Search+ vs Microsoft Copilot Notebooks
Microsoft Copilot Notebooks gather files, OneDrive and SharePoint folders and web pages as references, and Copilot answers from them. They are available to Microsoft Copilot and Copilot Chat licensed users and to Microsoft 365 Personal, Family and Premium subscribers, and they handle Word, Excel, PowerPoint, PDF, images and audio. Search+ is a standalone document workspace for PDF, Word and Excel files, with OCR, cited answers and standing instructions. If your documents live in Microsoft 365, Copilot Notebooks fit that world. If you want a separate workspace for a document project, Search+ does that.
You can create an account without entering payment details.
At a glance
| Search+ | Copilot Notebooks | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A web app for asking questions across document workspaces, with cited answers | Copilot notebooks that answer from the references you add |
| Who can use it | Anyone with a Search+ account; no payment details to sign up | Copilot and Copilot Chat licensed users; Microsoft 365 Personal, Family, Premium |
| References | Files you upload to a workspace | Files, OneDrive and SharePoint locations, public web pages |
| File types | PDF, Word and Excel files; OCR for scanned pages; up to 5 GB per file | PDF, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Copilot Pages, images, audio, URLs |
| Limits | Files up to 5 GB each; up to 10 per upload batch | First 300 references used for Copilot users; 50 for Copilot Chat |
How Search+ and Copilot Notebooks differ
Copilot Notebooks live inside Microsoft 365
Copilot Notebooks open in the Microsoft Copilot app or OneNote and take references straight from OneDrive and SharePoint, using only content you have permission to access. Search+ is separate from any office suite; you upload documents to it directly.
Both take common document files
Copilot Notebooks list PDF, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Copilot Pages, images, audio and external URLs as standard sources. Search+ supports PDF, Word and Excel files, reads scanned pages with OCR and accepts files up to 5 GB each.
Search+ needs no Microsoft license
Copilot Notebooks require a Copilot or Copilot Chat license, with a SharePoint or OneDrive license to create notebooks, or a Microsoft 365 Personal, Family or Premium subscription. Search+ only needs an account; you can create one without entering payment details.
Copilot Notebooks share linked files
A Copilot notebook can be shared, and recipients are invited to the linked files they can access.
Search+ vs Copilot Notebooks, feature by feature
Checked against public pages on October 11, 2026. "Not covered here" means the pages we checked do not say; it is not a claim that the feature is missing.
| Topic | Search+ | Copilot Notebooks |
|---|---|---|
| Files | PDF, Word and Excel files; OCR for scanned pages; up to 5 GB per file | PDF, Office files, images, audio, URLs |
| Citations | Inline citations; open one to read the supporting excerpt | Grounded in your references |
| Question scope | Whole workspace or one document | Notebook references |
| Standing instructions | Workspace Context, applied to every question | Not covered here |
| Saved work | Workspaces and conversation history are saved | Notebooks persist |
| Sharing and teams | Team plan available | Yes, with linked files |
| Export and outputs | No export | Not covered here |
| Where it runs | Browser only | Copilot app and OneNote |
| Price | See current plans on searchplus.ai | Included with eligible Microsoft plans |
As of 2026-10-11
Sources: Add references to your Microsoft Copilot Notebook (Microsoft Support)
Pricing
Copilot Notebooks come with eligible Microsoft licenses and subscriptions; prices were not captured, so check microsoft.com. For Search+ plans, see the pricing section on the Search+ homepage.
| Product | Plan | Price | Includes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Microsoft | Copilot or Copilot Chat license; Microsoft 365 Personal, Family, Premium | See microsoft.com | Copilot Notebooks access |
Prices as of 2026-10
About each product
Search+
Search+ is a web app for working with documents. You create a workspace for each project, upload PDF, Word and Excel files, and ask questions across every document or narrow a question to one. Answers come with inline citations; open one to read the excerpt behind it. Workspace Context holds standing instructions that apply to every question, and workspaces and conversations are saved so you can pick up where you left off.
Copilot Notebooks
Microsoft Copilot Notebooks let you gather references, such as files, OneDrive and SharePoint folders and public web pages, into one notebook and ask Copilot about them. Copilot only uses the references you add and have permission to access. Copilot users can add more than 300 references, of which the first 300 ground answers; Copilot Chat users can add up to 50.
Which one fits your work
Choose Search+ when
- You want a document workspace separate from Microsoft 365
- You want OCR for scanned documents and files up to 5 GB each
- You want standing instructions applied to every question
- You want to open a citation and read the supporting excerpt
Choose Copilot Notebooks when
- Your documents already live in OneDrive or SharePoint
- You work in Word, Excel and PowerPoint files
- You have a Copilot license or a qualifying Microsoft 365 subscription
- You need to share a notebook with colleagues
How to try both on the same documents
- Gather the documents you need.
- Add them to a Copilot notebook and to a Search+ workspace.
- Ask both the same question across several files.
- Open the Search+ citations to read the excerpts.
- Compare the answers and how quickly you could check them.
Questions about Search+ and Copilot Notebooks
Who can use Copilot Notebooks?
Can Search+ read Office files?
How many references can a Copilot notebook use?
Does Search+ connect to OneDrive or SharePoint?
Sources
Recheck public pages before making a buying decision. Spotted an error? Tell us through the Search+ app and we will correct it.
Checked 2026-10-11
A document workspace without a suite license
Create an account, upload your documents and ask across them with cited answers.
Start a workspace