Microsoft Copilot
Timely
| Feature | Microsoft Copilot | Timely |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free / from $20/mo | From $11/mo |
| Free Plan | ✓ Yes | ✗ No |
| Rating | 4.2 / 5 | 4.4 / 5 |
| Best For | microsoft-365-users, enterprise, students, office-workers | consultants, agencies, freelancers, remote-teams |
| Founded | 2023 | 2014 |
| Chat | ✓ | ✗ |
| Web Search | ✓ | ✗ |
| Image Generation | ✓ | ✗ |
| Document Drafting | ✓ | ✗ |
| Excel Analysis | ✓ | ✗ |
| Teams Summarization | ✓ | ✗ |
| Code Assistance | ✓ | ✗ |
| Automatic Tracking | ✗ | ✓ |
| Memory Timeline | ✗ | ✓ |
| Project Budgets | ✗ | ✓ |
| Team Dashboard | ✗ | ✓ |
| Integrations | ✗ | ✓ |
| Billable Hours | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ Microsoft Copilot Pros
- Free access to GPT-4 via Bing integration
- Deep integration with Microsoft 365 (Word, Excel, Teams)
- Real-time web search with citations
- Image generation with DALL-E 3 included
✗ Microsoft Copilot Cons
- Microsoft 365 Copilot requires enterprise license
- Less customizable than ChatGPT
- Responses can be overly cautious or generic
✓ Timely Pros
- Fully automatic time capture
- Beautiful interface
- Memory timeline feature
- Privacy-focused
✗ Timely Cons
- No free plan
- AI capture needs training period
- Mobile tracking less reliable
The Verdict
Microsoft Copilot is built for microsoft 365 users and enterprise, with a focus on chat and web-search. Timely targets consultants and agencies and leads with automatic-tracking and memory-timeline.
On pricing, Timely is the clear winner for budget-conscious users — starting at $11/mo compared to $20/mo for Microsoft Copilot. That $9/mo difference adds up quickly for growing teams.
Microsoft Copilot has a free plan, which gives it a meaningful edge for individuals and small teams exploring their options. Timely requires a paid subscription from day one.
Feature-wise, Microsoft Copilot offers broader built-in capabilities (7 features vs 6), while Timely takes a more focused approach — which can mean a simpler, faster onboarding experience.
This is a genuinely close comparison. If you can, sign up for both free trials (where available) and run a one-week test with your actual team tasks before deciding.