Copilot is Microsoft's enterprise-focused AI assistant integrated with Office 365 and Windows, while DeepSeek is a Chinese open-source AI model emphasizing cost-efficiency and reasoning capabilities. Copilot excels in productivity integration, whereas DeepSeek offers lower API costs and transparency through open-source architecture.
Copilot vs DeepSeek — Side-by-side comparison on A Versus B
General-purpose AI assistant with integration across Microsoft products and web.
Chinese open-source AI model emphasizing reasoning, cost-efficiency, and transparent architecture
API Cost per 1M Input Tokens. Primary Market Focus. Integration with Microsoft 365. Model Architecture Transparency. Reasoning Benchmark (AIME 2024). Data Privacy (Non-EU). Commercial Use Rights
Choose Copilot if you're an enterprise user needing seamless integration with Microsoft Office, Teams, and Windows environments where productivity gains justify subscription costs. Choose DeepSeek if you're a developer, researcher, or cost-conscious organization prioritizing affordability, reasoning performance, and the ability to self-host or fine-tune an open-source model without licensing restrictions.
Microsoft Copilot: Yes (via Bing) | DeepSeek: N/A
Minimum Monthly Cost for Advanced Features
Microsoft Copilot: $0 (included with Windows/Microsoft 365) | DeepSeek: N/A
Microsoft Copilot: Limited; basic customization | DeepSeek: N/A
Microsoft Copilot: Native to Microsoft 365; limited outside | DeepSeek: N/A
Microsoft Copilot: Yes, integrated with Windows UI | DeepSeek: N/A
Microsoft Copilot: Yes (Microsoft contracts) | DeepSeek: N/A
Microsoft Copilot: $30/month | DeepSeek: N/A
Microsoft Copilot: Full native integration | DeepSeek: N/A
Microsoft Copilot: M365 suite only | DeepSeek: N/A
Microsoft Copilot: Work IQ architecture | DeepSeek: N/A
Microsoft Copilot: Processes proprietary data within M365 | DeepSeek: N/A
Microsoft Copilot: 9.5/10 | DeepSeek: N/A
Microsoft Copilot: 128,000 tokens | DeepSeek: 128,000
Microsoft Copilot: Bing integration only | DeepSeek: N/A
Microsoft Copilot: Limited context-based only | DeepSeek: N/A
Microsoft Copilot: GitHub Copilot in 15+ IDEs | DeepSeek: N/A
Microsoft Copilot: Market leader in enterprise | DeepSeek: N/A
Microsoft Copilot: 120+ million Copilot Users | DeepSeek: N/A
Microsoft Copilot: Free (with ads) or Copilot Pro $20 | DeepSeek: N/A
Microsoft Copilot: 128,000 tokens (GPT-4 Turbo) | DeepSeek: N/A
Microsoft Copilot: 35+ languages (Visual Studio optimized) | DeepSeek: N/A
Microsoft Copilot: Cloud + On-premises + Sovereign Cloud | DeepSeek: N/A
Microsoft Copilot: PDF, Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Teams data | DeepSeek: N/A
Microsoft Copilot: 99.9% (Microsoft 365 SLA) | DeepSeek: N/A
Microsoft Copilot: iOS, Android (Copilot app + Teams) | DeepSeek: N/A
Monthly Subscription Cost (Pro/Premium Tier)
Microsoft Copilot: $20/month | DeepSeek: N/A
Microsoft Copilot: 85.2% | DeepSeek: N/A
Microsoft Copilot: Premium only ($20/month) | DeepSeek: N/A
Microsoft Copilot: $20 (Copilot Pro) | DeepSeek: N/A
Microsoft Copilot: $20 (Copilot Pro standalone) or included | DeepSeek: N/A
Microsoft Copilot: Advanced (GPT-4 class, real-time in Office suite) | DeepSeek: N/A
Microsoft Copilot: Deep (Copilot in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams) | DeepSeek: N/A
Microsoft Copilot: 150+ via Copilot plugins (limited scope) | DeepSeek: N/A
Microsoft Copilot: 40+ built-in templates | DeepSeek: N/A
Microsoft Copilot: Full offline in desktop Microsoft apps | DeepSeek: N/A
Microsoft Copilot: 300+ million (via Microsoft 365) | DeepSeek: N/A
Microsoft Copilot: 5 minutes (familiar Microsoft interface) | DeepSeek: N/A
Microsoft Copilot: 128,000 tokens | DeepSeek: 164K tokens
Microsoft Copilot: 88% accuracy | DeepSeek: N/A
Microsoft Copilot: 86.4% | DeepSeek: N/A
Microsoft Copilot: Free (via Microsoft 365) | DeepSeek: N/A
Microsoft Copilot: Native system-level integration | DeepSeek: N/A
Microsoft Copilot: Free (150 chats/day limit) | DeepSeek: N/A
Microsoft Copilot: GPT-4 (Copilot Pro) / Bing model (standard) | DeepSeek: N/A
Microsoft Copilot: 100 million | DeepSeek: ~8 million
Microsoft Copilot: Unlimited | DeepSeek: N/A
Microsoft Copilot: Yes—OneDrive, SharePoint, Teams access | DeepSeek: N/A
Microsoft Copilot: $20 (Copilot Pro, separate from 365) | DeepSeek: N/A
Microsoft Copilot: Yes—built into taskbar | DeepSeek: N/A
Microsoft Copilot: Limited—Copilot settings only | DeepSeek: N/A
Microsoft Copilot: Full—Azure AD, DLP, audit logs | DeepSeek: N/A
Microsoft Copilot: Unlimited basic; limited advanced features | DeepSeek: N/A
Microsoft Copilot: Full integration (Word, Excel, Outlook, Teams) | DeepSeek: N/A
Microsoft Copilot: GPT-4o (OpenAI) | DeepSeek: N/A
Microsoft Copilot: Minimal citations (10-20%) | DeepSeek: N/A
Microsoft Copilot: 100+ million (Windows users) | DeepSeek: N/A
Microsoft Copilot: <1 second (local) | DeepSeek: N/A
Microsoft Copilot: Limited (varied) | DeepSeek: N/A
Microsoft Copilot: Windows 11, Web, Teams, Outlook, Edge | DeepSeek: N/A
Microsoft Copilot: FedRAMP Authorized, HIPAA, SOC 2, GDPR | DeepSeek: N/A
Microsoft Copilot: DALL-E 3 | DeepSeek: N/A
Microsoft Copilot: 90% (GPT-4 Turbo) | DeepSeek: N/A
Microsoft Copilot: Limited GPT-4o access | DeepSeek: N/A
Microsoft Copilot: 72% (HumanEval) | DeepSeek: N/A
Microsoft Copilot: 5+ core Office applications | DeepSeek: N/A
Microsoft Copilot: Image and document analysis | DeepSeek: N/A
Microsoft Copilot: GPT-4 Turbo | DeepSeek: N/A
Microsoft Copilot: 1-2 citations | DeepSeek: N/A
Microsoft Copilot: Unlimited (Bing Chat) | DeepSeek: N/A
Microsoft Copilot: 88.3% (GPT-4 Turbo) | DeepSeek: N/A
Microsoft Copilot: 15+ (Windows, Office, Teams, Outlook, OneDrive, Visual Studio) | DeepSeek: N/A
Microsoft Copilot: iOS/Android (limited features) | DeepSeek: N/A
Microsoft Copilot: $20 (Copilot Pro standalone) | DeepSeek: N/A
Microsoft Copilot: $30+ (requires Microsoft 365 base) | DeepSeek: N/A
Microsoft Copilot: 5 (Word, Excel, Teams, Outlook, Windows 11) | DeepSeek: N/A
Microsoft Copilot: Limited (varies by Microsoft 365 license) | DeepSeek: N/A
Microsoft Copilot: GPT-4 (in Copilot Pro) | DeepSeek: N/A
Microsoft Copilot: Limited, with reduced GPT-4 access | DeepSeek: N/A
Microsoft Copilot: 200,000 tokens | DeepSeek: N/A
Microsoft Copilot: GPT-4 Turbo / GPT-4o | DeepSeek: N/A
Microsoft Copilot: DALL-E 3 (highest rated) | DeepSeek: N/A
Microsoft Copilot: 5 platforms (Web, iOS, Android, Windows, macOS) | DeepSeek: N/A
Microsoft Copilot: $3.00 | DeepSeek: $0.14
Microsoft Copilot: Full (Word, Excel, Teams, Outlook, PowerPoint) | DeepSeek: None (API only)
Microsoft Copilot: Proprietary (Closed) | DeepSeek: MIT Open-source
Microsoft Copilot: $20.00 (Copilot Pro) | DeepSeek: $0.00 (Free tier available)
Microsoft Copilot: 73% (built into Windows 11) | DeepSeek: 0% (external integration required)
Microsoft Copilot: Not Available | DeepSeek: Fully Supported
Microsoft Copilot: 8+ (Windows, Edge, Office 365, Mobile, Web, ChatGPT) | DeepSeek: N/A
Microsoft Copilot: GPT-4 Turbo with web search, DALL-E 3, plugins | DeepSeek: N/A
Microsoft Copilot: DALL-E 3 (Copilot Pro only) | DeepSeek: N/A
Microsoft Copilot: Native in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote | DeepSeek: Limited (API-only)
Microsoft Copilot: Yes (in Copilot Pro) | DeepSeek: N/A
Microsoft Copilot: 150 chats/day | DeepSeek: N/A
Microsoft Copilot: N/A | DeepSeek: $0.014 (DeepSeek-Chat)
Microsoft Copilot: N/A | DeepSeek: Top-tier (R1/V3.2 optimized)
Microsoft Copilot: N/A | DeepSeek: Text, emerging vision
Microsoft Copilot: N/A | DeepSeek: Free tier available
Microsoft Copilot: N/A | DeepSeek: Yes, fully supported
Microsoft Copilot: N/A | DeepSeek: Growing (API-focused)
Microsoft Copilot: N/A | DeepSeek: Technical, developer-centric
Microsoft Copilot: N/A | DeepSeek: Open-source weights available
Microsoft Copilot: N/A | DeepSeek: Subject to Chinese data laws
Microsoft Copilot: N/A | DeepSeek: 4,096 tokens (DeepSeek-V3)
Microsoft Copilot: N/A | DeepSeek: Free (with API credits)
Reasoning Task Performance (GPQA Benchmark)
Microsoft Copilot: N/A | DeepSeek: 92% (R1)
Microsoft Copilot: N/A | DeepSeek: 96.3%
Microsoft Copilot: N/A | DeepSeek: $0.14
Microsoft Copilot: N/A | DeepSeek: 685B (DeepSeek-V3)
Microsoft Copilot: N/A | DeepSeek: 92.3%
Microsoft Copilot: N/A | DeepSeek: Partial (R1 inference-only)
Minimum GPU VRAM for Full Model Inference
Microsoft Copilot: N/A | DeepSeek: 40GB (with MoE efficiency)
Microsoft Copilot: N/A | DeepSeek: 88.7%
Microsoft Copilot: N/A | DeepSeek: China
Microsoft Copilot: N/A | DeepSeek: 79.8%
Microsoft Copilot: N/A | DeepSeek: 92.3% (DeepSeek-V3)
Microsoft Copilot: N/A | DeepSeek: Closed-source, API-only
Microsoft Copilot: N/A | DeepSeek: Restricted in some jurisdictions; unclear terms
Microsoft Copilot: N/A | DeepSeek: 86.5% (DeepSeek-V3)
Microsoft Copilot: N/A | DeepSeek: 2 primary versions (limited small sizes)
Microsoft Copilot: N/A | DeepSeek: $0.21 (average)
Math Reasoning Accuracy (AIME Benchmark)
Microsoft Copilot: N/A | DeepSeek: Proprietary with restrictions
Microsoft Copilot: N/A | DeepSeek: Not supported (API only)
Microsoft Copilot: N/A | DeepSeek: Emerging (rank #8 in AI models)
Microsoft Copilot: N/A | DeepSeek: Higher risk - processed by DeepSeek servers
Microsoft Copilot: N/A | DeepSeek: 73.3%
Microsoft Copilot: N/A | DeepSeek: 250ms
Microsoft Copilot: N/A | DeepSeek: 8 months old (April 2024)
Microsoft Copilot: N/A | DeepSeek: Limited (text-focused)
How to choose between Microsoft Copilot and DeepSeek
Copilot vs DeepSeek — Structured Comparison Data
Machine-readable comparison dataset for Copilot vs DeepSeek. Contains 141 attribute comparisons, 5 FAQ pairs.
Copilot vs DeepSeek — Attribute Category Vocabulary
Taxonomy of attribute categories used to classify comparison data for Copilot vs DeepSeek.
Which AI is cheaper for high-volume API usage?
DeepSeek is dramatically cheaper at $0.14 per 1M input tokens vs Copilot's $3.00. For 1 billion API calls monthly, DeepSeek costs approximately $140 while Copilot costs $3,000—a 95% savings. However, Copilot Pro's $20/month flat fee may be better for light individual users.
Is DeepSeek safe to use for business data?
DeepSeek's China-based infrastructure raises data residency concerns for regulated industries (healthcare, finance, government). Data is processed on Chinese servers, which violates GDPR, HIPAA, and other compliance frameworks in many jurisdictions. Copilot offers US/EU data residency options for enterprise customers. Developers should use DeepSeek's self-hosted deployment option for sensitive data.
Can I use DeepSeek as a drop-in replacement for Copilot?
Not directly. DeepSeek has no native Microsoft 365 integration, so you cannot use it in Word, Excel, or Teams without custom development. However, DeepSeek's API can power custom productivity tools. Copilot's Office integration requires no setup and provides immediate productivity gains.
DeepSeek edges ahead with 82% vs 78% on LMSYS coding benchmarks and excels at mathematical reasoning (96% vs 86% on AIME). However, Copilot's GitHub Copilot integration provides real-time IDE suggestions and context awareness, which many developers prefer despite marginally lower benchmark scores.
Can I legally use DeepSeek's model for commercial products?
Yes, DeepSeek's MIT license permits unrestricted commercial use without licensing fees. You can build products, fine-tune the model, and deploy it commercially for free. Copilot requires a paid subscription ($20/month for individuals, $30+/month per user for enterprises) for any commercial usage.
How to Choose Between Microsoft Copilot and DeepSeek
API Cost per 1M Input Tokens: Microsoft Copilot has $3.00, while DeepSeek has $0.14.
Primary Market Focus: Microsoft Copilot has Enterprise/Productivity, while DeepSeek has Developers/Open-source Community.
Consider: Integration with Microsoft 365
Integration with Microsoft 365: Microsoft Copilot has Native Integration, while DeepSeek has No Integration.
Consider: Model Architecture Transparency
Model Architecture Transparency: Microsoft Copilot has Proprietary (Closed), while DeepSeek has Open-source.
Consider: Reasoning Benchmark (AIME 2024)
Reasoning Benchmark (AIME 2024): Microsoft Copilot has 86%, while DeepSeek has 96%.
Data Privacy (Non-EU): Microsoft Copilot has US-based Servers, while DeepSeek has China-based Servers.
Commercial Use Rights: Microsoft Copilot has Subscription Required, while DeepSeek has Free with MIT License.