Microsoft 365 Copilot Is Now Bundled: What This Means for Meeting Transcription

Microsoft changed how it sells Copilot AI in 2026. Instead of charging $30 per user per month as a separate add-on, Copilot features are now bundled into Business Premium and E3 plans. This includes Teams meeting summaries, transcription, and AI email drafting.

If you already pay for Business Premium or E3, this is a win. You get AI features you were probably eyeing without paying extra.

If you don’t have those plans, or if you use Zoom or Google Meet instead of Teams, this change does nothing for you. Actually, it does worse than nothing. It highlights how locked into the Microsoft ecosystem you need to be to get these features.

What Copilot bundling actually means

Meeting transcription and AI summaries are no longer premium features you buy separately. They’re part of the base Microsoft 365 subscription tier. Microsoft clearly wants these AI tools to be table stakes, not luxury add-ons.

This move makes sense from Microsoft’s perspective. Bundling Copilot into higher-tier plans justifies the price difference between basic and premium subscriptions. It also forces companies to upgrade if they want AI meeting features, which means more predictable revenue.

For users, the benefit is real but narrow. You get meeting summaries and transcription in Teams. You get AI help drafting emails in Outlook. But only in those apps. Only if you’re already paying for the right tier. Only if your whole company is on Microsoft 365.

The problem with ecosystem lock-in

Here’s where it gets frustrating. Teams meeting transcription only works in Teams. If your clients use Zoom, or your marketing team prefers Google Meet, you’re out of luck. You can’t use your included Copilot features there.

This is intentional. Microsoft wants you to use Teams for everything. Bundling Copilot into Business Premium is part of that strategy. The more you rely on AI transcription and summaries, the less likely you are to switch platforms.

But most people don’t work in a Microsoft-only world. You might use Teams for internal meetings, Zoom for customer calls, and Google Meet for quick syncs. In that scenario, bundled Copilot helps with maybe a third of your meetings.

Why standalone transcription tools still matter

Standalone tools like ScreenApp work across platforms. You get the same AI transcription and summaries whether you’re on Teams, Zoom, Google Meet, or any other platform. No subscription tier required. No ecosystem lock-in.

ScreenApp doesn’t care what meeting platform you use. It records your screen, transcribes the audio, and generates summaries. You can use it for meetings, webinars, customer calls, or internal reviews. It works the same way every time.

This flexibility matters more than Microsoft wants you to think. If you’re paying for Business Premium anyway, sure, use the bundled Copilot features for Teams meetings. But you still need a solution for everything else.

Pricing comparison

Microsoft Business Premium costs $22 per user per month (annual commitment). That includes Copilot features now, which used to cost an extra $30 per user. So the bundling saves you money if you were planning to buy both.

ScreenApp starts at $19 per month for unlimited recording and transcription across all platforms. No per-user pricing. No annual commitment. No requirement to also pay for email, cloud storage, and office apps you might not need.

If you have a small team and you use multiple meeting platforms, ScreenApp is cheaper and more useful. If you’re a large organization already locked into Microsoft 365, the bundled Copilot features are a nice addition.

What you should do

If you already have Business Premium or E3, start using the Copilot features. They’re included now. You might as well.

If you don’t have those plans, don’t upgrade just for meeting transcription. The AI features are good, but they’re not worth forcing your whole workflow into the Microsoft ecosystem.

Use a standalone tool that works everywhere. ScreenApp, Otter.ai, Fireflies, or any other platform-agnostic transcription service will give you more flexibility. You can switch meeting platforms without losing your AI features. You can share transcripts with people outside your organization without worrying about licensing. You can cancel one subscription without losing access to everything.

Microsoft’s bundling strategy is smart for Microsoft. It increases the perceived value of higher-tier plans and keeps customers inside the ecosystem. But smart for Microsoft doesn’t always mean smart for you.

The bigger picture

This bundling move is part of a larger trend. Software companies want to own your entire workflow, not just one piece of it. Microsoft wants you using Teams, Outlook, OneDrive, SharePoint, and everything else. Google wants the same thing with Workspace. Notion wants to be your docs, wiki, and project management tool.

The problem with these all-in-one ecosystems is that they rarely do everything well. Teams meeting transcription is solid, but it’s not better than dedicated transcription tools. Outlook’s AI email drafting is convenient, but it’s not better than writing the email yourself.

You end up using mediocre tools because they’re bundled, not because they’re the best option. That’s the trade you make for convenience and integration.

If you want the best tool for each job, you need to break out of the ecosystem. That means paying for standalone tools that do one thing really well instead of bundled tools that do many things adequately.

For meeting transcription, that means using something like ScreenApp that works across all platforms instead of settling for Teams-only Copilot features.

Final thoughts

Microsoft bundling Copilot into Business Premium and E3 is good for people already on those plans. It makes AI meeting features more accessible without extra cost.

But it doesn’t solve the ecosystem problem. You’re still locked into Microsoft’s platforms to use Microsoft’s AI tools. If you need transcription and summaries across Zoom, Meet, and Teams, you still need a separate solution.

Don’t upgrade your Microsoft 365 plan just for Copilot. Use a standalone transcription tool that works everywhere. You’ll get more value and more flexibility.

The bundling makes AI meeting transcription cheaper for Microsoft users. It doesn’t make it better.