AIPE vs. Microsoft 365 Copilot: compared with sources.
Microsoft 365 Copilot is now called Microsoft Copilot. Here is how the assistant for Microsoft 365 and AIPE differ in pricing model, data location, models, connectors and agents.
Verdict
Microsoft Copilot is the obvious choice when your company works consistently in Microsoft 365: the assistant sits directly in Word, Excel, Outlook and Teams and uses your data via Microsoft Graph. AIPE is a standalone platform independent of your office suite – with free model choice across many providers, a knowledge base with a knowledge graph, agents and the AIPE Worker for tasks on your computers. Both can run side by side.
The key criteria compared
| Criterion | AIPE | Microsoft 365 Copilot |
|---|---|---|
| Focus | AI platform for the whole company: chat, knowledge, agents, connectors and Worker | AI assistant in the Microsoft 365 apps with access to work data via Microsoft Graph[4][7] |
| Pricing model | Plans per user, monthly or yearly; model usage by consumption, token prices public | Add-on licence per user on top of an eligible Microsoft 365 licence, annual subscription. Enterprise (Germany): €26.00 per user/month paid yearly; SMB version up to 300 users: €18.20 list price; both excl. VAT; some features usage-based[1][2][3] |
| Hosting & data location | Primary hosting at Hetzner Online GmbH in Falkenstein, Deutschland; model providers depend on the selected model and are listed in the DPA | For EU customers, traffic stays within the EU Data Boundary; Anthropic models are currently excluded from it[4] |
| Privacy & contracts | DPA under Art. 28 GDPR with TOMs and sub-processors online; no training on customer data under the DPA | Product Terms and Data Protection Addendum; according to Microsoft, prompts, responses and Graph data are not used to train foundation models[4][5] |
| Model choice | Leading model families (incl. GPT, Claude, Gemini, Llama, Mistral, DeepSeek, Qwen), freely selectable; own keys (BYOK) | Models from OpenAI and Anthropic; Anthropic is disabled by default for EU Data Boundary customers and can be enabled by an admin[4][5] |
| Connectors & data sources | Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Drive, Nextcloud, HubSpot, ClickUp, Propstack, SMTP; API, MCP and own MCP servers | Microsoft Graph and more than 100 prebuilt Copilot connectors, e.g. ServiceNow, Salesforce and Box[6] |
| Agents & automation | Own agents, flows in Agent Studio, scheduled routines, Claude-compatible skills | Prebuilt agents for research and data analysis; build your own agents with Copilot Studio[2] |
| Company knowledge | Knowledge base with semantic search and a knowledge graph; roles and permissions per resource | Microsoft Graph, Work IQ and semantic indexing – not included in the free Copilot Chat baseline[7] |
Which fits when?
AIPE fits when …
- You want models from several providers in one interface and control the allowed providers per organisation.
- Your knowledge lives not only in Microsoft 365 but also in Google Workspace, Nextcloud, HubSpot, ClickUp or Propstack.
- Tasks should be done on real computers – with files, terminal, browser and programs.
- You want to steer AI costs by consumption with public token prices and budgets.
Microsoft 365 Copilot fits when …
- Your team does most of its work in Word, Excel, Outlook and Teams.
- You already have an eligible Microsoft 365 licence and want AI directly in those apps.
- Your company data should be unlocked via Microsoft Graph and Copilot connectors.
- You want to build agents inside the Microsoft environment with Copilot Studio.
Common questions: AIPE vs. Microsoft 365 Copilot
What does Microsoft 365 Copilot cost compared with AIPE?
Microsoft Copilot is an add-on licence per user on top of an eligible Microsoft 365 licence with an annual subscription; according to Microsoft Germany, the enterprise version costs €26.00 per user per month paid yearly, excl. VAT (as of October 2026). AIPE bills plans per user and model usage by consumption; current prices are on the AIPE pricing page.
Do I need Microsoft 365 to use AIPE?
No. AIPE runs in the browser, as a desktop app for Mac and Windows and as a browser extension, independent of your office suite.
Does Microsoft Copilot keep data in the EU?
According to Microsoft, EU customer traffic stays within the EU Data Boundary; Anthropic models are currently excluded and disabled by default for these customers. AIPE is primarily hosted in Germany; which model providers receive a request depends on the selected model and is listed in the DPA.
Which AI models do Copilot and AIPE offer?
According to Microsoft, Copilot offers models from OpenAI and Anthropic. AIPE offers leading model families such as GPT, Claude, Gemini, Llama, Mistral, DeepSeek and Qwen; your organisation decides which providers are allowed.
Can AIPE access Outlook, SharePoint or Teams?
Today AIPE offers connectors for Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Drive, Nextcloud, HubSpot, ClickUp, Propstack and SMTP; you connect other systems via API or your own MCP servers. If your knowledge lives mainly in SharePoint and Teams, Copilot is more deeply integrated there.
Does AIPE fit you better than your current AI tool?
Three questions about current tools, criteria and company size. Then you see what to focus on when comparing.
Compare live with your own tasks.
In 30 minutes we show AIPE on a use case from your daily work – including permissions and data processing.
Sources · As of October 2026
Information about other vendors comes from their public pages. Prices and features may change; the vendor's own page is authoritative.
- Microsoft: Copilot für Unternehmen – Preise (Enterprise, DE)
- Microsoft: Copilot für KMU – Preise (Business, DE)
- Microsoft Learn: Copilot license options
- Microsoft Learn: Data, privacy and security for Microsoft Copilot
- Microsoft Learn: Anthropic as an AI subprocessor
- Microsoft Learn: Prebuilt Copilot connectors overview
- Microsoft Learn: Microsoft Copilot overview