Two Pricing Models Coexist

The core comparison is straightforward: Microsoft's classic productivity applications — Word, Excel and PowerPoint — follow a 'flat-rate' (jeong-ahk-je, 정액제) subscription model, in which users pay a set price for a defined period regardless of how much they use the apps. AI models and self-directed agents, by contrast, are typically metered: cost rises with the volume of tokens processed, queries made or tasks executed.

This divide reflects the different economics of the two product categories. Desktop applications have predictable marginal costs per user, making flat pricing practical. AI services consume computing resources in proportion to demand, which naturally leads to usage-based billing.

Exceptions Complicate the Picture

The clean split does not survive unqualified. Some AI-related offerings are not billed purely by usage, and flat-fee products can include AI features at no extra charge. Microsoft's Copilot-branded services illustrate the overlap: AI capability is increasingly bundled into subscription plans rather than sold solely as a metered add-on.

For that reason, treating 'AI model equals unconditional pay-per-use' as a universal rule would be an over-generalization. Pricing structures vary by product, deployment scale and contract type.

Bottom Line

The claim that traditional Office apps use flat-rate subscriptions while AI models and agents are charged according to usage is broadly accurate as a description of prevailing pricing practice, provided its exceptions are kept in view. Verdict: Mostly True