Compare Microsoft Copilot and PaperSpan: Which App is the Best?

	PaperSpan	Microsoft Copilot
	A reliable read-it-later app with clean formatting and offline reading. Great for organizing articles by category, though the interface feels dated. Read It Later Productivity	A helpful AI assistant that can chat, create images, and work with Microsoft Office apps. It is a good alternative to ChatGPT. AI Assistant AI
Key Features	Clean Reading Experience – Articles displayed in distraction-free format Offline Reading – Access saved articles without internet connection Audio Playback – Listen to articles with text-to-speech feature Smart Organization – Auto-categorization and folder management Cross-Platform Sync – Save from desktop, read on mobile devices Kindle Integration – Send articles directly to Kindle devices	Chat with AI: Ask questions, get help with writing, or just have a conversation Create Images: Describe what you want and the AI makes pictures for you Talk to AI: Use your voice instead of typing Translate Text: Get help with multiple languages Works with Office: Use AI directly in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint Write for You: Help with emails, resumes, and other writing tasks
Our Rating	7.2	8.5
Total users	0	0
Total ratings	0	0
Average rating	— ⭐	— ⭐
Entry Level Price	Free	Free
Android	Downloads	Downloads
iOS
Features	7.3 PaperSpan is pretty good at the basic stuff. It takes messy web articles and makes them actually readable, which is honestly the main thing you want from an app like this. No ads, no random pop-ups, just clean text that's easy on the eyes. Saving Articles: Click one button and it's saved. The app even sorts them into categories automatically, which actually works most of the time. Clean Reading: Articles look way better in the app than on the original websites. No clutter, just the content. Offline Reading: Download stuff to read on the subway or plane. Really handy when your internet is spotty. Listen to Articles: The text-to-speech thing is useful if you want to "read" while doing dishes or whatever. Works Everywhere: Save on your computer, read on your phone. It syncs pretty well most of the time. Kindle Thing: You can send articles to your Kindle, which is nice if you prefer reading on e-ink. The annoying part is that sometimes the text gets cut off halfway through an article, so you have to switch to the web view to finish reading. Also, the search could be better. It's a solid app for basic use, but if you want fancy features, you might be disappointed. We'd give it 7.3 out of 10.	9.0 Microsoft Copilot has a lot of useful features. The main thing it does really well is chat with you like a helpful friend. You can ask it questions, get help with writing, or just have a conversation. You don't even need to sign up to start using it. What we really liked: Chat Feature: This is where Copilot shines. You can talk to it about anything - from asking for help with homework to getting advice on cooking. The AI understands what you're saying and gives helpful answers. Image Creation: This is pretty cool. You just describe what you want to see, like "a cat sitting on a beach at sunset," and it creates a picture for you. We tried this a few times and the results were pretty good. Voice Commands: You can talk to the AI instead of typing. This is great when you're driving or cooking and can't type. It works surprisingly well. Microsoft Office Integration: If you use Word, Excel, or PowerPoint, this is a game-changer. You can get AI help directly in these apps, which saves a lot of time.
Performance	6.9 Performance is PaperSpan's biggest weakness. When everything works correctly, the app is fast and responsive. Article saving is quick, reading is smooth, and offline functionality is excellent. The problem is consistency—too many things go wrong too often. The most common issues we encountered include sync problems between devices, network connectivity failures during signup, and the frustrating text view cutoff that interrupts reading sessions. The discontinued Chrome extension also limits desktop integration significantly. These aren't dealbreaking problems, but they add up to an inconsistent user experience. The positive news is that recent ratings have improved significantly (4.13/5 for the last 100 reviews compared to 3.8/5 overall), indicating the developers are actively addressing these issues. Performance score: 6.9/10.	9.0 Microsoft Copilot works really well. The chat responses come back quickly, and the AI usually understands what you're asking for. We didn't experience any lag or crashes while using it. The image creation feature is surprisingly fast. You describe what you want, and within a few seconds, you get a picture. The quality is usually pretty good too. The voice feature works smoothly. It understands what you're saying most of the time, and the responses are clear and natural-sounding. If you use it with Microsoft Office apps, the integration works seamlessly. You can switch between Copilot and your documents without any problems. The app doesn't drain your battery too much, and it doesn't take up a lot of storage space. Overall, it performs really well for an AI assistant.
Design	6.2 PaperSpan's design prioritizes function over form, which works well for the reading experience but falls short everywhere else. The article reader itself is excellent—clean typography, perfect spacing, and smart image handling make reading genuinely enjoyable. Reading Interface: Distraction-free design that puts your content front and center. Article Formatting: Excellent text sizing and spacing that's comfortable for extended reading sessions. Navigation: Simple menu structure that anyone can understand immediately. The problem is everything outside the reading experience. The overall interface looks and feels outdated compared to modern apps. Multiple users mentioned this in reviews, and we completely agree—PaperSpan desperately needs a visual refresh. The functionality is solid, but the dated appearance undermines the user experience. Design score: 6.2/10.	8.0 The app looks clean and modern. It's easy to figure out how to use it, even if you've never used an AI assistant before. The chat interface is simple - just type and hit send, like texting a friend. We liked how the image creation feature works. You just type what you want to see, and the app shows you the picture. It's straightforward and doesn't require any special knowledge. The voice feature has nice visual feedback - you can see when it's listening and when it's processing what you said. This makes it feel more natural to use. Overall, the design is good but not perfect. Some parts could use a bit more polish, but it gets the job done without being confusing.
Value for Money	8.1 This is where PaperSpan absolutely excels. The free version is genuinely useful—not a crippled demo designed to force you into paying. You get article saving, clean reading, offline access, and basic organization without any artificial restrictions. It's refreshingly honest in a world of manipulative freemium models. The premium subscription at €10.99 monthly unlocks audio playback, enhanced search, Kindle integration, and improved syncing. For heavy readers who use these features daily, it's reasonably priced. Casual users will find the free version more than sufficient for their needs. What impressed us most was user feedback describing PaperSpan as "the only read later app providing all the features for free." While not entirely accurate, it speaks to how generous the free tier feels. The pricing is fair and transparent—no hidden costs or misleading trials. Value for money score: 8.1/10.	8.0 Microsoft Copilot offers good value. You can use it for free, which gives you access to chat with AI and create images. This is actually pretty generous compared to some other AI apps. The free version is good enough for most people. You can ask questions, get help with writing, and create images without paying anything. If you want more features, there's Copilot Pro for $20 per month. This gives you: Faster responses Better integration with Microsoft Office apps Priority access to new features It's worth it if you use Office a lot for work. The pricing is reasonable compared to other AI assistants. The free tier is quite good, and the Pro version offers real value for people who need the extra features.
Ease of Use	7.8 PaperSpan gets this right from the first minute. The app is genuinely intuitive—no complex setup, no overwhelming feature lists, just straightforward functionality that works exactly as you'd expect. Within minutes of downloading, you're saving and reading articles effortlessly. The basics are seamless. Save articles with one click from your browser, and the automatic categorization handles organization without any input from you. Reading controls are exactly where you'd expect them, and switching between text and web view is instant when needed. We did encounter some frustrating technical issues. Network connectivity problems during signup affect multiple users, and we experienced sync delays between devices. The text cutoff issue can be annoying mid-article. These problems don't break the app, but they create unnecessary friction in what should be a smooth experience. Ease of use score: 7.8/10.	9.0 This is probably one of the easiest AI assistants to use. You can start chatting right away without any complicated setup. No account needed for basic features, which is nice. Getting started is simple: Download the app Start typing The AI responds quickly and clearly We didn't need to read any instructions to figure out how to use it. The voice feature is really well done. You just tap the microphone button and start talking. It understands what you're saying most of the time, and the responses are clear. Creating images is also super easy. You just describe what you want, and the AI makes it for you. No need to learn complicated settings or options. We give it a 9 out of 10 because it's so easy to use. Even people who aren't tech-savvy should be able to figure it out quickly.
Security & Privacy	6.8 Security and privacy aren't PaperSpan's strongest selling points, mainly because there's limited transparency about how your data is handled. The app stores your reading data on their servers for syncing across devices, which is standard practice but means your reading habits and saved articles aren't kept locally. What concerned us most was the lack of detailed privacy documentation. For an app that handles your reading preferences, article URLs, and potentially sensitive saved content, clearer communication about data protection would be reassuring. We didn't encounter obvious security problems during testing, but the transparency gap is noticeable. Most users probably won't find this problematic for everyday use, but privacy-conscious readers might want to dig deeper into the terms of service or consider alternatives with more transparent data practices. Security and privacy gets 6.8 out of 10.	8.0 Microsoft Copilot gets an 8 out of 10 for security and privacy. Since it's made by Microsoft, it uses the same security measures that protect their other products like Office and Windows. Your conversations and the images you create are encrypted, which means they're protected from hackers. Microsoft has a good track record with keeping user data safe. If you sign in with your Microsoft account, you get extra security features like two-factor authentication. This adds another layer of protection to your account. Microsoft is pretty clear about how they handle your data. They don't sell your information to other companies, and you can control what data they collect. Just remember - like with any AI app, don't share really personal or sensitive information. While Microsoft keeps things secure, it's always better to be careful about what you share.
Conclusion	After using PaperSpan for a while, we'd actually recommend it to most people. Yeah, it looks a bit old and has some annoying bugs, but it does the main job really well. If you commute a lot or just want to actually read those articles you save instead of letting them pile up forever, this app helps. It's not fancy, but it works, and sometimes that's exactly what you need.	We've been using Microsoft Copilot for a while now and really like it. It's great for chatting with AI, creating images, and getting help with work. The free version is pretty good, but if you use Microsoft Office a lot, the Pro version is worth considering.
	Install PaperSpan	Install Microsoft Copilot
Our Recommendation