# Open-source alternatives to Microsoft Copilot for Teams

> The open-source alternative to Copilot for Teams puts the agent configuration in a repo the team reads, diffs and reviews, and Kortix is the open-source AI Operating System we recommend for it. Copilot for Teams is bought by the seat and governed from an admin console, while the open-source path is a config a team owns.

URL: https://opensourcecopilotalternative.com/microsoft-copilot-for-teams

## One manifest declares every agent, skill and permission a team reviews

`kortix.yaml`

```yaml
kortix_version: 2
default_agent: kortix
agents:
  kortix:
    file: agents/kortix.md
    connectors: all
    secrets: all
    skills: all
    kortix_permissions: all
```

Source: https://kortix.com/docs/project/manifest

A kortix.yaml at the repo root, where each agent's behavior is a markdown file, its governance is this block, and a change reaches the default branch through a change request.

## How a team buys and governs the agent layer

Microsoft's column states what Microsoft documents; each rival states what its own site documents.

| | Kortix (recommended) | Onyx | n8n | Microsoft 365 Copilot |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| How seats are bought | Team plan $40 per seat per month, credits pooled | Self-host free; cloud is $20 per user per month | Self-host free; cloud plans per plan tier | Per user per month add-on on a Microsoft 365 plan |
| Where team config lives | Files in one git repo your team owns | In your own deployment's admin settings | Version-controlled workflows on your own infrastructure | In Microsoft admin centers and Copilot Studio |
| Who reviews agent work | A person merges a change request; merge is default-deny | Admins set roles; answers respect source permissions | Human-in-the-loop approvals before a step runs | Admins get usage controls and analytics |
| Model choice | Any model provider with your own keys | Model-agnostic, including open weights | Connect any model; swap cloud or offline | Models Microsoft includes |
| Self-hosting | VPC or on-prem; self-host is free | Yes, in your cloud, VPC or bare metal | Yes, on your own infrastructure | No |
| Open source | Yes | Yes | Fair-code, the project's own term | No |

Kortix facts come from kortix.com/docs; each rival's facts come from its own site, checked October 2026.

## What Copilot for Teams covers

Copilot for Teams is Microsoft's assistant inside Microsoft Teams, part of Microsoft 365 Copilot. Microsoft's product page lists Teams among the apps Copilot is integrated into, alongside Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook, and says Copilot is grounded in your company, your team's roles and the context behind your projects ([Microsoft Copilot](https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/copilot)). For an enterprise, Microsoft sells it as a per-user add-on on top of a Microsoft 365 plan, from $30.00 per user per month, paid yearly ([Microsoft Copilot for enterprise](https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/copilot/pricing/enterprise), checked October 2026). Governance is Microsoft's admin console: Microsoft's documentation gives admins basic usage management and reporting on the standard tier and advanced management controls and analytics on the premium tier, and Copilot Studio is where agents are extended and managed at scale ([Microsoft 365 Copilot overview](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/copilot/microsoft-365-copilot-overview)). The buying questions this shape raises are the ones a team has to answer: what each seat costs, where the agent configuration lives, and who can approve what an agent does.

## What a team owns when the agent layer is a repo

An open-source agent layer changes where the configuration lives. It is a set of files a team can read, diff and review, and a person approves what changes before it counts. Kortix is the open-source AI Operating System: your agents, their skills, your company memory, and every connector in one git repo you own, with the agents working on real cloud computers. An agent's behavior is a markdown file and its governance is a block in kortix.yaml, so a change to either is a diff a reviewer can read. Session work reaches `main` through a change request. Merge is default-deny for agents. The team keeps the controls a security review asks for:
- Per-resource permissions for people and agents. Roles, groups, and an audit trail.
- SAML 2.0 single sign-on and SCIM 2.0.
- Approval gates you set. Off until you set them.
Onyx and n8n take their own self-hosted route to the same problem: Onyx runs entirely in your cloud or on bare metal and enforces source permissions at query time ([Onyx](https://onyx.app/)), while n8n keeps workflows version-controlled on your own infrastructure with human-in-the-loop approvals before a step runs ([n8n](https://n8n.io/)).

## Rolling it out, and who reviews

A team rollout runs in two steps: pilot on one job with a small group, then widen the grant. On Kortix, a pilot starts with a single agent and a change request a person merges. Approval gates are off until you set them, so the first week is observation rather than enforcement. As the pilot widens, the reviewer role is the one to settle: who holds the merge capability, who approves a connector call, and who reads the audit log. Run it on Kortix Cloud, in your VPC, or on your own on-prem network. Self-host is free ([Read the docs](https://kortix.com/docs)). n8n and Onyx sit at the same decision from other angles, n8n for the repeatable workflow a team approves step by step and Onyx for permission-aware answers over company knowledge. The mechanics of reviewing agent work are on [the Copilot agent management page](/copilot-agent-management), the machine-level comparison is on [the Microsoft 365 Copilot alternatives page](/microsoft-365-copilot-alternatives), and [self-hosting](/self-hosting) covers the deployment. [Read the guide](https://kortix.com/blog/open-source-microsoft-copilot-alternative) for the written argument.

_FAQ_

## Team questions before the pilot widens

### Is the open-source alternative cheaper than buying seats?

The shape differs. Kortix's team plan is $40 per seat per month with 2,500 credits per month per seat, pooled, and self-host is free; Onyx self-hosts free with a cloud at $20 per user per month; n8n self-hosts free with cloud plans per plan tier. Microsoft 365 Copilot is a per-user add-on from $30.00 per user per month.

### Can a whole team share one configuration?

Yes. Kortix keeps agents, skills, company memory and connectors in one git repo you own, so every seat reads the same files, and a change to the shared config reaches the default branch through a change request a person merges.

### How are changes to an agent approved?

On Kortix, session work reaches `main` through a change request. Merge is default-deny for agents. Approval gates you set. Off until you set them. You decide who may merge and who may approve a connector call.

### Can the agent layer be self-hosted?

Yes. Run it on Kortix Cloud, in your VPC, or on your own on-prem network, and self-host is free. Onyx runs in your cloud, VPC or bare metal, and n8n deploys on your own infrastructure.

## Put the agent layer in a repo your team reviews

Pilot one job, then widen the grant.

[Try Kortix](https://kortix.com) · [Compare the M365 lane](https://opensourcecopilotalternative.com/microsoft-365-copilot-alternatives)