Microsoft 365 Copilot agents for business teams

Contents

1. What Copilot agents do
2. Published evidence
3. Strengths and limits
4. Pricing
5. Questions to ask Microsoft or a partner
6. Sources

Type	Suite add-on
Pricing	Published
Website	microsoft.com

Microsoft 365 Copilot includes prebuilt agents and lets licensed users build their own, grounded in company data and connected to business systems⁠1Agents in Microsoft 365 CopilotMicrosoft. For a company that already works in Word, Excel, Outlook and Teams, it is the shortest path to agents with no new system to adopt.

Best for: Companies that already run on Microsoft 365 and want agents for research, analysis and workflows inside Word, Excel, Outlook and Teams.

Not the right fit for: Companies that want an AI teammate to answer customers by email and phone on its own.

What Copilot agents do

Microsoft's built-in agents include Researcher, for multistep research across work data and the web, and Analyst, for data analysis, alongside agents for people search, app building, workflows, workforce insights and learning⁠1Agents in Microsoft 365 CopilotMicrosoft. Dynamics 365 adds agents for sales qualification, sales research, case management, customer intent, account reconciliation and supplier communications.

Simple agents can be created in Copilot with natural language; more advanced ones are built in Copilot Studio, a low-code tool that adds actions to business systems and agent flows. Agent 365 is Microsoft's control plane for observing, securing and managing every agent across an organisation⁠1Agents in Microsoft 365 CopilotMicrosoft.

The Copilot Business add-on is sold only to existing Microsoft 365 customers on an eligible Business plan. Licensed users can build and use internal agents in Copilot Studio at no extra cost; publishing agents to external channels or giving them to unlicensed users needs the standalone Copilot Studio licence, sold in 25,000-credit packs or pay as you go⁠23Microsoft 365 Copilot BusinessMicrosoftCopilot Studio pricingMicrosoft.

Published evidence

• Solv. Microsoft reports that Solv eliminated 98% of clerical errors with Dynamics 365 Business Central and saves about 40 hours a month. Vendor-published.⁠1Agents in Microsoft 365 CopilotMicrosoft

Strengths and limits

Strengths

• Built into the documents, mail and meetings many companies already use, with no new system to adopt.
• Licensed users can build internal agents in Copilot Studio at no extra cost.
• Agent 365 gives IT one place to observe, secure and manage agents.

Limits

• Agents assist people inside Microsoft 365; Microsoft’s pages do not describe agents with their own inbox or phone number.
• Priced per user on top of an eligible Microsoft 365 plan, and advanced experiences are billed by usage.
• Agents that publish to external channels, or are used by unlicensed staff, need the standalone Copilot Studio licence.

Choose another option if: The work you want to hand over is answering customers and suppliers by email and phone, rather than helping staff with research and documents.

Pricing

Published: Copilot Business add-on $21 per user a month on an annual plan ($18 first-year promotion until December 31, 2026) or $25.20 monthly; Copilot Studio packs of 25,000 credits at $200 a month.

Questions to ask Microsoft or a partner

• Which of our agents need the standalone Copilot Studio licence rather than the per-user add-on?
• How many Copilot Credits would an agent answering supplier email use in a month?
• What does Agent 365 show us about each agent's actions?
• What happens to our price when the first-year promotion ends?

See how Copilot agents compare with the other products in the main guide.

Sources

1. Agents in Microsoft 365 Copilot. Microsoft. Accessed 8 Nov 2026.
2. Microsoft 365 Copilot Business. Microsoft. Accessed 8 Nov 2026.
3. Copilot Studio pricing. Microsoft. Accessed 8 Nov 2026.

Further reading

• Buyer's guide · Updated quarterlyThe best AI teammates for business in 2026AI teammates for business are AI employees that answer company email and phones and update company records. We compared eight of them on seven published criteria, with the evidence and prices behind each.
• Guide · CostWhat an AI teammate costs compared with a new hirePublished AI teammate prices run from tens to hundreds of dollars a month; an office hire costs tens of thousands a year. The honest comparison includes the time a person spends running the AI.
• Guide · ManagementHow to manage AI teammates at workAn AI teammate needs what a new hire needs: a defined role, clear limits, a probation period and a manager. The controls vendors offer differ more than their marketing suggests.