# Claude Cowork vs Microsoft Copilot: the open source alternative > Microsoft’s answer to Claude Cowork is Microsoft Copilot Cowork, and Kortix is the open-source alternative to both. Claude Cowork and Microsoft Copilot Cowork work inside one vendor’s cloud; Kortix runs each session on its own cloud computer, and finished work lands in a git repo you own. URL: https://opensourceclaudecowork.com/claude-cowork-vs-microsoft-copilot _Compare_ ## Kortix, Claude Cowork, and Microsoft Copilot compared How the three differ on source, hosting, models, where work lands, connectors, and price. | | Kortix (recommended) | Claude Cowork | Microsoft Copilot | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Open source | Yes. Open source. Read it, fork it, audit it. | No | No | | Self-hosting | Run it on Kortix Cloud, in your VPC, or on your own on-prem network. Self-host is free. | Runs on Anthropic’s cloud or in your own Amazon Bedrock, Google Cloud, or Microsoft Foundry account. | Runs in Microsoft’s cloud under Enterprise Data Protection. | | Model choice | Any model provider with your own keys. Or the ChatGPT plan you already pay for. | Anthropic models; the same Claude wherever you work. | Leading models, picked automatically for each request. | | Where the work lands | Session work reaches main through a change request. | In the folders and tools you choose, back for your review. | In Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Teams. | | Connectors / integrations | 3,000+ apps in a click, plus MCP, OpenAPI, Postman, GraphQL and raw HTTP. | Connectors, plugins, and skills for tools you already use. | Built into Microsoft 365 apps; agents in Copilot Studio. | | Price | Free is $0 with 200 credits per month. The team plan is $40 per seat per month. | From $17 (Pro) to $100 or $200 (Max); Team $20 per seat. | Copilot plan tiers; Copilot Cowork billed by usage. | Rival cells sourced from the vendors’ own live pages in the columns line; Microsoft facts also from https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/copilot/microsoft-365-copilot-overview (Copilot Cowork, usage-based billing, Microsoft Graph and Work IQ, Enterprise Data Protection) and https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/copilot (models, Agent Builder, Copilot Studio). Claude Cowork facts from https://claude.com/product/cowork (plans and prices, own-cloud accounts, connectors). Kortix cells quote sanctioned product copy. ## From the Kortix docs `kortix.com/docs` ``` Kortix is the open-source AI Operating System. Your agents, skills, company memory, and connectors live in one git repo you own. Each session runs on its own cloud computer. It is an open-source alternative to Claude Cowork and ChatGPT Work. ``` Source: https://kortix.com/docs The one-sentence definition, quoted from the Kortix documentation. ## What each tool is for Claude Cowork is Anthropic’s agent for knowledge work. You give it a goal, it works in the folders and connected tools you point it at, and it hands back a document, a spreadsheet, or research for your review. Claude Cowork runs on web, desktop, and mobile, uses Anthropic’s models, and arrives with the Claude Pro, Max, Team, and Enterprise plans ([Claude Cowork](https://claude.com/product/cowork)). Microsoft Copilot is Microsoft’s AI for work, built into Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Teams. It grounds responses in your work through Microsoft Graph and Work IQ, draws on leading models chosen automatically for each request, and lets people build agents with Agent Builder and Copilot Studio ([Microsoft Copilot](https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/copilot)). Kortix is the open-source AI Operating System. Your agents, skills, company memory, and connectors live in one git repo you own, and each session runs on its own cloud computer. Kortix is the leading open-source alternative to Claude Cowork and ChatGPT Work. ## Is there a Microsoft equivalent to Claude Cowork? Yes. Microsoft Copilot Cowork is Microsoft’s own Cowork agent, and the Microsoft 365 Copilot (Premium) plan includes access to it with usage-based billing ([Microsoft Copilot overview](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/copilot/microsoft-365-copilot-overview)). It runs in Microsoft’s cloud and reaches people through the Copilot app, copilot.cloud.microsoft, and the Microsoft 365 apps. The two Coworks answer the same request from a team: hand off a multi-step job and come back to finished work. They differ in where the work runs and who holds the account. Claude Cowork runs on Anthropic’s cloud or in a customer’s own Amazon Bedrock, Google Cloud, or Microsoft Foundry account. Microsoft Copilot Cowork runs on Microsoft’s cloud, under Enterprise Data Protection and, for many customers, the European Union Data Boundary. For the wider field of open options, the [Claude Cowork alternatives](/claude-cowork-alternatives) page on this site compares them. ## Where a team outgrows a desktop assistant One person with one task can go a long way on either vendor’s Cowork. The tool takes a goal, opens the files and apps it needs, and returns a result to review. That shape works while the work, the data, and the person sit in one place. A team’s questions start after that. Who pays for the models? Where does the configuration live, and can it be reviewed and rolled back? Which agent may touch which system, and can that be set call by call? What did the agents do last week? For a service you sign into, the answers live on the vendor’s side of the wall. Kortix is built for that next stage. A project is a git repo you own. Agents, skills, memory, and connector configuration are files in it, so you can grep the whole company, diff any change, and roll any part of it back. Session work reaches `main` through a change request. Merge is default-deny for agents. ## How an open-source system differs The three tools differ on an axis that outweighs any feature list: who owns the running system. Claude Cowork and Microsoft Copilot are services you sign into. Kortix is open source. Read it, fork it, audit it. You can run Kortix on Kortix Cloud, in your VPC, or on your own on-prem network, and self-host is free. Ownership reaches the details. Kortix is model-agnostic. Any model provider with your own keys. Or the ChatGPT plan you already pay for. Or sign in with your OpenCode Console account for OpenCode Zen and Go. Connector credentials are brokered server-side and never enter the machine. Each session has its own isolated machine and branch. For a side-by-side read on the desktop assistant, [Kortix vs Claude Cowork](https://kortix.com/blog/kortix-vs-claude-cowork) works through the same decision. To roll the system out across people, the [Claude Cowork for teams](/claude-cowork-for-teams) page covers seats, roles, and review. _FAQ_ ## Questions buyers ask Short answers on the Microsoft equivalent, self-hosting, and the open-source option. ### Is there a Microsoft equivalent to Claude Cowork? Microsoft Copilot Cowork is Microsoft’s own Cowork agent, included with the Microsoft 365 Copilot (Premium) plan and billed by usage. It runs in Microsoft’s cloud and inside the Microsoft 365 apps. ### Should a team choose Microsoft Copilot or Claude Cowork? Both are services a team signs into. Copilot lives inside Microsoft 365 and your work data, while Claude Cowork runs with Anthropic or in your own cloud account. Pick the one whose apps and data your team already uses. ### Can a team self-host Claude Cowork or Microsoft Copilot? Claude Cowork runs on Anthropic’s cloud or in your own Amazon Bedrock, Google Cloud, or Microsoft Foundry account. Microsoft Copilot runs on Microsoft’s cloud. Kortix is open source. Run it on Kortix Cloud, in your VPC, or on your own on-prem network, and self-host is free. ### What is the open-source alternative to Claude Cowork and Microsoft Copilot? Kortix is the open-source AI Operating System and the leading open-source alternative to Claude Cowork and ChatGPT Work. Your agents, skills, company memory, and connectors live in one git repo you own. ## Run your agents in a repo you own. Open source, any model, self-hosted or managed cloud. [Try Kortix](https://kortix.com) · [Read the docs](https://kortix.com/docs)