Microsoft Copilot Model Lineup Combines GPT-5, GPT-4o, Phi Series, and Custom Studio Options to Power Text, Vision, and Voice Experiences Across Consumer, Pro, and Enterprise Surfaces.

Graziano Stefanelli
8 hours ago
3 min read

The Microsoft Copilot family dynamically routes multiple large language models depending on user tier, task modality, and performance context.

This article details every model currently available inside Copilot, their context windows, plan pricing, and workflow strategies for late 2025 / 2026.

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Microsoft uses an automatic router to switch between OpenAI’s GPT models and Microsoft’s in-house Phi series.

Free consumer Copilot defaults to GPT-4o-mini for fast responses, escalating to GPT-4o or GPT-4 when load permits.

Copilot Pro and GitHub Copilot upgrade users to GPT-4 Turbo or the code-tuned GPT-5-code for larger context and stronger reasoning.

Microsoft 365 Copilot employs GPT-5 smart mode for lengthy business documents, while fallback logic reverts to GPT-4 for speed.

Copilot Studio lets developers pick from GPT-4, GPT-4o, GPT-5, or Microsoft’s Phi-3.5 and experimental o1 models for custom bots.

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Model availability varies by Copilot surface, with each tier exposing a different default model set.

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Copilot Model Routing by Product Tier

Copilot Surface	Primary Model	Fallback Model	Modalities
Consumer (free)	GPT-4o-mini	GPT-4o	Text, vision, voice
Copilot Pro	GPT-4 Turbo	GPT-4o	Text, vision
Microsoft 365 Copilot	GPT-5 smart	GPT-4	Text, vision
GitHub Copilot	GPT-5-code	GPT-4-code	Text
Copilot Studio	User-select	—	Depends on choice

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Each model offers distinct context windows, modalities, and ideal workloads.

GPT-4 provides solid reasoning up to 128 k tokens and remains the stable fallback for everyday Q & A.

GPT-4 Turbo doubles context to 256 k tokens, improving document digestion and multistep coding.

GPT-4o adds native vision and audio, enabling real-time voice chat and image understanding.

GPT-5 smart mode stretches to 512 k tokens, delivering deeper analysis inside Microsoft 365 documents and presentations.

Phi-3.5-vision and o1 serve lightweight image questions and experimental logic tasks with smaller compute cost.

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Model Specifications at a Glance

Model	Context Window	Modalities	Typical Copilot Use
GPT-4	128 k	Text	Consumer fallback, chat
GPT-4 Turbo	256 k	Text	Copilot Pro long docs
GPT-4o	256 k	Text, vision, audio	Voice, images
GPT-5 smart	512 k	Text, vision	Microsoft 365 deep reasoning
GPT-5-code	256 k	Text	GitHub code completion
Phi-3.5-vision	64 k	Vision, text	Fast image Q & A
o1	32 k	Text	Copilot Labs experiments

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Subscription tiers set price points, quotas, and highest model access.

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Copilot Plan Pricing and Quotas

Tier	Monthly Price	Top Model Exposed	Hourly Chat Turns
Consumer	$0	GPT-4o-mini	30
Copilot Pro	$20	GPT-4 Turbo	120
Microsoft 365 Copilot	$30 add-on	GPT-5 smart	Unlimited with SLA
GitHub Copilot	$10	GPT-5-code	Unlimited suggestions
Copilot Studio pay-go	Usage	Any listed model	Token-metered

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Workflow strategies help users match tasks to the right Copilot model and plan.

Lock GPT-4 Turbo in Copilot Pro for large legal or research documents that demand long context and high speed.

Route image and voice queries to GPT-4o for real-time multimodal assistance inside Copilot Voice.

Use GitHub Copilot with GPT-5-code for complex refactors and repository-scale code suggestions.

Deploy custom bots in Copilot Studio when lightweight Phi models can lower cost but still satisfy vision tasks.

Schedule high-traffic enterprise reports during off-peak windows to guarantee GPT-5 smart mode latency in Microsoft 365 Copilot.

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Copilot Workflow Best Practices

Task	Recommended Model	Access Path
Legal brief summary	GPT-4 Turbo	Copilot Pro
Voice note translation	GPT-4o	Copilot Voice
Repository audit	GPT-5-code	GitHub Copilot
Quick image Q & A	Phi-3.5-vision	Copilot Studio
100-page proposal review	GPT-5 smart	Microsoft 365 Copilot

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Microsoft continues to expand Copilot’s model roster, blending OpenAI breakthroughs with in-house research for versatile enterprise and consumer AI.

By automatically routing between GPT-4o, GPT-4 Turbo, GPT-5, and Phi-series models, Copilot balances latency, depth, and cost across diverse workloads.

Customizable options in Copilot Studio let organizations fine-tune model choice, privacy, and deployment, creating a unified conversational layer on top of cutting-edge AI.

Staying aware of tier limits, context windows, and best-fit models ensures users extract maximal value from the evolving Copilot ecosystem through 2026.

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DATA STUDIOS

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[datastudios.org]