QueryNow Search vs. Microsoft 365 Copilot
Copilot is a productivity tool for licensed users. QueryNow Search is enterprise AI search for everyone. They solve different problems at different price points.
Feature-by-feature comparison
| Capability | QueryNow Search | M365 Copilot |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | One-time deployment fee | $30/user/month subscription |
| Available to all employees | Yes. No per-user licensing | Only licensed users (typically 10-15%) |
| Searches SharePoint | Yes, with AI-powered hybrid search | Yes |
| Searches Workday | Yes, via MCP connector | Requires Graph Connector (rarely configured) |
| Searches ServiceNow | Yes, via MCP connector | Requires Graph Connector (rarely configured) |
| Searches Salesforce | Yes, via MCP connector | Requires Graph Connector (rarely configured) |
| Any REST API | Yes, via MCP framework | No |
| Task completion | Action agents complete tasks autonomously | Document retrieval and drafting |
| Generative UI | Dynamic interfaces adapt per query type | Chat interface only |
| Data location | Your Azure tenant | Microsoft cloud (your M365 tenant) |
| Vendor lock-in | None. You own the deployment | High. Tied to M365 ecosystem |
| Prerequisite licenses | Any M365 plan | M365 E3 or E5 required |
Deep-dive: 4 critical differences
Coverage: who gets AI search?
QueryNow Search
Every employee in your organization. No per-user licensing means the entire company benefits from AI search.
M365 Copilot
Only employees with a $30/month Copilot license. Most organizations license 10-15% of staff. The other 85% get nothing.
Connector breadth: what systems can you search?
QueryNow Search
SharePoint, Workday, ServiceNow, Salesforce, SAP, Jira, Confluence, Zendesk, and any REST API via MCP connectors. All included in the one-time fee.
M365 Copilot
M365 data (SharePoint, Teams, OneDrive, Outlook) by default. Non-M365 systems require separately purchased and configured Graph Connectors. Most organizations have not done this.
Task completion: search or action?
QueryNow Search
QueryNow Search detects intent and takes action. "Submit my expense report" pre-fills and submits in Workday. "Reset my VPN password" executes the reset in ServiceNow.
M365 Copilot
Copilot retrieves documents and can draft content, but does not complete tasks across enterprise systems. It returns the expense policy document, not the expense form.
Cost at scale
QueryNow Search
$75,000 one-time for 1,000 employees. ~$30K/year in Azure infrastructure. Total 3-year cost: ~$165,000.
M365 Copilot
$30/user/month x 1,000 users = $360,000/year. Total 3-year cost: $1,080,000. Plus the E3/E5 license cost underneath.
Frequently asked questions
See both in action
We'll show you exactly where QueryNow Search fills the gaps Copilot leaves behind.
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