Updated 2026-08-18

Microsoft 365 Copilot alternatives

Approved substitutes for Microsoft 365 Copilot from existing SoftwareGlimpse catalogue peers and editorial assessments. This is a job-fit list, not a ranked best-of.

4 alternatives listed
Affiliate-independent analysis
Methodology v1.0.0
Last updated 2026-08-18

Looking beyond

Microsoft 365 Copilot

8.2/10

Workspace LLM assistant add-on — Copilot Business from $21/user/mo annual; Enterprise add-on $30/user/mo annual on a qualifying Microsoft 365 base licence.

Read our full Microsoft 365 Copilot review →

Best overall alternative

ChatGPT

8.7/10

ChatGPT is a catalogue substitute when Teams and individuals wanting a mainstream general-purpose LLM assistant. Stay with Microsoft 365 Copilot when Microsoft 365 shops that want AI inside Word, Excel, Outlook, and Teams. Reasons come from approved editorial assessments — not a ranked best-of list.

View ChatGPT

See how we compare →

Best Microsoft 365 Copilot alternatives

1
ChatGPT
Best overall
ChatGPT is a catalogue substitute when Teams and individuals wanting a mainstream general-purpose LLM assistant. Stay with Microsoft 365 Copilot when Microsoft 365 shops that want AI inside Word, Excel, Outlook, and Teams. Reasons come from approved editorial assessments — not a ranked best-of list.
Best for
Teams and individuals wanting a mainstream general-purpose LLM assistant
Starting price
See pricing
View review
Visit website
2
Claude
Claude is a catalogue substitute when Writers and analysts who prioritize long-document and reasoning quality. Stay with Microsoft 365 Copilot when Microsoft 365 shops that want AI inside Word, Excel, Outlook, and Teams. Reasons come from approved editorial assessments — not a ranked best-of list.
Best for
Writers and analysts who prioritize long-document and reasoning quality
Starting price
See pricing
View review
Visit website
3
Gemini
Gemini is a catalogue substitute when Google Workspace-centric teams wanting an integrated LLM assistant. Stay with Microsoft 365 Copilot when Microsoft 365 shops that want AI inside Word, Excel, Outlook, and Teams. Reasons come from approved editorial assessments — not a ranked best-of list.
Best for
Google Workspace-centric teams wanting an integrated LLM assistant
Starting price
See pricing
View review
Visit website
4
Perplexity
Perplexity is a catalogue substitute when Analysts and operators who need cited answers and Deep Research. Stay with Microsoft 365 Copilot when Microsoft 365 shops that want AI inside Word, Excel, Outlook, and Teams. Reasons come from approved editorial assessments — not a ranked best-of list.
Best for
Analysts and operators who need cited answers and Deep Research
Starting price
See pricing
View review
Visit website

Software	Best for	Starting price	Overall score	Actions
1 ChatGPT Best overall ChatGPT is a catalogue substitute when Teams and individuals wanting a mainstream general-purpose LLM assistant. Stay with Microsoft 365 Copilot when Microsoft 365 shops that want AI inside Word, Excel, Outlook, and Teams. Reasons come from approved editorial assessments — not a ranked best-of list.	Teams and individuals wanting a mainstream general-purpose LLM assistant	See pricing	8.7/10	View review Visit website
2 Claude Claude is a catalogue substitute when Writers and analysts who prioritize long-document and reasoning quality. Stay with Microsoft 365 Copilot when Microsoft 365 shops that want AI inside Word, Excel, Outlook, and Teams. Reasons come from approved editorial assessments — not a ranked best-of list.	Writers and analysts who prioritize long-document and reasoning quality	See pricing	8.4/10	View review Visit website
3 Gemini Gemini is a catalogue substitute when Google Workspace-centric teams wanting an integrated LLM assistant. Stay with Microsoft 365 Copilot when Microsoft 365 shops that want AI inside Word, Excel, Outlook, and Teams. Reasons come from approved editorial assessments — not a ranked best-of list.	Google Workspace-centric teams wanting an integrated LLM assistant	See pricing	8/10	View review Visit website
4 Perplexity Perplexity is a catalogue substitute when Analysts and operators who need cited answers and Deep Research. Stay with Microsoft 365 Copilot when Microsoft 365 shops that want AI inside Word, Excel, Outlook, and Teams. Reasons come from approved editorial assessments — not a ranked best-of list.	Analysts and operators who need cited answers and Deep Research	See pricing	8.3/10	View review Visit website

Compare alternatives side by side

Some links may be affiliate links — we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Rankings and scores are never based on commission. Affiliate disclosure

Alternative details

ChatGPT

Better when

Teams and individuals wanting a mainstream general-purpose LLM assistant
Buyers who need custom GPT projects and broad model access on Plus/Pro

Worse when

Buyers whose primary job is paraphrasing/grammar only (QuillBot)
Voice/TTS production teams (ElevenLabs)

Key tradeoff: ChatGPT fits Teams and individuals wanting a mainstream general-purpose LLM assistant; Microsoft 365 Copilot fits Microsoft 365 shops that want AI inside Word, Excel, Outlook, and Teams.

Claude

Claude is a catalogue substitute when Writers and analysts who prioritize long-document and reasoning quality. Stay with Microsoft 365 Copilot when Microsoft 365 shops that want AI inside Word, Excel, Outlook, and Teams. Reasons come from approved editorial assessments — not a ranked best-of list.

Better when

Writers and analysts who prioritize long-document and reasoning quality
Teams wanting a ChatGPT alternative with Projects and team workspaces

Worse when

Orgs needing the broadest third-party connector catalog (ChatGPT leads)
Google Workspace-native buyers who want Gemini integration depth

Key tradeoff: Claude fits Writers and analysts who prioritize long-document and reasoning quality; Microsoft 365 Copilot fits Microsoft 365 shops that want AI inside Word, Excel, Outlook, and Teams.

Gemini

Gemini is a catalogue substitute when Google Workspace-centric teams wanting an integrated LLM assistant. Stay with Microsoft 365 Copilot when Microsoft 365 shops that want AI inside Word, Excel, Outlook, and Teams. Reasons come from approved editorial assessments — not a ranked best-of list.

Better when

Google Workspace-centric teams wanting an integrated LLM assistant
Buyers who value Gemini inside Docs, Gmail, and Drive workflows

Worse when

Microsoft- or Slack-first stacks without Google Workspace
Buyers needing the deepest custom GPT / agent-builder workflows

Key tradeoff: Gemini fits Google Workspace-centric teams wanting an integrated LLM assistant; Microsoft 365 Copilot fits Microsoft 365 shops that want AI inside Word, Excel, Outlook, and Teams.

Perplexity

Perplexity is a catalogue substitute when Analysts and operators who need cited answers and Deep Research. Stay with Microsoft 365 Copilot when Microsoft 365 shops that want AI inside Word, Excel, Outlook, and Teams. Reasons come from approved editorial assessments — not a ranked best-of list.

Better when

Analysts and operators who need cited answers and Deep Research
Teams replacing ‘Google then paste into ChatGPT’ with one research surface

Worse when

Buyers who need Custom GPTs and a general work OS (ChatGPT)
Microsoft 365-native drafting (Copilot)

Key tradeoff: Perplexity fits Analysts and operators who need cited answers and Deep Research; Microsoft 365 Copilot fits Microsoft 365 shops that want AI inside Word, Excel, Outlook, and Teams.

Editorial note

Stay on Microsoft 365 Copilot when Microsoft 365 shops that want AI inside Word, Excel, Outlook, and Teams. Move to ChatGPT when Teams and individuals wanting a mainstream general-purpose LLM assistant. Move to Claude when Writers and analysts who prioritize long-document and reasoning quality. Move to Gemini when Google Workspace-centric teams wanting an integrated LLM assistant. Move to Perplexity when Analysts and operators who need cited answers and Deep Research. Not a ranked best-of list — affiliate relationships never set the order.

How to choose a Microsoft 365 Copilot alternative

Define your priorities
List must-have workflows, team size, and budget before you fall for a feature checklist.
Compare your options
Use the same criteria across products — and ignore affiliate status when you weigh fit.
Test before you decide
Trial the shortlist with a real workflow. We only claim hands-on testing when it happened.

Editorial methodology · Affiliate disclosure

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