If Microsoft’s recent rebranding history already has your head spinning, the latest change adds another twist – though not quite as drastic as some headlines suggest.
In early 2025, Microsoft began rolling out a new name for its Microsoft 365 app across Mac, Windows, iOS, and Android: it’s now called the Microsoft 365 Copilot app.
This change highlights Microsoft’s growing focus on Copilot, its AI assistant that can draft text, analyze spreadsheets, and even create presentations inside Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
Despite the new app name, the overall product suite is still called Microsoft 365, and consumer pricing hasn’t changed:
- Microsoft 365 Personal remains $99.99/year or $9.99/month.
- Microsoft 365 Family remains $129.99/year or $12.99/month for up to six people.
Copilot itself is not automatically included in these consumer plans.
For now, full Copilot capabilities are primarily a business/enterprise add-on (about $30 per user/month) and are rolling out gradually to individual users.
For Mac users who prefer a traditional, one-time purchase with no subscriptions or AI features, Office 2024 for Mac remains a safe, one time purchase alternative.
It includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook (Home & Business edition) and works on both Intel and Apple Silicon Macs – without any Copilot integration.
This isn’t the first time Microsoft has caused brand confusion.
In late 2024, for example, the company quietly rebranded its popular remote desktop software Microsoft Remote Desktop for Mac to simply Windows App.
If Microsoft’s AI-centric branding feels like one rebrand too many, you can still:
- Stick with Office 2024 for Mac for a perpetual license, or
- Explore one of the many excellent Office alternatives for Mac, including Word replacements and Excel alternatives that open and edit Office files with minimal formatting issues.
In A Nutshell
The Microsoft 365 name is here to stay – Copilot is a high-profile AI layer inside Microsoft 365, not a wholesale rebrand.
Mac users can choose between:
- Microsoft 365 subscriptions with optional Copilot features, or
- Office 2024 for Mac for a one-time purchase with no AI or subscription fees.