Screen Copilot vs. Microsoft Copilot Vision: Which AI Screen Assistant Is Right for You?

Microsoft Copilot Vision is one of the most ambitious features to come out of Redmond in years. It can see your entire Windows desktop --- not just your Edge browser, but any application you have open --- and offer contextual insights, answer questions about what is on your screen, and even guide you through tasks with on-screen highlights and voice interaction.

It sounds like the future. And for Windows users who already subscribe to Microsoft 365, it is effectively free. So why would anyone look for an alternative?

The answer comes down to purpose. Copilot Vision is a general-purpose assistant that happens to see your screen. Screen Copilot is a learning-focused tool built specifically around the screen guidance experience. That distinction matters more than you might expect.

What Copilot Vision Does Well

Microsoft has the deepest possible integration with Windows, and it shows:

• Zero-friction setup --- if you have Windows 11 and Edge (or a Copilot+ PC), it is already there. No sign-up, no extension, no separate tab.
• Desktop-wide awareness --- Copilot Vision can see any application, not just browser tabs. It can read your Word document, see your Excel spreadsheet, and observe your Outlook inbox simultaneously.
• Voice and text --- you can speak to Copilot Vision or type, and it responds with on-screen annotations that highlight relevant UI elements.
• Bundled pricing --- included with Microsoft 365 subscriptions starting at $6.99/month.

For users who live entirely in the Microsoft ecosystem, Copilot Vision is convenient and capable.

Where Copilot Vision Falls Short

Windows and Edge Only

This is the most significant limitation. Copilot Vision requires Windows 11 and works best in Edge. If you use a Mac, a Linux machine, or a Chromebook, it is simply not available. Screen Copilot runs in any modern browser on any operating system --- open the website, share your screen, and start chatting.

General-Purpose Means Jack of All Trades

Copilot Vision wants to help you with everything: summarize a web page, draft an email, analyze a chart, and answer trivia. This breadth means it is not deeply optimized for any single workflow. When you are trying to learn Photoshop or navigate a government form, you want an AI that is laser-focused on step-by-step guidance, not one that is also trying to be your email assistant.

No Persistent Learning Threads

Copilot Vision conversations are session-based. When you close the sidebar or start a new task, the context from your previous interaction is gone. If you are learning a new application over multiple days --- which is how real learning works --- you lose continuity every time.

Screen Copilot stores conversations locally in your browser as persistent threads. Come back tomorrow, open the same thread, and the AI remembers where you left off, what you were working on, and what concepts you have already covered.

Less Structured Guidance

Copilot Vision is designed for quick interactions: ask a question, get an answer, move on. Screen Copilot is designed for guided workflows: share your screen, describe your goal, and get a structured series of steps that build on each other. The difference is the gap between a reference book and a tutor.

Head-to-Head Scenarios

Learning Photoshop

Copilot Vision: You open Photoshop on Windows and ask Copilot to help you remove a background. It can see your canvas and may highlight the Select Subject button. But its response is likely a brief answer or a link to a help article --- it is not designed to walk you through a multi-step editing workflow with ongoing feedback.

Screen Copilot: You share your Photoshop window and say "I want to remove the background from this photo." The AI sees your layers panel, your toolbar, your current selection, and your canvas. It provides numbered steps, waits for you to complete each one, and adapts its next instruction based on what it sees you have done. If you make a mistake, it catches it and course-corrects.

Troubleshooting a Network Issue

Copilot Vision: It can see your network settings and may identify common misconfigurations. But it is limited to Windows networking UI and cannot see your router's web interface (unless you open it in Edge).

Screen Copilot: You share your entire screen and navigate between Windows settings, your router's admin page in Chrome, and a diagnostic website. The AI follows along across all of them, maintaining context as you switch between tools.

Filing Taxes Online

Copilot Vision: Tax software typically runs in a browser. If you use Edge, Copilot Vision can see the page. But it will treat each form field as an isolated question rather than guiding you through the entire filing flow with context about your tax situation.

Screen Copilot: You share your browser tab with TurboTax or H&R Block and work through the entire flow with the AI. It remembers the filing status you chose three screens ago when it is helping you decide on a deduction five screens later. The persistent thread is the entire tax filing session.

Pricing Comparison

Plan	Screen Copilot	Microsoft Copilot Vision
Free tier	Free trial with limited sessions	Basic Copilot (limited Vision features)
Paid	Affordable subscription	Microsoft 365 Personal ($6.99/mo) or Family ($9.99/mo)
Platform	Any browser, any OS	Windows 11 + Edge
What you get	Purpose-built screen guidance with persistent threads	Full M365 suite + Copilot across all apps

If you already pay for Microsoft 365 and use Windows exclusively, Copilot Vision is a free bonus. If you need cross-platform support, persistent learning threads, or a dedicated guidance experience, Screen Copilot is worth the subscription.

The Verdict

Copilot Vision is excellent at passive awareness --- glancing at your screen and answering quick questions. Screen Copilot is built for active learning --- sitting beside you through a multi-step process and teaching you along the way.

For quick "what does this button do?" questions on Windows, Copilot Vision is hard to beat. For "teach me how to use this application from scratch" or "walk me through this entire workflow," Screen Copilot provides a fundamentally better experience.

The good news: they are not mutually exclusive. Use Copilot Vision for quick Windows-level queries and Screen Copilot when you need a dedicated learning session.