What is the best alternative to Microsoft 365 Copilot for AI agents and developers?

For your own apps, agents and Claude Code, a gateway such as Standard Compute gives Claude, GPT, Gemini and open models through one API, with Entra sign-in, a budget per person and app, and a Europe rule. Copilot stays the tool for work inside Microsoft 365.

Can we use a Microsoft 365 Copilot license to call models from our own app?

Microsoft says the Copilot APIs are grounded in Microsoft 365 data and need a Copilot license for each user, and that custom engine agents with your own models are hosted outside Copilot. Standard Compute gives every app its own key and budget for any approved model.

Is Claude in Microsoft 365 Copilot processed in the EU?

Microsoft says models provided by Anthropic are currently excluded from the EU Data Boundary and are off by default for EU, EFTA and UK tenants. With a Europe rule on Standard Compute, Claude requests are served only by approved European inference endpoints.

Does Standard Compute train on our data?

Standard Compute never trains on your prompts or outputs, and with a region rule or zero retention turned on, every request goes only to providers that commit not to train on it.

EnterpriseAlternatives

A Microsoft 365 Copilot alternative for your own apps, agents and Claude Code

Standard Compute is the alternative to Microsoft 365 Copilot when a company needs AI beyond the Microsoft 365 apps: an API for its own applications and agents, and Claude Code and Claude Desktop for its developers. It gives Claude, GPT, Gemini and open models through one gateway, routes each step to the cheapest model that can do it and the cheapest provider fast enough to serve it, and keeps processing in Europe with a Europe rule.

People sign in with their Microsoft work account through Entra ID, every person and app has a fixed monthly budget, and every admin change and request is on record. Microsoft 365 Copilot is licensed per user for work inside Microsoft 365, and its APIs are grounded in Microsoft 365 data.

Create a company workspaceor write to contact@standardcompute.com

Microsoft 365 Copilot next to Standard Compute

Each row can be checked against the vendor's own pages. Microsoft's facts are linked in the sources at the end of this page, and anything Microsoft does not publish is marked "Not stated". Ours are on security, pricing and the enterprise overview.

Question	Microsoft 365 Copilot	Standard Compute
Price model	Microsoft 365 Copilot: Per user: Business $18 a month paid yearly as a first-year offer until 31 December 2026 (otherwise $21), Enterprise $30 a month paid yearly. Annual commitment; advanced features billed in Copilot Credits.	Standard Compute: A flat monthly plan per person or app key, with a fixed budget that never overruns, and Stripe invoices with your company name and VAT number. Plans are on pricing.
What it covers	Microsoft 365 Copilot: AI inside Word, Excel, Outlook, Teams and the Copilot app, grounded in your Microsoft 365 data.	Standard Compute: An API for your own apps and agents, plus Claude Code and Claude Desktop for developers.
Models	Microsoft 365 Copilot: OpenAI GPT models with model choice. Claude through Anthropic as a sub-processor, off by default in the EU, EFTA and UK until an admin opts in.	Standard Compute: Claude, GPT, Gemini and open models such as GLM, DeepSeek and MiniMax through one API.
Use from your own apps	Microsoft 365 Copilot: The Copilot APIs are grounded in Microsoft 365 data and need a Copilot license per user. Custom agents with your own models are hosted outside Copilot. A general-purpose model endpoint: not stated.	Standard Compute: Any OpenAI-compatible or Anthropic-compatible client, with a key per app.
Processing location	Microsoft 365 Copilot: An EU Data Boundary service; models provided by Anthropic are currently excluded from the EU Data Boundary.	Standard Compute: A Europe rule for the company, a team or a key. Every request, including retries and fallbacks, is served only by approved European inference endpoints, and is refused before sending if none qualifies.
Retention and training	Microsoft 365 Copilot: Prompts and responses are not used to train foundation models. Interaction history is stored, with retention set in Purview.	Standard Compute: We never train on your prompts or outputs. Zero data retention can be required for the company, a team or a key, and lower levels can't switch it off.
Single sign-on	Microsoft 365 Copilot: Microsoft Entra ID with role-based access control.	Standard Compute: Microsoft Entra ID or any SAML provider for the dashboard. Claude Desktop and Claude Code sign-in with a Microsoft work account, with access following Entra groups through SCIM.
Budgets	Microsoft 365 Copilot: A license per user. Copilot Credits from a shared tenant pool with spending policies per policy and per user.	Standard Compute: A fixed monthly budget for every person and every app key that never overruns, plus spending caps per key and for the whole company.
Audit log	Microsoft 365 Copilot: Purview Audit records Copilot interactions, including the model provider.	Standard Compute: An admin audit log with before and after values, and an export of every request with model, serving provider and region rule, kept for 12 months.

Microsoft prices are list prices in US dollars from microsoft.com for the Business and Enterprise add-ons, which need a qualifying Microsoft 365 plan.

What changes with Standard Compute

AI for the work Copilot does not reach

Copilot lives in the Microsoft 365 apps. The customer-service bot your team is building, the agents that process invoices, and the developers running Claude Code all need a model API with its own budget and rules. Standard Compute is that API, with one key per person and app.

Claude in Europe, under your rules

In Copilot, Claude sits outside the EU Data Boundary. Through Standard Compute, a Europe rule covers Claude like every other model, and Claude is served across several clouds, so one provider's quota or outage doesn't stop your work.

The same Microsoft sign-in

Employees sign in to Claude Desktop and Claude Code with their Microsoft work account, through our EU gateway, so no API key sits on a laptop. Access follows your Microsoft Entra groups through SCIM provisioning, and your apps and agents keep their own keys.

Security and control

Our EU gateway terminates TLS and runs in Finland, and your account data is stored in Frankfurt. Zero data retention and the Europe rule are set once for the company; teams and keys inherit them and can never switch them off underneath you.

Lower levels can only narrow a provider list, and fallbacks can never route around it. Sign our Data Processing Agreement in the dashboard, and see every sub-processor we use, with 14 days' notice before a new one is added.

When each option fits

When Microsoft 365 Copilot fits

Most of the need is drafting, summarizing and searching inside Outlook, Word, Excel and Teams, grounded in your Microsoft 365 data, and you want it under your existing Microsoft agreement with Purview controls.

When Standard Compute fits

You are building your own AI apps and agents, your developers use Claude Code, you want Claude, GPT, Gemini and open models with each step at the lowest cost, and your security review asks for processing in Europe, provider allow-lists and a budget per app.

Using both

Many companies keep Copilot for office work and run their own apps, agents and coding tools through Standard Compute. The two sit side by side under the same Entra sign-in.

Moving from Microsoft 365 Copilot

Create a company workspace
Create the company in the dashboard, invite colleagues by email and organize them into teams.
Set the rules once
Set a Europe rule, zero data retention, and the providers and models you approve for the company. Teams and keys inherit them and can only narrow them.
Connect Microsoft Entra ID
Add SAML single sign-on for the dashboard, and set up Claude Desktop and Claude Code sign-in with Microsoft work accounts.
Give every person and app a key
Each key gets its own monthly budget and the models it may use.
Move the traffic
Point Claude Code, Claude Desktop and your own apps at the EU gateway. Copilot in Microsoft 365 is not affected.

Environment, before and after

# Claude Code, on a work laptop
export ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL=https://eu.stdcmpt.com
export ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN=YOUR_STANDARD_COMPUTE_KEY
claude

# Your own apps and agents (OpenAI-compatible)
OPENAI_BASE_URL=https://eu.stdcmpt.com/v1
OPENAI_API_KEY=YOUR_STANDARD_COMPUTE_KEY

Common questions from IT and procurement

What is the best alternative to Microsoft 365 Copilot for AI agents and developers?: For your own apps, agents and Claude Code, a gateway such as Standard Compute gives Claude, GPT, Gemini and open models through one API, with Entra sign-in, a budget per person and app, and a Europe rule. Copilot stays the tool for work inside Microsoft 365.
Can we use a Microsoft 365 Copilot license to call models from our own app?: Microsoft says the Copilot APIs are grounded in Microsoft 365 data and need a Copilot license for each user, and that custom engine agents with your own models are hosted outside Copilot. Standard Compute gives every app its own key and budget for any approved model.
Is Claude in Microsoft 365 Copilot processed in the EU?: Microsoft says models provided by Anthropic are currently excluded from the EU Data Boundary and are off by default for EU, EFTA and UK tenants. With a Europe rule on Standard Compute, Claude requests are served only by approved European inference endpoints.
Does Standard Compute train on our data?: Standard Compute never trains on your prompts or outputs, and with a region rule or zero retention turned on, every request goes only to providers that commit not to train on it.
Does it work with Microsoft Entra ID?: Yes. The dashboard takes Microsoft Entra ID or any SAML identity provider, and employees sign in to Claude Desktop and Claude Code with their Microsoft work account, with access following your Entra groups through SCIM.

Sources

Every statement about Microsoft on this page comes from Microsoft's own pricing, help and documentation pages, checked on 9 November 2026.

Create a company workspace, set a Europe rule and zero data retention once, connect Microsoft Entra ID, and give every person and app a key with its own budget.

Create a company workspace