Invoice INV-20418
Hi Sam,
Please find attached our invoice INV-20418 for the October order, due Nov 27, 2026.
Kind regards,
Marta Lis
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Best Microsoft Copilot alternatives in 2026
People look for a Microsoft Copilot alternative when their work runs outside Microsoft 365: files on disk, apps from other vendors, or a team without the license. Microsoft Copilot is Microsoft's family of AI assistants spanning a free chat experience, the $30/user/month Microsoft 365 Copilot for organizations, and an enterprise platform, Copilot Studio, for building custom agents. Microsoft's own documentation now calls Microsoft 365 Copilot simply Microsoft Copilot. Copilot Studio adds computer-using agents that drive websites and desktop UIs, and Copilot+ PCs run a small model on the device's NPU. The Office-integrated work requires a Microsoft 365 Copilot license on top of a qualifying Microsoft 365 plan, assigned by an IT admin. Here are five alternatives, ranked by how much each one does with the files and apps on your own computer.
- LapuAI Best for: Individuals and small teams not standardized on Microsoft 365, and households or teams that mix macOS and Windows machines
- ChatGPT Best for: People who want a general chat tool for drafting and questions, separate from Microsoft 365
- Claude Best for: Teams that want a different AI model inside the Microsoft 365 apps they already use
- Google Gemini Best for: Teams ready to move their email and documents from Microsoft 365 to Google Workspace
- Zapier Best for: Small teams automating repeat steps between cloud apps
Key data at a glance
| Microsoft Copilot | LapuAIRecommended | |
|---|---|---|
| Operating systems | Copilot app on Windows 11, macOS 13+, iOS and Android, plus web | macOS and Windows |
| Drives the apps already installed on your machine | Office apps; other apps through Copilot Studio agents an organization builds | |
| Deep Microsoft 365 integration | ||
| Built-in AI (no API key to manage) | ||
| Free tier | Free Copilot chat with a Microsoft account | Free to start |
| Paid pricing | $30 per user per month for Microsoft 365 Copilot, plus a qualifying Microsoft 365 plan | $20 Premium / $60 Pro / $100 Max |
| Enterprise admin and compliance | Microsoft 365 admin stack, including Purview audit and Intune deployment | Team plans, without that depth |
Top alternatives compared
LapuAI
LapuAI is a desktop AI agent that runs on both macOS and Windows and acts on any app or file on your machine with permission. It reads and edits files where they live on disk: Downloads, Desktop, project folders, anywhere. It drives whatever apps you actually use (your spreadsheet of choice, Notion, Slack, internal tools, the browser, the terminal), through native accessibility APIs. The AI is built into the plan, so there is no API key to manage. For individuals working outside the Microsoft stack, LapuAI is built for that case directly.
Pros
- Works on macOS as well as Windows, with the same cross-app control on each
- Acts on any app on your machine, not only Office
- Reads and edits local files outside OneDrive and SharePoint, with permission
- Predictable flat pricing without per-user enterprise licensing: free to start, then $20 Premium, $60 Pro or $100 Max per month
Cons
- Does not integrate into the Microsoft 365 tenant, so it has no work email, calendar or Teams context
- Offers team plans but does not match the maturity of Microsoft's admin and compliance stack
Best for: Individuals and small teams not standardized on Microsoft 365, and households or teams that mix macOS and Windows machines
Learn moreChatGPT
ChatGPT is OpenAI's general-purpose chat product. OpenAI offers a desktop app plus iOS and Android apps, and its pricing page lists Free, Go, Plus, Pro and Business plans. Plus and Pro include extensions for Excel, Word, PowerPoint and Google Sheets. It is a common pick for drafting, questions and brainstorming when you do not want your AI tied to a Microsoft 365 license.
Pros
- Free plan to start, with paid plans for more usage
- Desktop app plus iOS and Android apps
- Excel, Word, PowerPoint and Google Sheets extensions on Plus and Pro
Cons
- The Office and Sheets extensions are limited on the Free and Go plans
- OpenAI's pricing page says the Go plan may include ads
Best for: People who want a general chat tool for drafting and questions, separate from Microsoft 365
Learn moreClaude
Claude is Anthropic's AI, with chat on the web, desktop, iOS and Android on every plan. Anthropic's pricing page lists a free plan, Pro at $20 billed monthly, Max at $100 a month and Team seats. Pro and higher plans include Claude for Microsoft 365 and Claude for Microsoft Outlook. That lets a team that already runs Office try a different AI model without leaving its apps. For a closer look at the desktop app, see Claude Desktop alternatives.
Pros
- Free plan, with Pro at $20 billed monthly
- Claude for Microsoft 365 and Claude for Microsoft Outlook on Pro and higher plans
- Chat on web, desktop, iOS and Android on every plan
Cons
- The Microsoft 365 and Outlook add-ins are not on the free plan
- Enterprise deployment of the desktop app needs a Team plan
Best for: Teams that want a different AI model inside the Microsoft 365 apps they already use
Learn moreGoogle Gemini
Gemini is Google's AI, built into Google Workspace. Google's Workspace AI page says it summarizes Gmail threads, drafts in Docs, builds and fills tables in Sheets, and takes notes in Meet. Workspace business plans such as Business Standard include Gemini features. Google says business data is not used to train its AI models or for ads. It is the closest swap for a team that wants Google's suite instead of Microsoft's.
Pros
- Built into Gmail, Docs, Sheets, Drive and Meet
- Included in Workspace business plans such as Business Standard
- Google says Workspace business data is not used to train AI models or for ads
Cons
- Fits best only if your team runs its email and files on Google Workspace
- Leaving Microsoft 365 for Workspace means moving mail, files and calendars
Best for: Teams ready to move their email and documents from Microsoft 365 to Google Workspace
Learn moreZapier
Zapier is a no-code automation platform that says it connects more than 9,000 apps. Its pricing page lists a free plan with 100 tasks a month, Pro from $19.99 a month billed annually, and Team plans. AI by Zapier adds AI steps to your automations without your own API key, on paid plans. Zapier Agents are billed in activities, with 400 a month on the free plan. It suits repeat steps between cloud apps, such as copying form entries into a spreadsheet.
Pros
- Connects more than 9,000 apps, by Zapier's count
- Free plan with 100 tasks a month
- AI steps without your own API key on paid plans
Cons
- Usage is metered in tasks, so the price rises with volume
- AI by Zapier steps need a paid plan
Best for: Small teams automating repeat steps between cloud apps
Learn more
How to choose
Keep Microsoft Copilot if your day is mostly Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Teams, and your organization already runs Microsoft 365. Microsoft 365 Copilot reads your work email, calendar, Word documents, Excel files, PowerPoint decks and Teams chats with full tenant context, and writes back into those surfaces. For knowledge workers whose day is mostly Office, that integration is decisive and not something a generalist desktop agent matches. Choose LapuAI if your workflow touches any local app, not just Office: a spreadsheet, a folder of PDFs, Notion, Slack, a project folder. See Excel automation and document automation for examples. Choose ChatGPT for a general chat tool outside the Microsoft stack. Choose Claude if you want a different model, including inside your Microsoft 365 apps. Choose Google Gemini if your team is moving to Google Workspace. Choose Zapier for repeat steps between cloud apps.
Where LapuAI fits
Microsoft Copilot's agentic surface is built around Office and the Microsoft 365 suite. Cross-app work on other tools is possible through Copilot Studio computer-using agents that an organization builds and governs, on a Windows computer it sets up. LapuAI drives whatever apps you actually use, through native accessibility APIs, with permission. In Basic mode it asks before sensitive actions such as writing a file, running a command or sending an email. Honest limits: LapuAI cannot operate inside a Microsoft 365 tenant with email, calendar and document context the way Microsoft 365 Copilot does. If your daily work is inside the Microsoft 365 cloud surface, Microsoft 365 Copilot is the right tool for that surface. LapuAI complements it for everything outside it on your own machine. Read how LapuAI handles permissions and data before you decide.
FAQ
Cross-platform desktop reach versus Microsoft-ecosystem depth. LapuAI is a native desktop agent that runs on both macOS and Windows and acts on any app or file on your machine with permission. Microsoft Copilot is a family of products whose deepest agentic capabilities (Microsoft 365 Copilot inside Outlook, Word, Excel and Teams, and Copilot Studio computer-using agents) are bound to Microsoft 365. LapuAI is built for cross-app desktop work on your own machine; Microsoft Copilot is built for Microsoft 365 work.
Yes. Microsoft lists the Copilot app for macOS 13 and later, and Microsoft 365 Copilot features show up in the macOS versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Teams. What does not come to macOS is the Windows-only layer, such as the small language model that Copilot+ PCs run on the device's NPU. LapuAI runs natively on macOS with the same desktop-agent behavior it has on Windows.
The basic Copilot chat is free with a signed-in Microsoft account, on the web, Windows, Mac and mobile. Microsoft 365 Copilot (the version with full Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams, and tenant integration) is $30/user/month and requires a qualifying Microsoft 365 plan, with licenses assigned by an IT admin. Copilot Studio is consumption-priced: computer use costs Copilot Credits per step. LapuAI is free to start, with paid plans at $20, $60, and $100 per individual, see pricing.
Partly, but not equivalently. LapuAI can drive the Office apps installed on your machine through accessibility APIs (open Excel, fill a sheet, save a document), and it can read and write files in those apps. What it cannot do is operate inside a Microsoft 365 tenant with email, calendar, and document context the way Microsoft 365 Copilot does. If your daily work is inside the Microsoft 365 cloud surface, Microsoft 365 Copilot is the right tool for that surface; LapuAI complements it for everything outside it on your own machine.
Yes. Microsoft 365 Copilot handles the Microsoft 365 cloud surface: email, calendar, Office documents inside the tenant. LapuAI handles the rest of the desktop: local files outside OneDrive, non-Microsoft apps, shell commands, cross-platform machines. They occupy different layers; running both is a reasonable workflow as long as you keep the permission model of each clear.
Sources
- learn.microsoft.comMicrosoft Learn: Microsoft Copilot requirements: Microsoft 365 Copilot is now named Microsoft Copilot; the Copilot app supports Windows 11 22H2+, macOS 13+, iOS and Android; Copilot works in Outlook for Windows and Mac and in Teams on Windows, Mac, web and mobile
- learn.microsoft.comMicrosoft Learn: License options for Microsoft Copilot: an add-on for eligible Microsoft 365 plans, with licenses assigned in the Microsoft 365 admin center
- microsoft.comMicrosoft: Microsoft 365 Copilot enterprise pricing: $30.00 per user per month paid yearly; a separate license for a qualifying Microsoft 365 plan is required
- copilot.comMicrosoft Copilot: free with a signed-in Microsoft account; apps for Windows, Mac, iOS and Android, plus web
- support.microsoft.comMicrosoft Support: the Copilot button in Word, Excel and PowerPoint on Windows, Mac and the web
- learn.microsoft.comMicrosoft Learn: Copilot Studio computer use automates websites and desktop apps on a Windows computer you set up, billed in Copilot Credits per step
- techcommunity.microsoft.comMicrosoft Copilot Studio blog: computer-using agents in Copilot Studio are generally available
- learn.microsoft.comMicrosoft Learn: Phi Silica platform card: a small language model that runs on the NPU, optimized for Copilot+ PCs
- learn.microsoft.comMicrosoft Learn: Audit logs for Copilot and AI applications: Copilot interactions are logged as part of Microsoft Purview Audit (Standard)
- chatgpt.comChatGPT pricing: Free, Go, Plus, Pro and Business plans; Excel, Word, PowerPoint and Google Sheets extensions limited on Free and Go; the Go plan may include ads
- chatgpt.comChatGPT download: desktop app plus iOS and Android apps
- claude.comClaude pricing: Free, Pro $20 billed monthly, Max $100/month, Team seats; Claude for Microsoft 365 and Outlook on Pro and higher plans
- workspace.google.comGoogle Workspace: Gemini in Gmail, Docs, Sheets, Drive and Meet, included in Workspace business plans; business data not used to train AI models or for ads
- zapier.comZapier pricing: 9,000+ apps; free plan with 100 tasks; Pro from $19.99/month billed annually; AI by Zapier on paid plans; Zapier Agents billed in activities
Related
Try LapuAI on your next task
LapuAI is a desktop AI agent that works in your files, browser and apps, with you in control. Download the app, sign in and ask for the result you need.
- Free plan
- No credit card
- Cancel anytime
No credit card needed. For 64-bit Windows 10 or 11 and Apple Silicon Macs on macOS 14 or later.
