Microsoft Copilot Studio alternatives: 12 tools compared (October 2026)

Freshservice is IT service management software from Freshworks for service desks of all sizes. Its Freddy AI features suggest replies, summarize tickets, answer employee requests through an AI agent and analyze ticket trends.

Key functions

• Freddy AI Copilot helps agents with reply, summary and resolution suggestions (add-on)
• Freddy AI Agent answers employee requests on its own (Enterprise, 1,200 sessions per year)
• Freddy AI Insights analyzes ticket trends (Enterprise)

Compared with Microsoft Copilot Studio

• Targets companies under 50 employees, which Microsoft Copilot Studio does not.
• Names 7 security certificates, Microsoft Copilot Studio 0.
• Different pricing model: per user instead of usage-based.

Check before buying: Budget for the Copilot add-on at $29 per agent per month, since the plan price does not include it. Choose the EU data center at signup, because an account stays pinned to its region. Review the subprocessor list, which names the AI model providers, and the data processing agreement in the trust center.

Tray.ai is an integration and automation platform for mid-size and large companies that connects business applications, runs automated processes and adds a no-code builder for AI agents. It suits organizations with an IT or integration team.

Key functions

• Merlin Agent Builder creates AI agents without code, with guardrails and knowledge ingestion
• Agent Gateway for MCP exposes connectors as tools for MCP services and governs access
• AI agents can be deployed across multiple channels

Compared with Microsoft Copilot Studio

• Names 2 security certificates, Microsoft Copilot Studio 0.
• Strong in the same markets as Microsoft Copilot Studio: United States.

Check before buying: There are no public prices, and agent builder, MCP gateway, SSO and regional hosting are add-ons, so ask for a full quote with the modules you need. If you handle EU personal data, choose the EU region and review the public DPA and subprocessor list. Agents that act in HR or customer systems should keep a human approval step for consequential changes.

UiPath is an automation platform that combines software robots (RPA), AI agents and document processing so that IT and operations teams can automate repetitive work across business applications, from small teams on the free plan to large enterprises.

Key functions

• Agents for enterprise automation in the Standard and Enterprise plans
• Document Understanding classifies documents and extracts data at scale
• Autopilot generates test cases, analyzes requirements and creates synthetic test data

Compared with Microsoft Copilot Studio

• Has a free plan; Microsoft Copilot Studio does not.
• Targets companies under 50 employees, which Microsoft Copilot Studio does not.
• Names 2 security certificates, Microsoft Copilot Studio 0.
• Starts lower: from $25 per month, Microsoft Copilot Studio from $200 per month.

Check before buying: Clarify which plan covers the agents and document processing you need, since both are part of Standard and Enterprise, not Basic. Ask for the list of cloud regions and the data processing agreement if EU data is involved. Plan for human review of consequential agent actions, especially where robots or agents process employee or customer data.

Activepieces is an open-source platform for building automated workflows and AI agents that connect business apps, aimed at operations, IT and business teams that want a self-hostable alternative to proprietary automation services.

Key functions

• AI agents and chat on every plan, including the free plan
• AI steps in flows with selectable models or your own API keys
• More than 280 integrations (pieces) are available as MCP servers for Claude Desktop, Cursor or Windsurf

Compared with Microsoft Copilot Studio

• Has a free plan; Microsoft Copilot Studio does not.
• Targets companies under 50 employees, which Microsoft Copilot Studio does not.
• Starts lower: from $20 per month, Microsoft Copilot Studio from $200 per month.

Check before buying: Decide between the hosted cloud and self-hosting; running it yourself means your team handles updates, backups and security patches, and enterprise features need a commercial license. In the cloud, SSO starts with the Team plan and SCIM comes with Ultimate. The pricing page says the SOC 2 program is still in progress while the security page mentions a SOC 2 Type 2 audit, so ask for the current report. AI steps are billed per credit, so estimate volumes before large rollouts.

Automation Anywhere sells a platform for automating business processes with software robots and AI agents, including document processing and process discovery. It targets mid-size and large companies with IT or automation teams.

Key functions

• AI Agent Studio builds goal-driven AI agents and places them in workflows via drag and drop
• Connects to models through Amazon Bedrock, Google Vertex AI, Azure OpenAI and OpenAI
• Grounded models use RAG to base answers on company data

Compared with Microsoft Copilot Studio

• Has a free plan; Microsoft Copilot Studio does not.
• Names 6 security certificates, Microsoft Copilot Studio 0.
• Strong in the same markets as Microsoft Copilot Studio: United States.

Check before buying: Prices are only available through sales, so compare the full cost of robots, agents and model usage with your cloud provider. The trust center does not state hosting regions, so ask where process and document data are stored and request the data processing agreement. For agents that decide on customer or employee matters, set up human approval and review the EU AI Act guidance.

Glean is an enterprise search and AI assistant platform that connects to a company's apps and answers questions from internal knowledge while respecting each user's permissions. It targets large organizations and adds agents that automate work across teams.

Key functions

• Search across documents and data in all connected apps, permission-aware
• Glean Assistant answers questions from company knowledge
• Glean Agents automate workflows across teams

Compared with Microsoft Copilot Studio

• Names 3 security certificates, Microsoft Copilot Studio 0.
• Strong in the same markets as Microsoft Copilot Studio: United States.

Check before buying: Pricing is only available on request, so ask for a quote that covers connectors and agent use. The public pages do not name hosting regions; ask where data is stored and whether a deployment in your own cloud tenant fits your setup. Check permission hygiene in source systems first, since search reflects existing access rights.

AppFolio is property management software for residential, commercial and community association portfolios in the United States, with an AI layer called Realm-X that answers questions, runs routine processes and handles tasks through agents.

Key functions

• Realm-X Assistant answers questions on portfolio data and carries out bulk communications and multi-step tasks
• Realm-X Flows runs standard operating procedures automatically around the clock
• Realm-X Performers agents watch data signals and act on their own outside business hours

Compared with Microsoft Copilot Studio

• Targets companies under 50 employees, which Microsoft Copilot Studio does not.
• Strong in the same markets as Microsoft Copilot Studio: United States.

Check before buying: Pricing is quote based with minimum spend and unit requirements, so clarify the tier you need for Flows and agents. AppFolio's trust page does not list certifications or hosting regions; request audit reports and data location details directly. Decide which actions agents may take without review, especially messages to residents.

Dify is an open-source platform for building AI applications, agentic workflows and retrieval pipelines, maintained by LangGenius. Teams use it in the hosted cloud or run it on their own infrastructure to take prototypes into production.

Key functions

• Visual canvas for building and testing AI workflows
• RAG pipeline ingests PDFs, presentations and other formats for knowledge retrieval
• Agents with tools, MCP servers and custom APIs

Compared with Microsoft Copilot Studio

• Has a free plan; Microsoft Copilot Studio does not.
• Targets companies under 50 employees, which Microsoft Copilot Studio does not.
• Strong in the same markets as Microsoft Copilot Studio: United States.

Check before buying: Read the license: the Dify Open Source License adds conditions to Apache 2.0, which matters for multi-tenant or branded use. Self-hosting means your team owns updates, scaling and security. The cloud pricing page does not name data regions, so ask before storing personal data there. SSO is only in the Enterprise edition.