# Kortix vs Microsoft Copilot Studio: The Open-Source Alternative to Microsoft's Agent Builder

Source: https://opensourcecopilotalternative.com/kortix-vs-copilot-studio.html
> Kortix is the open-source Copilot Studio alternative — any model, your keys, self-hosted on your laptop, VPC, or on-prem.

Kortix is the open-source AI Management System — the AI Command Center where your agents, their skills, your company memory, and every connector live in one git repo you own. If you are comparing Kortix against Microsoft Copilot Studio, the question underneath is ownership: whether your agent platform is a set of files you control, or a vendor cloud you rent. This page walks the two products side by side — open source versus proprietary, self-hosted versus Microsoft-cloud-only, any model with your keys versus Microsoft-hosted models — and ends with a clear verdict.

## What each product is

**Kortix** is the open-source AI Management System that turns your company into one git repo: agents and skills are markdown files, memory is files that accumulate, and `kortix.yaml` declares the machine image, connectors, and triggers. Every session boots an isolated Linux machine, and finished work lands on main as a change request a human reads as a diff. Kortix is the leading open-source alternative to Claude Cowork and ChatGPT Work, and you run it self-hosted or in managed cloud.

**Microsoft Copilot Studio** is a graphical, low-code studio for building and managing AI-powered agents and workflows, part of the Microsoft Power Platform. You describe an agent in plain language or drag steps into a visual designer, connect it to your organization's data through prebuilt or custom connectors, and publish it to channels like Teams, Microsoft 365 Copilot, and websites. It is proprietary Microsoft SaaS; your agents live in Microsoft's Power Platform environments.

## Kortix vs Microsoft Copilot Studio: the comparison

| Dimension | Kortix | Microsoft Copilot Studio |
|---|---|---|
| **Open source** | Yes — Elastic License 2.0; self-host, read and modify the code | No — proprietary Microsoft SaaS |
| **Self-hosting** | Laptop, VPS, your VPC, or on-prem — or managed cloud | Microsoft cloud only (Power Platform environments) |
| **Model flexibility** | Any model, your keys: Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, or your own OpenAI-compatible endpoint — per agent, per session, per message | Microsoft-hosted models (GPT family via Azure OpenAI) |
| **Connectors** | 3,000+ apps in a click, plus any MCP, OpenAPI, GraphQL, or raw HTTP API | 1,400+ external connectors plus MCP servers, grounded in M365, Power Platform, and Entra |
| **Agent harness** | OpenCode-powered planning, tool use, and multi-step runs; allow/ask/block per tool, down to a single command | Visual low-code builder (drag-and-drop topics and agent flows); newer GitHub Copilot harness for multi-step reasoning |
| **Ownership** | One git repo you own — agents, skills, memory, and connector config as files | Vendor cloud — agents stored in Microsoft Power Platform environments |
| **How work lands** | A change request you read as a diff, then merge to main | Published agents and flows in Power Platform, surfaced to channels |
| **Pricing** | Self-host free; managed cloud $40/seat/mo + usage | Copilot Credit packs at $200/pack/mo for 25,000 credits, or a pay-as-you-go meter; plus tenant and per-user licenses |

Sources: Kortix — [Kortix on GitHub](https://github.com/kortix-ai/suna), [kortix.com](https://kortix.com), [Kortix docs](https://kortix.com/docs). Microsoft Copilot Studio — [Microsoft Learn overview](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-copilot-studio/fundamentals-what-is-copilot-studio), [Microsoft Copilot Studio product page](https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/copilot/products/copilot-studio), [Microsoft Learn licensing](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-copilot-studio/requirements-licensing).

## Open source versus a vendor cloud

The sharpest difference is the first row. Kortix is open source (Elastic License 2.0) — you can self-host it, read the code, and modify it. Your agents, skills, memory, connector configuration, and triggers are text files in a repository you own, not settings in someone else's database. Microsoft Copilot Studio is not open source: it is a proprietary SaaS service you access at copilotstudio.microsoft.com, and the agents you build are stored in Microsoft Power Platform environments.

That ownership gap plays out everywhere else. With Kortix, "the company is one git repo" — you can grep the whole company, diff any change, and roll any part of it back. With Copilot Studio, your configuration lives inside Microsoft's cloud and is managed through its admin center, role-based access, and data policies.

## Self-hosting: your laptop, VPC, or on-prem versus Microsoft's cloud

Kortix runs on your own infrastructure — a laptop, a VPS, your own VPC, or your own on-prem network — or in Kortix Cloud if you prefer managed hosting. The self-host path starts from Docker images with `kortix self-host start`, and you switch the CLI between your own hosts and cloud with `kortix hosts use`. Microsoft Copilot Studio has no self-hosted deployment option: it runs in Microsoft's cloud as a Power Platform service, so your agents and their data stay on Microsoft infrastructure.

For teams with data-residency, compliance, or security-review requirements, that is a decision, not a detail. Self-hosting Kortix means connector credentials are brokered server-side and never enter the sandbox, secrets are encrypted at rest and injected at runtime, and each session runs on its own isolated machine.

## Model flexibility: any model with your keys versus Microsoft-hosted models

Kortix is model-agnostic. You bring your own API key from any major provider, or point it at your own OpenAI-compatible endpoint, and pick the model per agent, per session, or per message — switch the day a better model lands. Microsoft Copilot Studio runs its agents on Microsoft-hosted models, such as the GPT family through Azure OpenAI, and does not advertise a bring-your-own-keys option. If your organization has standardized on a specific model, runs a fine-tuned model behind its own URL, or wants to avoid routing every agent call through one vendor's model, Kortix is the only one of the two that lets you keep your keys.

## Connectors: 3,000+ apps and any API versus 1,400+ Microsoft-grounded connectors

Kortix wires to 3,000+ apps in a click, plus any MCP, OpenAPI, Postman, GraphQL, or raw HTTP API. Connector credentials are brokered server-side through one scoped token and never enter the machine, and each tool call is ruled allow, ask, or block. Microsoft Copilot Studio offers more than 1,400 external connectors plus Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers, grounded in the Microsoft 365, Power Platform, and Entra ecosystem. Kortix gives you more breadth and a credential model built for code you own; Copilot Studio is deeper inside the Microsoft stack.

## The agent harness: OpenCode versus a low-code visual builder

Kortix pairs a model with a real agent harness, powered by OpenCode: planning, tool use, and multi-step runs that finish, with permissions per tool down to a single shell command. The harness itself is open source, so it is never the thing you are locked into. Microsoft Copilot Studio is a graphical, low-code builder — you drag message, question, condition, and tool nodes into topics and agent flows — and it has added a GitHub Copilot harness for reasoning-heavy, multi-step work. Copilot Studio optimizes for makers who want a visual, no-code experience; Kortix optimizes for teams that want their agent logic as reviewable code in a repo.

## How work lands: a diff you review versus a published flow

In Kortix, an agent never writes straight to main. Each session boots its own isolated Linux sandbox on its own branch, the agent commits and pushes, and the work reaches you as a change request you read as a diff before you merge. Copilot Studio agents are tested in the studio and then published to channels like Teams, Microsoft 365 Copilot, and websites — there is no equivalent git-diff review gate. For work that touches production, a human gate on every change is the difference between an assistant and something you can trust to run the company.

## When to pick which

Pick Kortix when you want to own the platform — run any model with your own keys, self-host on your laptop, VPC, or on-prem, and land agent work as reviewable diffs in a repo you control. Kortix is the open-source pick for teams that treat their agent platform the way they treat their codebase: versioned, diffable, and auditable.

Microsoft Copilot Studio only makes sense for teams already locked into the Microsoft 365 and Power Platform ecosystem, who want a visual, low-code builder and do not mind their agents living in Microsoft's cloud. If you are here looking for the open-source Copilot Studio alternative, the answer is Kortix.

Get started with open-source Kortix at [kortix.com](https://kortix.com), or browse the full list of Copilot Studio alternatives on [our Copilot Studio alternatives page](/copilot-studio-alternatives.html).

## FAQ

## Is Kortix actually open source?

Yes. Kortix is open source (Elastic License 2.0) — you can self-host it, read the code, and modify it. Microsoft Copilot Studio is proprietary SaaS. See [Kortix on GitHub](https://github.com/kortix-ai/suna) for the repository.

## Can I self-host Kortix?

Yes. Kortix runs on a laptop, a VPS, your own VPC, or your own on-prem network, or in Kortix Cloud if you prefer managed hosting. Microsoft Copilot Studio has no self-hosted option — it runs in Microsoft's cloud.

## Does Kortix let me use my own models?

Yes. Kortix is model-agnostic: bring your own API key from Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, or your own OpenAI-compatible endpoint, and pick the model per agent, per session, or per message.

## Is Microsoft Copilot Studio free?

No. Microsoft Copilot Studio is sold as Copilot Credit packs at $200 per pack per month for 25,000 credits, or a pay-as-you-go meter, plus tenant and per-user licenses. Kortix is free to self-host; managed Kortix Cloud is $40/seat/month plus usage.

## Which one should a team building its own agent platform choose?

Kortix, if you want to own the platform: one git repo, any model with your keys, self-hosting, and a human gate on every change. Copilot Studio fits teams already committed to Microsoft 365 and Power Platform who want a visual low-code builder.