Gemini vs Microsoft Copilot for work: which fits your team?

Published by 3Gen Internet Corporation, maker of OpenAssistant, Skej and AGNT. Comparisons use public documentation, without hands-on testing.

Short answer: Copilot documents more at work (inbox actions, Researcher and Analyst agents), and Gemini is cheaper ($14 to $16.80 a month against $23.50 to $28.20). Neither is documented as emailing outside people and following up for you; OpenAssistant documents that.

If your company already runs on Google Workspace or Microsoft 365, the AI assistant you are most likely to get is the one built into it. So we put the two side by side on the same work jobs, using what each vendor publishes: Gemini in Gmail, Calendar and Docs, against Microsoft 365 Copilot in Outlook, Word and Excel.

The point is not which one writes the nicer paragraph. It is which one the vendor documents as finishing the job in your mail and calendar, and where each one hands the work back to you.

The plans

We look at the business bundles a small company would buy, because both vendors sell the assistant inside the same plan as email and calendar.

Google’s $14 is the price with a one-year commitment; monthly billing is $16.80. Microsoft’s main add-on for larger companies, Microsoft 365 Copilot, is $30.00 per user per month paid yearly, on top of a qualifying Microsoft 365 license (Microsoft).

The 12 jobs

All 12 come from the evaluation framework. We picked the ones a built-in work assistant should be able to do from inside the mailbox.

What each one says it can do at work

From the vendors’ own help pages. This is a fact table, not a ranking.

Three things in that table shape the comparison.

1. Neither one is documented as negotiating with other people for you. Both suggest times. Gemini puts proposed times into an email you send. Copilot picks a time and builds the invite. Job 1 asks the assistant to work out a time with two outside people and handle their replies. The pages linked here describe suggesting times, not handling replies, so the back and forth stays with you.
2. Google’s web agent is not for work accounts. Google’s help page says the Gemini task agent needs “a personal Google Account”, not work or school. On a Workspace account, browsing tasks are out. Copilot’s browsing for work users is in preview, and only on sites an admin has allowed.
3. Copilot’s chat scheduling caps at two other people. Microsoft’s FAQ sets that limit for Copilot chat in Outlook. “Schedule with Copilot” from a thread invites everyone on it instead. A 3-person meeting is you plus two others, so either route fits the limit.

What each vendor documents, job by job

Where a vendor’s pages are silent, we write “Not stated”.

1. Book a 3-person meeting across three time zones (Job 1)

Gemini: “Help me schedule” proposes times in an email, up to 20 guests, 4 slots by default (Calendar help); Gmail’s table lists it for eligible Workspace plans, English, US, web only (Gmail features). Copilot: chat scheduling checks attendees’ calendars and suggests a time (Outlook help). Handling a “that day is out” reply, or following up with a silent participant, is not stated for either.

2. Reschedule after a conflict appears (Job 2)

Not stated for Gemini in the sources used here. For Copilot, automatic rescheduling of conflicts appeared only in a search-result snippet of a Microsoft Insider blog, so we do not claim it. Neither vendor’s linked pages describe telling attendees about a move.

3. Triage a busy inbox (Job 5)

Both vendors document mailbox actions. Google says Gemini in Gmail can delete multiple emails or add labels when asked (Gmail help). Microsoft says Copilot chat can take “actions such as pin, flag, archive, delete, and more”, prioritize your inbox and manage rules (Outlook FAQ). Both document deleting mail on request, which matters if you want triage that never deletes.

4. Draft replies in the user’s voice (Job 6)

Gemini: “Help me write” (Gmail features). Copilot: “Draft with Copilot”, though not for plain-text messages in new Outlook and on the web (Outlook help). Matching your personal voice is not stated for either.

5. Find the thread you forgot to answer (Job 7)

Both summarize an email thread (Gemini per Gmail help; Copilot with numbered citations to source emails per Outlook help). Copilot works on the primary mailbox only, not shared, delegate or archive mailboxes (Outlook FAQ). Finding unanswered threads across a mailbox is not stated for either.

6. Send a daily inbox digest at a set time (Job 8)

Gemini documents schedules such as daily digests of calendar and email, up to 10 active, for personal or qualifying Workspace accounts, rolling out gradually (Gemini help). Google’s page also says results are prepared in advance, so “rapidly changing data” may not be current . Scheduled prompts are not stated for Copilot on the pages linked here.

7. Write a prep brief for an outside meeting (Job 11)

Neither vendor names a prep-brief feature in the pages linked here. Copilot’s Researcher agent writes “a structured, source-cited report” from web and work data, with the full Copilot license (Microsoft), which is the closest documented fit.

8. Turn a screenshot into a calendar event (Job 16)

Not stated for either product in the sources used here. Gemini’s Calendar time suggestions do not work in the Calendar mobile apps (Calendar help), and Copilot chat in Outlook needs new Outlook for Windows or Outlook on the web (Outlook FAQ), so where you do this matters.

9. Research a company and write a brief (Job 17)

Copilot has Researcher, described above. For Gemini, deep research on Workspace plans is not stated in the sources used here, and Gemini’s task agent needs a personal Google account (Gemini help).

10. Build a spreadsheet from messy notes (Job 18)

Copilot has an Analyst agent that works on Excel and CSV files, if the admin has enabled it (Microsoft). Gemini features in Sheets on Workspace plans are not stated in the sources used here.

11. Audit what it can see, then revoke it (Job 22, adapted)

Both assistants live inside the suite you already pay for, so there is no third-party consent screen. The question is what an admin can control. Copilot’s browsing for work only works on domains an admin allows (Microsoft Learn), and the Analyst agent needs admin enablement. On data use, Google says work data is not used for training outside your domain without permission (Google Workspace admin help), and Microsoft says prompts, responses and Graph data “aren’t used to train foundation LLMs” (Microsoft Learn). Google lists SOC 1/2/3, ISO 27001, 27701, 27017, 27018, 42001 and FedRAMP High; Microsoft lists GDPR, ISO 27001, HIPAA and ISO 42001. Turning the assistant off for one user is not stated in the sources used here.

12. Respect “ask me first” (Job 23)

Not stated in the sources used here for either product. Both help you write or draft an email, and the pages linked do not describe either one sending mail on its own.

Who documents what

This is an editorial judgment from the linked facts above, using the framework’s criteria. It gives no numeric scores.

What the documentation suggests

• Gemini is cheaper; both can act on the mailbox. Gemini comes in a plan that costs $16.80 a month billed monthly, or $14 with a one-year commitment. Both vendors document real mailbox actions: labels and bulk changes for Gemini; pin, flag, archive, delete, inbox prioritizing and rules for Copilot chat.
• Copilot goes further on research and data. Researcher and Analyst are named agents with their own help pages. The sources used here include no matching work-account pages for Gemini.
• Neither is documented as an assistant that works with other people on your behalf. Both help you write the email that schedules a meeting. Neither documents emailing outside people, waiting for replies and following up. If that is the job you need done, OpenAssistant documents it, and our article on booking a 3-person meeting across time zones compares the products that do.

Related reading

• ChatGPT Work vs Claude: which is better for 12 assistant jobs?: two chat assistants compared on 12 assistant jobs.
• Why we recommend OpenAssistant for Gmail, with 8 alternatives: nine products compared on five Gmail jobs.
• Why we recommend OpenAssistant for Outlook, with 8 alternatives: nine products compared on Outlook, mailbox types and price.
• How to Have AI Write Your Daily Agenda Every Morning: steps for OpenAssistant, ChatGPT scheduled tasks and Gemini.
• How to Prep for a Meeting in 5 Minutes With AI: steps for OpenAssistant, Microsoft 365 Copilot and Claude.

Frequently asked questions

Is Gemini or Microsoft 365 Copilot better for work?

Copilot documents more: inbox actions including archive and rules, a thread-to-invite feature, and named Researcher and Analyst agents. Gemini is cheaper and documents scheduled digests and “Help me schedule”.

How much do Gemini and Copilot cost for a small business?

Workspace Business Standard with Gemini is $14 per user per month with a one-year commitment, or $16.80 billed monthly. Microsoft 365 Business Standard with Copilot is $23.50 paid yearly or $28.20 paid monthly.

Do Gemini and Copilot train on my work data?

No, per both vendors. Google says work data is not used for training outside your domain without permission, and Microsoft says prompts, responses and Graph data are not used to train foundation models.

Can Gemini or Copilot schedule a meeting with outside people for me?

Both suggest times. Neither is documented as emailing outside people, reading replies and following up. Copilot chat scheduling covers up to two other people.

Need an assistant that works with outside people?

Gemini and Copilot help you write the email. OpenAssistant says it negotiates times, chases people who go quiet and sends the invite, and you can start free with 1,000 credits at signup. See its pricing for Pro and Team.