Choosing an AI agent platform is mostly a question of who builds the agent, who runs it, and how much control you need. This one-page matrix compares the four options most enterprises weigh up, so you can shortlist before you prototype.
We deploy several of these platforms, and we’ll recommend Copilot Studio when it’s the right fit.
What the Matrix Compares
Platforms:
- Microsoft Copilot Studio — low-code agents for Microsoft 365, built by makers and fusion teams
- Microsoft Foundry Agent Service — Microsoft’s managed platform for developer-built agents (formerly Azure AI Agent Service)
- OpenClaw — the open-source, self-hosted agent platform for multi-channel and browser automation
- Custom-built agents — code-first frameworks such as Microsoft Agent Framework, LangGraph, the OpenAI Agents SDK and the Claude Agent SDK
Criteria:
- Best fit — the teams and workflows each platform suits
- Cost model — how each one bills: credits, model tokens and tools, or infrastructure you run
- Complexity — the skills needed to build and operate it
- Governance and identity — DLP, Entra agent identities, network isolation, audit and data residency
- Integration and models — connectors, MCP, Teams and Microsoft 365 publishing, and model choice
- Scale and operations — managed versus self-hosted, and who carries the operational load
- Watch out for — the cost, security and maintenance traps we see most often
It ends with a quick decision guide that maps common situations to a starting platform.
Get the Comparison
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