Copilot Studio — Billing Rates & Estimation
Source: Billing rates and management Estimator: Microsoft agent usage estimator Licensing Guide: Copilot Studio Licensing Guide
Copilot Credit Rate
1 Copilot Credit = $0.01 USD
Billing Rates (cached snapshot — last updated March 2026)
IMPORTANT: Always prefer fetching live rates from the source URLs below. Use this table only as a fallback if web fetch is unavailable.
| Feature | Rate | Unit |
|---|---|---|
| Classic answer | 1 | per response |
| Generative answer | 2 | per response |
| Agent action | 5 | per action (triggers, deep reasoning, topic transitions, computer use) |
| Tenant graph grounding | 10 | per message |
| Agent flow actions | 13 | per 100 flow actions |
| Text & gen AI tools (basic) | 1 | per 10 responses |
| Text & gen AI tools (standard) | 15 | per 10 responses |
| Text & gen AI tools (premium) | 100 | per 10 responses |
| Content processing tools | 8 | per page |
Notes
- Classic answers: Predefined, manually authored responses. Static — don't change unless updated by the maker.
- Generative answers: Dynamically generated using AI models (GPTs). Adapt based on context and knowledge sources.
- Tenant graph grounding: RAG over tenant-wide Microsoft Graph, including external data via connectors. Optional per agent.
- Agent actions: Steps like triggers, deep reasoning, topic transitions visible in the activity map. Includes Computer-Using Agents.
- Text & gen AI tools: Prompt tools embedded in agents. Three tiers (basic/standard/premium) based on the underlying language model.
- Agent flow actions: Predefined flow action sequences executed without agent reasoning/orchestration at each step.
Reasoning Model Billing
When using a reasoning-capable model:
Total cost = feature rate for operation + text & gen AI tools (premium) per 10 responsesExample: A generative answer using a reasoning model costs 2 credits (generative answer) + 10 credits (premium per response, prorated from 100/10).
Estimation Formula
Inputs
| Parameter | Description |
|---|---|
users |
Number of end users |
interactions_per_month |
Average interactions per user per month |
knowledge_pct |
% of responses from knowledge sources (0-100) |
tenant_graph_pct |
Of knowledge responses, % using tenant graph grounding (0-100) |
tool_prompt |
Average Prompt tool calls per session |
tool_agent_flow |
Average Agent flow calls per session |
tool_computer_use |
Average Computer use calls per session |
tool_custom_connector |
Average Custom connector calls per session |
tool_mcp |
Average MCP (Model Context Protocol) calls per session |
tool_rest_api |
Average REST API calls per session |
prompts_basic |
Average basic AI prompt uses per session |
prompts_standard |
Average standard AI prompt uses per session |
prompts_premium |
Average premium AI prompt uses per session |
Calculation
total_sessions = users × interactions_per_month
── Knowledge Credits ──
tenant_graph_credits = total_sessions × (knowledge_pct/100) × (tenant_graph_pct/100) × 10
generative_answer_credits = total_sessions × (knowledge_pct/100) × (1 - tenant_graph_pct/100) × 2
classic_answer_credits = total_sessions × (1 - knowledge_pct/100) × 1
── Agent Tools Credits ──
tool_calls = total_sessions × (prompt + computer_use + custom_connector + mcp + rest_api)
tool_credits = tool_calls × 5
── Agent Flow Credits ──
flow_calls = total_sessions × tool_agent_flow
flow_credits = ceil(flow_calls / 100) × 13
── Prompt Modifier Credits ──
basic_credits = ceil(total_sessions × prompts_basic / 10) × 1
standard_credits = ceil(total_sessions × prompts_standard / 10) × 15
premium_credits = ceil(total_sessions × prompts_premium / 10) × 100
── Total ──
total_credits = knowledge + tools + flows + prompts
cost_usd = total_credits × 0.01Billing Examples (from Microsoft Docs)
Customer Support Agent
- 4 classic answers + 2 generative answers per session
- 900 customers/day
- Daily:
[(4×1) + (2×2)] × 900 = 7,200 credits - Monthly (30d):
216,000 credits = **$2,160**
Sales Performance Agent (Tenant Graph Grounded)
- 4 generative answers + 4 tenant graph grounded responses per session
- 100 unlicensed users
- Daily:
[(4×2) + (4×10)] × 100 = 4,800 credits - Monthly (30d):
144,000 credits = **$1,440**
Order Processing Agent
- 4 action calls per trigger (autonomous)
- Per trigger:
4 × 5 = 20 credits
Employee vs Customer Agent Types
| Agent Type | Included with M365 Copilot? |
|---|---|
| Employee-facing (BtoE) | Classic answers, generative answers, and tenant graph grounding are included at zero cost when the user has a Microsoft 365 Copilot license |
| Customer/partner-facing | All usage is billed normally |
Overage Enforcement
- Triggered at 125% of prepaid capacity
- Custom agents are disabled (ongoing conversations continue)
- Email notification sent to tenant admin
- Resolution: reallocate capacity, purchase more, or enable pay-as-you-go
Live Source URLs
For the latest rates, fetch content from these pages: