Copilot vs. Gemini for Work: Which Should You Pick? A Guide for Office Users and Google Users
Torn between Copilot and Gemini for work? If your day runs on Word, Excel and Teams, Microsoft 365 Copilot fits best. If it runs on Gmail, Docs and Meet, Gemini in Google Workspace is the better match. Here are the October 2026 prices in yen and each tool's strengths.
"If our company adopts AI, should we go with Copilot or Gemini?" It is one of the most common questions right now. The short answer: it depends on the tools you already use every day. This article breaks down pricing and strengths for Office users and Google users.
What Is It?
In a nutshell, both are AI assistants that live inside the work apps you already use.
Microsoft 365 Copilot works inside Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and Teams. Gemini (in Google Workspace) works inside Gmail, Docs, Sheets and Meet. The shared advantage: you ask the AI from a side panel without leaving the screen you are working on.
What Changed?
In 2026, both companies significantly reshaped how they charge for AI.
Google began including Gemini in every Workspace business plan in March 2025. Business Standard costs ¥1,600 per user per month (annual contract), with no extra AI fee. That means no separate budget approval just to "add AI."
Microsoft launched "Microsoft 365 Copilot Business" for companies with up to 300 users in December 2025. In Japan it costs ¥3,305 per user per month (annual commitment, billed monthly). On July 1, 2026, Microsoft also raised prices for business Microsoft 365 plans. Business Standard went from ¥1,462 to ¥1,698 per month. In exchange, a lighter "Copilot Chat" is now included as standard.
Google's model is "AI included, from ¥1,600/month." Microsoft's model is "Office (from ¥1,698/month) plus Copilot (¥3,305/month)." For full-featured AI, the gap is roughly ¥3,000 per user per month.
How Can You Actually Use It?
Scenario 1: Monday morning meeting (Teams users)
When a Teams meeting ends, Copilot summarizes the key points and who owns which action item. Latecomers can ask, "What have we covered so far?" Nobody has to be the designated note-taker anymore.
Scenario 2: Crunching a quote (Excel users)
Excel's Agent Mode — where the AI plans the steps and does the work itself — became generally available in April 2026. Ask for "a monthly sales chart and a year-over-year table," and both appear in your workbook. The time spent looking up formulas disappears.
Scenario 3: An overflowing inbox (Gmail users)
In the Gemini side panel in Gmail, you can ask it to "summarize this week's emails with our client." Tell it "draft a polite decline," and it writes the reply for you. In Meet, Gemini can also take meeting notes automatically.
Taking meeting notes by hand, tallying numbers in Excel, reading and answering emails one by one. Sometimes that alone ate up the entire Monday morning.
The AI summarizes the meeting, builds the spreadsheet from one sentence, and drafts replies you just tweak. The time saved goes back to the work that matters.
What makes the difference is less how smart the AI is and more where your company's files and email already live. Pick the AI that sits next to your data.
What Does It Cost?
First, business plans (per user, monthly price on an annual contract).
- ✓Gemini included as standard
- ✓Gmail, Docs, Sheets and Meet
- ✓2TB of storage
- ✓Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Teams
- ✓Includes the lighter Copilot Chat
- ✓Price increased in July 2026
- ✓Full Copilot inside Office apps
- ✓Answers across your work email and files
- ✓For companies with up to 300 users
For individuals, the options look like this.
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Microsoft 365 Personal | ¥21,300/year (¥2,130/month) | Office + Copilot (usage limits apply) |
| Microsoft 365 Premium | ¥32,000/year (¥3,200/month) | Office + higher-tier Copilot |
| Google AI Plus | ¥725/month | Higher Gemini limits + 400GB |
| Google AI Pro | ¥2,900/month | Gemini in Gmail and Docs + 2TB |
Microsoft's enterprise Copilot costs $30 per user per month (about ¥4,500) and requires a plan such as E3. Some plans, like Workspace Business Starter (¥800/month), include only limited Gemini features.
To see how far the free version of Copilot can take you, read "Copilot Free Guide and How It Compares to ChatGPT." Trying the free tier first is the smart move.
Summary
If Excel, Teams and Outlook are the center of your work, choose Copilot. If Gmail, Docs and Meet are, choose Gemini. For small businesses and freelancers watching costs, Google Workspace at ¥1,600/month with AI included is the easy entry point. For companies with heavy Excel analysis and lots of Teams meetings, Copilot's add-on cost pays for itself. For more on Gemini at work, see "Gemini Connects to 7 Work Tools."
- Microsoft 365 Copilot: https://www.microsoft.com/ja-jp/microsoft-365/copilot
- Google Workspace pricing: https://workspace.google.com/intl/ja/pricing
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