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Honest comparison

Chifty vs. Microsoft 365 Copilot

Two different approaches to AI at work: AI assistance inside the Microsoft ecosystem versus a standalone, permission-aware knowledge platform. Compared honestly – no superlatives.

As of: August 2026

Microsoft 365 Copilot and Chifty solve related problems with different approaches. Copilot is an add-on to Microsoft 365 and assists directly in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Teams. Chifty is a standalone platform that consolidates company knowledge from multiple sources into a permission-aware knowledge base and makes it usable in the inbox (Office) and in AI chat (Chat).

Which approach fits depends less on individual features than on where your knowledge lives and how much control you want to keep over vendor, models, and operations.

Microsoft 365 Copilot fits if …

  • your company works deep inside the Microsoft 365 ecosystem and already holds the qualifying base licenses.
  • you want AI assistance directly in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Teams – that is Copilot's home turf.
  • you prefer a solution from a large platform vendor with enterprise sales.
  • your documents already live almost entirely in SharePoint/OneDrive.

Chifty fits if …

  • your knowledge is spread across sources – Google Drive, OneDrive, SharePoint, HubSpot, and email – and should flow into ONE permission-aware base.
  • you want a vendor from Germany: hosted in Germany, AI processing in the EU.
  • you want model diversity instead of a fixed stack (OpenAI, Google, Anthropic, Mistral).
  • an on-premise option matters – at Chifty currently a pilot program for selected customers.

At a glance

All details about Microsoft 365 Copilot per the vendor pages linked under Sources (as of August 2026).

Microsoft 365 CopilotChifty
ApproachAI assistant inside the Microsoft 365 apps (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams).Standalone knowledge platform: permission-aware knowledge base (Knowledge) with an email layer (Office) and AI chat (Chat).
Knowledge sourcesMicrosoft Graph content: SharePoint, OneDrive, Outlook, Teams (per vendor).Cross-source: Google Drive, OneDrive, SharePoint, HubSpot, email mailboxes (Gmail, Outlook/Microsoft 365, IMAP), uploads, and notes.
AI modelsMicrosoft/OpenAI model stack, set by the vendor (per vendor).Model choice in one interface: OpenAI, Google, Anthropic, Mistral – selectable per task.
Hosting & regionRuns in the Microsoft cloud as described by Microsoft.Hosted in Germany, AI processing in the EU; the processing region is shown per answer in the product.
On-premiseNo – per the vendor, Copilot is a cloud service within Microsoft 365.Yes, as a pilot program for selected customers: signed offline license, your own model access, running on your own infrastructure.
PriceAdd-on on top of a qualifying Microsoft 365 license; per Microsoft's pricing roughly €18–26 per user/month depending on plan (as of August 2026).Modular licensing (Chat per user, Office per mailbox, Knowledge per organization). We publish final pricing at launch.
AudienceCompanies of all sizes in the Microsoft ecosystem (positioning per vendor).Small and medium-sized businesses in Germany and Europe, including mixed system landscapes.

The core difference: ecosystem assistant or knowledge platform

Copilot shines where Microsoft 365 is the center of work: drafting in Word, analyzing in Excel, in Teams meetings. Its knowledge base is the Microsoft Graph – what lives in SharePoint, OneDrive, and Outlook.

Chifty starts one layer deeper: scattered company knowledge – from drives of different vendors, from the CRM, from mailboxes – is first consolidated in a knowledge base where permissions apply at query time. Email features and AI chat then work on top of it. Every answer shows its sources, so it stays verifiable what it is based on.

The two approaches are not mutually exclusive: Chifty Office works with Outlook and Microsoft 365 – no need to switch email systems.

Control and data handling

At Chifty, transparency and control are part of the product core: hosting in Germany, AI processing in the EU, the actual processing region shown per answer, and email content is not stored persistently. You receive a DPA under Art. 28 GDPR on request or upon contract conclusion.

If you need maximum data sovereignty, Chifty's on-premise pilot program runs on your own infrastructure – with a signed offline license, no license server, no phoning home, and model access you choose yourself.

Frequently asked questions

Does Chifty replace Microsoft 365?
No. Chifty replaces neither Word nor Excel nor your mailbox. Chifty Office works with Outlook and Microsoft 365; the knowledge base connects SharePoint and OneDrive as sources.
Can I use Copilot and Chifty in parallel?
Yes. Copilot assists inside the Microsoft apps; Chifty consolidates cross-source company knowledge and provides it in the inbox and AI chat. Technically they do not get in each other's way.
What does Chifty cost in comparison?
Chifty is licensed modularly: Chat per user, Office per connected mailbox, Knowledge as an organization license. We publish final pricing at launch – until then we discuss terms individually.
Where do the Microsoft 365 Copilot details come from?
From Microsoft's public information (as of August 2026), linked under Sources. Prices and requirements can change – the vendor's current pages are authoritative.

Sources

All comparisonsChifty KnowledgeSecurity