Microsoft Copilot alternative

What is a European alternative to Microsoft Copilot?

Nexoria is a European alternative to Microsoft Copilot for working with your company knowledge. With Nex, you ask questions about your shared company documents and receive answers with document references. Nex is included in the core product without an additional licence. Microsoft Copilot is available as an add-on or in explicitly combined Microsoft 365 plans. Nexoria keeps file storage and search on servers in Germany; answer generation takes place via the Mistral AI API. Copilot, for its part, is deeply embedded in Microsoft Graph and works across mail, calendars, files, chats and meetings. Nexoria combines search across company knowledge with its own Office applications and cloud storage.

Editorially reviewed against the cited sources on 29.09.2026.

If you are looking for an alternative to Microsoft Copilot, it usually comes down to three questions: Where are your inputs processed? What does the AI cost on top of what you already pay? And how does your team work with an AI that builds on your company knowledge from outside Microsoft 365? This page answers all three, with sources and a review date, and helps you assess both offerings for your tasks.

Facts for decision-makers

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Microsoft 365 Copilot, Copilot Chat, Copilot Business: what is what?

In its current documentation, Microsoft calls Microsoft 365 Copilot Microsoft Copilot. Older names still appear in some offers and licences. This page is about the business offering, not GitHub Copilot or consumer plans.

• Copilot Chat: The web-based chat is available to eligible Microsoft 365 accounts at no additional cost. Provided files, certain opened content and agents billed by usage can also bring in organisational knowledge. The more comprehensive access via Graph and Work IQ depends on licence and configuration.
• Microsoft Copilot: available as an AI add-on for eligible subscriptions or as part of a combined plan, such as Microsoft 365 E7. Which applications and features you can use depends on the offering booked.
• Copilot Business: the add-on for eligible Business plans. Business Standard or Premium alone does not automatically mean that it is included. Microsoft also offers plans explicitly combined with Copilot.
• Copilot Studio: a dedicated development environment for agents and workflows. Check usage and billing separately and compare the agent workflows you need using your own tasks.

Sources: Microsoft licensing options, Copilot Studio, retrieved 29 September 2026.

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Three scenarios

Scenario 1: Your company works entirely in Microsoft 365. Mailboxes, calendars, files, chats and meetings are already with Microsoft. According to Microsoft's documentation, Copilot accesses exactly this content and connects it with the user's work context. Nex works with the content shared in the respective Nexoria workspace. In this scenario, first check whether Copilot adequately covers your tasks within the existing environment. Scenario 2: Your procurement department requires traceable processing locations. The processing location is not a matter of convenience but a prerequisite for procurement. Nexoria operates file storage and search in Germany and uses Mistral AI for AI answers. The headquarters of the model provider does not prove where a request is processed. Microsoft is a US legal entity, and Microsoft itself documents that the EU Data Boundary does not apply to the web search queries generated by Copilot. For the specific deployment, compare the documented data flows, contractual terms and required evidence for both offerings. Scenario 3: An SME does not want to pay for AI twice. Microsoft offers Copilot as an add-on per user and in combined plans. At Nexoria, Nex is included in the core product. Anyone already thinking about switching the Office layer will calculate differently here from someone who only wants to add AI to a working Microsoft 365 setup. This decision is made on total costs, not on the AI alone.

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Decision points compared

The prices on both sides are list prices without negotiation and are not directly comparable. With the separate Microsoft add-on, you add the base licence and Copilot together; with combined plans, the bundle price is what counts. At Nexoria, the price with Nex also covers storage, document search and the Office apps.

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Infrastructure

Data flows and models

At Nexoria, files and the knowledge index are stored on servers in Germany. Search and answer generation are separate processing steps: for AI answers, Nex transmits relevant content to the Mistral AI API. For external answer generation, the agreed data flows of the Mistral AI API apply. Consider model choice and processing location separately.

ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Langdock can optionally be connected via your own provider account and a Nexoria MCP integration. Nexoria also works without these integrations. The terms, settings and data flows of the respective service apply to the shared content. Consider these external data flows separately from file storage in Germany.

Microsoft describes safeguards and contractual commitments for Copilot, but names exceptions to the EU Data Boundary for web search queries and currently for Anthropic models. Bing web queries are subject to their own terms. Sources: Enterprise Data Protection, retrieved 29 September 2026. For Nexoria's internet search, the recipients and the forwarding of search queries must be clarified separately before use.

US CLOUD Act and data protection review

Within the scope of the relevant chapter of the statute, 18 USC § 2713 covers data in the possession, custody or control of an obligated service provider, regardless of where it is stored. This is neither an automatic disclosure of all data nor, in itself, proof that a specific use is unlawful. Check providers, access rights and the legal bases for transfers for both offerings. Source: GovInfo, 18 USC § 2713, 2023 edition, retrieved 29 September 2026.

For context, the counter-evidence also belongs here: in November 2025, the HBDI described a possible data-protection-compliant use of individual Microsoft 365 components following a specific review. On 3 September 2025, the EU General Court dismissed, in T-553/23, the action against the adequacy decision on the EU-US Data Privacy Framework; it assessed the situation at the time the contested decision was adopted. This does not imply a blanket approval of every Copilot deployment, and no statement is made here about whether the judgment is final or about the current status of any appeal. Sources: HBDI statement, CURIA press release 106/25, retrieved 29 September 2026.

Use for training and evaluation

Check the applicable contractual terms and settings of each AI service. General provider information does not replace evidence for the specific Nexoria-Mistral contract. You can use our Answers for your evaluation to prepare questions about data flows, access and deletion. The processing register complements the documentation for your review.

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Where Microsoft Copilot has its strengths

• Existing work context: Graph and Work IQ bring in authorised organisational data. A team already geared to Microsoft 365 can therefore stay in its environment. Features depend on licence and configuration.
• Semantic indexing: Microsoft describes automatically enabled semantic indexes based on Graph content, taking permissions into account. This does not replace a review of existing sharing permissions.
• AI in the applications: Microsoft documents support for text, spreadsheets, presentations and communication. Basic and Premium access differ; not every AI feature requires the same add-on.
• Copilot Studio: Agents and workflows can be built with prebuilt or custom connectors and deployed across different channels. Check usage scope and costs separately.
• Microsoft Purview: Classification, sensitivity labels, retention, audit and eDiscovery can cover Copilot interactions. The required licences and policies belong in the rollout planning.

At Nexoria, the starting point is the body of knowledge shared in the workspace. Check in the pilot whether this is sufficient for your tasks or whether the deeper connection to the existing Microsoft environment is decisive.

What Nex offers in the core product

The core is its own knowledge store with Nexoria Drive, document search with a source for each result and Nex. If you are evaluating Nexoria Drive instead of OneDrive, you will find help in the OneDrive comparison. On top of this come Nexoria Office with Doc, Calc and Slides, Documents and presentations in the Nex AI chat, Workspaces and permissions, OCR and transcription, tasks, chatbots and configurable automations. Check the features you need using your own files and roles.

Nex is part of the core product. You can optionally add Mail and Meet. The VoiceBot requires a Nexoria subscription; Pro customers receive a 10 per cent discount on all VoiceBots. Compare the Office, agent and administration workflows you need using your own tasks.

SharePoint, OneDrive and Google Drive can be connected as knowledge sources on request. We set up the integration depending on the environment and permissions. On request, we also check the integration of other storage, CRM, ERP and in-house systems. More on integrations with SharePoint and OneDrive. Plan the import, permission mapping and updating to suit your environment.

A add-on layer complements existing tools, an integrated platform such as Nexoria, combines a knowledge store and AI, and with an in-house build you are responsible for the components yourself. The architectures are explained in the glossary entry AI knowledge management.

Prepare your start in a focused way

• Define which Microsoft 365 content the integration should make accessible, and check scope, permissions and updating.
• Existing Office files, macros and extensions must be tested with the workflows you actually need.
• Copilot Studio and Purview have a different product scope. Compare the agent, retention and control features you need individually.
• For external AI services, align the additional data flows and terms with your requirements.

Run a pilot with your own test questions by starting with a clearly limited document collection and comparing source references, permissions and usable answers.

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Getting started with Nexoria

Together, we review your data sources, workflows and requirements. Get to know Nexoria through your specific use case and plan the right way to get started with our team.

Microsoft 365 Copilot: costs and licensing compared with Nex

What Nexoria costs

Nexoria costs €29 per user per month with 3 million AI tokens per user and 10 GB of storage per company. The package for five users costs €299 per month with 5 million AI tokens per user and 20 GB of storage per company. Each additional user costs €20 per month. Nex is included in both plans. Nexoria Mail and Nexoria Meet cost an additional €19 per user per month on the Base plan and €9 on the Pro plan. All prices are net; the offer is aimed at business customers within the meaning of Section 14 of the German Civil Code (BGB). Take a look at the pricing.

What Microsoft Copilot costs

For Microsoft 365 Copilot, Microsoft lists €26.00 per user per month with annual billing or €27.30 with monthly payment on an annual subscription, plus VAT in each case. A qualifying base licence is added on top. Source: Microsoft Enterprise pricing, retrieved 29 September 2026.

For Copilot Business, Microsoft shows €15.60 instead of €18.20 per user per month, plus VAT, annual billing and an annual subscription with automatic renewal. According to the offer terms, the promotion runs from 1 July to 31 December 2026; the special price applies in the first year to eligible existing customers. The add-on is intended for up to 300 users. Check the conditions before ordering. Source: Microsoft Business: additional services, retrieved 29 September 2026.

A Business Standard or Premium base plan must be distinguished from an offer explicitly combined with Copilot. For Copilot Studio, capacity and billing must be clarified separately; the licence price stated here does not imply unlimited Studio consumption.

The decisive difference lies in what the price refers to. With the separate Microsoft add-on, the Copilot price is added to the base licence. With combined plans, you compare the total price and the services included. At Nexoria, Nex is included in every licence, and in return the price also replaces storage, document search and the Office apps. So base your calculation on your requirements, not on the line in the price list.

Note: on the pages cited, Microsoft shows list prices for purchases through its own channels. Terms via partners, volume licensing programmes and the public sector are not shown there.

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Assess Microsoft Copilot for your work environment

• Your team works in Word, Excel, Outlook and Teams every day, and the AI should support it exactly where the data already resides.
• Microsoft 365 is the standard in your company, and a platform switch is not currently on the agenda.
• You need Copilot Studio, Purview or the management layer of Intune and Entra ID.
• Your internal review has assessed the US CLOUD Act and approved the use of Microsoft.

How Nexoria supports work with your company knowledge

• You want to build your own body of knowledge and work from it with Nex.
• You are looking for file storage, document search and Office applications in one platform and are assessing a switch using your own files.
• You want to use Nex as part of the core product and add optional communication products as needed.
• You want to check data flows, features and costs against your requirements in a pilot.

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Frequently asked questions about Microsoft Copilot and Nexoria

How does Nex process your data compared with Microsoft Copilot?

Nexoria keeps files and the knowledge index on servers in Germany. For AI answers, the Mistral AI API processes relevant inputs and document content. Microsoft Copilot uses the Microsoft environment and the organisation's permissions. For both offerings, compare the specific data flows, activated features and contractual terms.

Where are my inputs and prompts processed?

With Nex, file storage and search must be distinguished from AI answer generation. Answer generation takes place via the Mistral AI API. File storage in Germany and external answer generation each have their own data flows. For activated external integrations, the respective processing routes must be checked separately.

Does Nex use my data to train AI models?

Check use for training against the contracts and settings that apply to your deployment for each service involved. The specific contract documents and account settings for your use of Nexoria with Mistral are what count. Microsoft states for Copilot and Copilot Chat that prompts, responses and data accessed through Microsoft Graph are not used to train foundation models.

Which AI model is behind Nex?

Nex uses the Mistral AI API for AI answers. Mistral AI is the provider; the provider name does not refer to a single model. ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Langdock can optionally be connected via your own provider account and a Nexoria MCP integration. Nexoria also works without these integrations. The terms, settings and data flows of the respective provider must be checked separately.

Is Nex included in the price or does Nex cost extra?

Nex is part of the Nexoria core product and not a separate AI add-on. Usage scope and allowances depend on the plan booked. Mail and Meet are optional. The VoiceBot requires a Nexoria subscription. The Nexoria pricing overview applies for the current total price and the services included.

Is Microsoft Copilot free?

Microsoft describes the web-based Copilot Chat for eligible Microsoft 365 subscriptions at no additional cost. Even without an add-on, explicitly provided files and certain opened content can be included; additional agents may incur usage-based costs. The more comprehensive access via Graph and Work IQ depends on licence and configuration. For your needs, check which features are included in the chosen offering and which are billed additionally.

Is Copilot Business included in Business Standard or Premium?

The Microsoft licensing documentation lists Business Standard and Business Premium as qualifying subscriptions for the Copilot Business add-on. This does not mean that a Copilot licence is included across the board. Check whether your specific offer covers only the base plan or explicitly a bundle with Copilot.

Can Nex access SharePoint or OneDrive files?

SharePoint, OneDrive and Google Drive can be connected as knowledge sources on request. We set up the integration depending on your environment and permissions. On request, we also look into connecting other storage, CRM, ERP and in-house systems.

What is the difference between Copilot Chat and Microsoft 365 Copilot?

Copilot Chat offers web-grounded chat and can include provided files and certain opened content. Depending on licence and configuration, Microsoft 365 Copilot adds support for working with company content and Microsoft 365 applications. Agents may incur separate costs. The explanation of terms and the Microsoft sources are at the top of this page.

How much does Copilot cost for businesses?

The price depends on the specific Copilot offering, the qualifying base licence and the billing. The cost section lists the Microsoft prices retrieved on 29 September 2026, including the conditions for Copilot Business. Take additional agent and Studio usage into account; the current offer is what counts.

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More comparisons

• Microsoft 365 alternative: switching the whole suite: assess the entire Office environment and the switch area by area

• ChatGPT Enterprise alternative: the standalone platform versus the chat product
• Google Workspace AI alternative: the alternative to Gemini in Workspace
• Perplexity Enterprise alternative: AI research with source citations compared
• All Nexoria features at a glance

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Source status and basis of comparison

This comparison is based on publicly available information about Microsoft Copilot (retrieved: 29 September 2026) and on the documented properties of Nexoria. In its current documentation, Microsoft calls the product Microsoft Copilot; in licensing and pricing information, the name Microsoft 365 Copilot still appears. Microsoft continuously develops its offering, range of features, models used and prices, so information may change at any time. This comparison reflects the status stated above; the current version of the Microsoft documentation is always authoritative. Therefore, check the current Microsoft documentation before making a decision. If a statement on this page seems outdated or incorrect to you, write to us via our contact page: Arrange a call. We will review your feedback.

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Sources

Retrieved and cross-checked for content on 29 September 2026. The dates of the legal sources refer to their respective historical subject matter.

• Microsoft: Copilot overview Access options, applications, Graph and Work IQ.
• Microsoft: Semantic indexing Index and permissions.
• Microsoft: Licensing options Add-on, qualifying plans and included licence in E7.
• Microsoft: Enterprise Data Protection Use for training, web search and exceptions to the EU Data Boundary.
• Microsoft: OpenAI as a subprocessor Distinction between self-operated models and models operated by OpenAI.
• Microsoft: Copilot Studio Agents, workflows and connectors.
• Microsoft: Purview for Copilot Controls for AI interactions.
• Microsoft: Enterprise pricing Licence price, payment method and base licence.
• Microsoft: Business additional services Copilot Business promotion and conditions.
• HBDI: Microsoft 365 can be used in compliance with data protection law Conditional assessment, November 2025.
• CURIA: Press release 106/25 Judgment of 3 September 2025 in T-553/23; no statement on the current status of any appeal.
• GovInfo: 18 USC § 2713 Statutory text of the 2023 edition.
• Take a look at the pricing Plans, allowances and add-ons.
• Nexoria: About us Legal form and registered office.

Microsoft, Microsoft 365, Copilot, Copilot Studio, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams, Loop, OneNote, OneDrive, SharePoint, Azure, Entra, Intune, Purview, Bing and Defender are trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. OpenAI and GPT are trademarks of OpenAI; Anthropic and Claude are trademarks of Anthropic. They are mentioned solely for the purpose of objective comparison. Information about Nexoria refers to the documented scope of services of Nexoria Systems UG (haftungsbeschränkt), Kelkheim.

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