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Isn't AI for customer email already included in Outlook?

ReplyPen vs Copilot in Outlook for customer email

Copilot in Outlook helps you write, summarise and prioritise your own email: you ask for a draft, and with the paid license it can draw on your files, chats and meetings. ReplyPen is built for customer email: a Draft is already in the thread before you open it, based on your help center, website and past replies, with a Check note showing what it used. ReplyPen also works for Gmail and for a shared address like support@.

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Facts about Copilot in Outlook checked on 30 September 2026Facts checked 30 Sept 2026· See sources

ReplyPen team · Published on 30 September 2026

How do ReplyPen and Copilot in Outlook compare?

Copilot in OutlookReplyPen
Who starts the reply You do, by typing a prompt or choosing Help me reply. Then you edit and send.1 A Draft is already in the thread before you open the email
Where the facts come from The thread and your organisation's information; with the paid license also your files, chats and meetings2,3 Your help center, your website and the replies you sent before
Can you see what it used Thread summaries can include numbered citations that link to the emails they came from4 Yes, a Check note under every Draft lists the help articles, pages and past emails
What happens to your corrections Draft Instructions you write in Settings shape later drafts5 What it learns from your edits is written to a Knowledge log you can read and correct
Shared mailboxes Copilot Chat can summarise and draft in shared and delegated mailboxes. Sending and triage there are marked coming soon.6 Connect a shared address like support@ and every customer email in it gets a Draft
Mail apps Outlook on Windows, Mac, the web, iPhone and Android, for mailboxes hosted on Exchange Online1,2 Gmail and Outlook, including their phone apps
Price Copilot Chat in Outlook is included with eligible Microsoft 365 plans. Microsoft 365 Copilot Business listed at €15.60 per user per month paid yearly (first-year offer) or €21.84 monthly.7 €0.25 per conversation at launch, on top of the mailbox you already have
Checked against Copilot in Outlook's own pages on 30 September 2026. Numbers link to the sources at the bottom of this page.

Which one should you choose?

  • Choose Copilot in Outlook if

    • Your team already has Microsoft 365 and mainly wants help writing, summarising and prioritising its own email.
    • The answers you need sit in your files, meetings and Teams chats, which the paid license can draw on.
    • You want one tool across Outlook, Teams, Word and the rest of Microsoft 365.
    • You prefer not to give another company access to your mailbox.

  • Choose ReplyPen if

    • Customers write to a shared address like support@, or part of your team works in Gmail.
    • Your answers live in a help center and on your website, and you want each Draft based on them.
    • You want a Draft waiting for every customer email without typing a prompt.
    • You want your corrections kept as knowledge you can read, check and fix.

What does Copilot in Outlook do well?

Copilot is part of Outlook on every device. It drafts an email from a prompt, coaches you on the tone of your own draft, summarises long threads with links to the emails it used, and can sort new mail by priority. With the Microsoft 365 Copilot license it draws on your files, meetings and Teams chats as well. Copilot Chat comes at no extra cost with eligible Microsoft 365 business plans, and no new company gets access to your mail.

What does ReplyPen add for customer email?

ReplyPen starts from your customer’s question and the answers you already published. It reads your help center, your website and the replies you sent before, and writes a Draft in the thread of each customer email before you open it, without a prompt. The Check note under each Draft lists the help articles, website pages and past emails it used. Your edits go into a Knowledge log you can read and correct, and a shared address like support@ works in Outlook and in Gmail.

When is Copilot in Outlook enough?

If you answer a few customer emails a week, the answers are in your head or your own files, and your Microsoft 365 plan already includes Copilot, start there. ReplyPen earns its place when customer email is a daily job, the answers live in a help center or on your website, or several people answer from one address.

Can you use both?

Yes. ReplyPen adds normal drafts to your Outlook threads and changes nothing else, so Copilot keeps working next to it. See pricing.

Questions

Is Copilot in Outlook free?

Microsoft includes Copilot Chat, with Copilot in Outlook, at no extra cost in eligible Microsoft 365 business plans; without the add-on it answers questions about your inbox, calendar, meetings and other limited data. The Microsoft 365 Copilot license adds chats and your wider company data, at a price per user per month.

Will ReplyPen change how Outlook works?

No. ReplyPen adds Drafts to your threads and leaves the rest of your mailbox alone. It does not sort, move or delete email, and Outlook's own features, Copilot included, keep working as before.

Sources

  1. Microsoft Support: Draft an email message with Copilot in Outlook Says you type a prompt, or tap Help me reply or Help me write on mobile, then edit the draft and select Send, and lists new and classic Outlook for Windows, the web, Mac, Android and iOS. Checked 30 September 2026
  2. Microsoft Support: Frequently asked questions about Copilot in Outlook (August 2026) Says drafts are generated from prompts based on thread context and organizational information, and that Copilot needs mailboxes hosted on Exchange Online. Checked 30 September 2026
  3. Microsoft Support: How Copilot Chat works in Microsoft 365 apps Says without the add-on license Copilot Chat in Outlook covers your inbox, calendar, meetings and other limited data, and with it also chats and enterprise data. Checked 30 September 2026
  4. Microsoft Support: Summarize an email thread with Copilot in Outlook Says a summary may include numbered citations that take you to the corresponding email in the thread. Checked 30 September 2026
  5. Microsoft Support: Ask Copilot to make email drafts sound like you Describes the "Use custom instructions when drafting email" setting, where you type how Copilot should draft. Checked 30 September 2026
  6. Microsoft Support: Copilot Chat in shared and delegated mailboxes Says summarize and draft work for all shared and delegated mailboxes, and lists email triage, sending on your behalf and meetings as coming soon. Checked 30 September 2026
  7. Microsoft 365 Copilot pricing (Ireland) Lists Copilot Business at €15.60 per user per month paid yearly (offer from 1 July to 31 December 2026, first year only, normally €18.20) or €21.84 monthly, excluding VAT, and Copilot Chat with Copilot in Outlook at no additional cost with eligible plans. Checked 30 September 2026

Last checked 30 September 2026. Products change often. If something here is out of date, email [email protected] and we correct it.

More comparisons

  • ReplyPen vs Gemini in Gmail for customer email

    Gemini in Gmail helps you write and summarise your own email. ReplyPen drafts answers to customer email from your help center and website. Sourced, dated comparison.

  • ReplyPen vs Superhuman for customer email

    Superhuman is a fast email app with AI drafts, priced per member. ReplyPen drafts answers to customer email in your own Gmail or Outlook, per conversation. Sourced, dated comparison.

Answer your customers well, in less time.

ReplyPen writes a Draft for each customer email in Gmail or Outlook, with a Check note showing what it used.

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We're opening to new teams soon. We'll email you when your spot is ready.