Windows Notepad and Paint are still free – but the AI will cost you. Here's how much

For years, we’ve been able to freely use all the features in Windows apps like Notepad and Paint. But those days seem to be gone. Yes, the core features are still freely accessible, but the latest AI skills? Not so much.

Also: How to remove Copilot from your Microsoft 365 plan

A Windows forum post published Thursday described the ways that Microsoft has added AI to Notepad and Paint in Windows 11. In Notepad, you can request a rewrite of the text and even specify whether you want it shorter, longer, more formal, more casual, or more humorous. In Paint, you’re able to generate images with the AI-powered Image Creator and tweak the background.

There’s a price to AI, both for Microsoft and its users

The company needs to pay for its ongoing research and work on AI, as the forum post points out. It wants to encourage people to subscribe to Microsoft 365 and other apps by adding AI. And the freemium model has been expanding beyond the mobile landscape into desktop software.

Also: How to use Microsoft’s Copilot AI on Linux

For Microsoft, passing the cost along to the consumer is the obvious way to address all those goals. That’s why the company has essentially placed the AI skills for otherwise free Windows apps behind a subscription paywall.

So how does this play out?

Again, you can use all of the non-AI features of Notepad and Paint for free, just as always. But try to request a rewrite in Notepad or an image in Paint, and you’ll be told that you need a subscription to Microsoft 365.

How much it costs to use Copilot AI with Notepad or Paint

With the increased price tags due to the inclusion of Copilot AI, you’ll have to shell out $10 a month or $100 a year for a Microsoft 365 Personal plan or $13 a month or $130 a year for a Family plan. The only feature you can still enjoy without a plan is the background removal in Paint.

Even with the subscription, though, there are limitations. With a Microsoft 365 Family plan, only the owner gets to use Copilot. The other members won’t have any access to AI. Plus, there’s a limit on how much AI you can use.

Also: I put GitHub Copilot’s AI to the test – its mixed success at coding baffled me

With either plan, Microsoft grants you up to 60 AI credits each month. Any AI-related task you perform in any Microsoft app chews up a credit. Use up all 60, and you’ll have to wait until the next month. Of course, Microsoft would prefer that you upgrade to a full Copilot Pro plan to get all the AI you want at a cost of $20 a month.

As Microsoft continues to add AI to its key products, it’s only natural that the company charges its customers for the privilege. What Microsoft customers need to decide is whether they want to continue using these products or find alternatives that are just as capable but less expensive.