A Microsoft Copilot alternative that runs on your own machine
Copilot is built into the Office apps. OpenClerq is built around the data never leaving the computer. Those are different promises, for different firms.
Short answer
Microsoft 365 Copilot is the natural choice if your firm lives in Word, Excel, Outlook and Teams: it works inside those apps, on your Microsoft 365 data. If you want AI that runs locally, lets you choose the model, and keeps calculations deterministic and on the record, an open-source local agent such as OpenClerq is the alternative — though it does not plug into the Office apps.
We build OpenClerq, which appears on this page. We have tried to describe every tool fairly and to say where another one is the better choice. Facts checked 19 September 2026; if something is wrong, open an issue.
Why firms look beyond Copilot
- Licence cost. The full Microsoft 365 Copilot is a paid add-on per user, on top of a Microsoft 365 business plan.
- Cloud processing. Copilot processes data inside the Microsoft 365 service boundary. That satisfies many firms; some clients and contracts require data to stay on the firm's own machines.
- Model choice. Microsoft decides which models Copilot uses. You cannot point it at a local model.
- Oversharing. Copilot can reach anything the user can reach. If permissions in SharePoint and OneDrive are loose, sensitive files become easy to surface.
- Not every firm runs on Microsoft 365.
OpenClerq vs Microsoft 365 Copilot
| OpenClerq | Microsoft 365 Copilot | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it runs | Your Mac or PC | Microsoft's cloud, inside the Microsoft 365 service boundary |
| Inside Word, Excel, Outlook, Teams | No | Yes |
| Reaches your mail, files, calendar | Only plain-text files in one folder you choose | Through Microsoft Graph, within each user's permissions |
| Models | Six cloud providers under your key, or local through Ollama and LM Studio | Chosen by Microsoft |
| Training on your data | None by OpenClerq | Prompts, responses and Graph data are not used to train foundation models |
| Works offline | Yes, with a local model | No |
| Calculations | Deterministic engine with a proof hash per result | The model, working with the apps' own formulas and tools |
| Governance | Local run history with cost per run; single user | Purview audit, retention and eDiscovery; organisation-wide admin |
| Licence | Free, MIT | Paid add-on; Copilot Chat is included with many work accounts |
When Copilot is the better choice
- Your firm already works in Microsoft 365 and wants AI inside the documents, mail and meetings people use all day.
- You need organisation-wide administration, retention, audit and eDiscovery through Purview.
- Colleagues need something with no installation and no configuration.
- Microsoft's cloud already meets your clients' requirements.
When OpenClerq is the better choice
- The data cannot leave the machine. A local model keeps every prompt on the computer.
- You want to choose the model, including cheaper or local ones, and compare several on the same task.
- Figures must be exact and reproducible. Formulas run in a deterministic engine; the model explains.
- The same job runs on a schedule, with each run and its cost recorded.
- You are not on Microsoft 365, or do not want a per-seat AI licence.
Using both
They do not compete for the same work. A common split: Copilot for drafting in Word, summarising Teams meetings and triaging Outlook; OpenClerq for confidential batches, recurring calculations and scheduled checks that must stay on one machine. Write the split down so colleagues know which tool a given kind of file belongs in.
What OpenClerq does not do
It has no Office add-ins and no access to mail or calendars. It is a single-user desktop app — team deployments are part of Clerq for Business. It does not read PDFs or images yet, and agents that act on files and other systems arrive in release 0.6. It runs on macOS and Windows.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a free alternative to Microsoft 365 Copilot?
Microsoft includes Copilot Chat with many Microsoft 365 work accounts at no extra cost; the full Microsoft 365 Copilot, which works across your mail and files, is a paid add-on. For a free option that runs on your own computer, OpenClerq with a local model costs nothing to run beyond the hardware.
Does Microsoft 365 Copilot use our data to train AI?
Microsoft states that prompts, responses and the Microsoft Graph data Copilot accesses are not used to train foundation models, and that processing stays inside the Microsoft 365 service boundary.
Can Microsoft Copilot run offline?
No. Copilot is a cloud service. For offline AI you need a model that runs on your own hardware — see how to run AI locally for office work.
Can OpenClerq read my Outlook email?
No. It reads plain-text files from one folder you choose and can call HTTPS services you have put on an allow-list. It has no mail, calendar or Office integration.