. Your meeting audio and transcripts never leave your device. No cloud upload means no risk of data leaks.

Comparison: Microsoft Copilot vs. meetergo Log

Is the upgrade worth it? Seeing the features side-by-side reveals that for the specific use case of meeting documentation, the paid version of Copilot is significantly overpriced compared to the free local alternative.

If you pay for Copilot, you are essentially paying for convenience inside Word and Excel. But if you are paying strictly to get meeting notes and summaries, you are overpaying by $360 a year.

Verdict: Use Copilot for Chat, Use meetergo for Meetings

The smartest way to set up your AI workflow in 2026 is to mix and match tools rather than defaulting to one expensive ecosystem.

Our Recommendation:

1. Keep using the free Microsoft Copilot (Web): It is fantastic for brainstorming ideas, writing code, or quick research. It costs nothing and uses GPT-4.
2. Do NOT upgrade just for meeting notes: Paying $30/month per user purely to transcribe Microsoft Teams calls is a waste of budget, especially since it locks you out of Zoom and Google Meet.
3. Use meetergo Log for your Meetings: It provides the same core value (transcription, summaries, action items) but runs locally, privately, and works across every video platform you use.

Stop paying the "Copilot Tax" for your meeting notes.

👉 Download meetergo Log now to transcribe your Microsoft Teams (and Zoom) calls for free.