Copilot or Another Model on Business Central: Choose by Task, Not by Logo
There is no single alternative to Copilot on Business Central, because there is no single Copilot. A group has at least six ways to put AI on its Business Central data: the Copilot features built into the product, Microsoft Copilot inside Business Central, Business Central’s own agents, a custom agent in Copilot Studio, any AI client that speaks MCP, including non-Microsoft ones, and features developers build in AL. They differ on four things that matter more than the brand: what they can read, whether they can write, how they are billed, and where the data is processed. Pick per task.
We deploy Business Central and sell no one’s model licence. Every fact below is taken from Microsoft’s documentation as of October 2026, and these products change every release, so check the date before you rely on it.
What does each option actually do on Business Central?
Copilot features in Business Central. Assistance inside specific pages: bank reconciliation proposals, suggested sales lines, autofill, analysis of lists, summaries. Microsoft’s FAQ states that Copilot in Business Central is included with the Business Central licence at no extra cost, while noting that fair-use policies, quotas or pricing might be introduced later. Administrators can deactivate each capability and grant or deny access per user.
Microsoft Copilot in Business Central. The conversational experience available from version 29. Microsoft documents it as a production-ready preview with read-only access to Business Central data: it retrieves, summarises and explains, but does not create, modify or delete records. It sees only what the signed-in user may see. The account must be eligible for Microsoft Copilot Chat, and combining Business Central data with emails, files and meetings requires a Microsoft Copilot licence. It cannot currently invoke Business Central agents.
Business Central agents. Packaged processes that run in the background, such as the Payables Agent and the Sales Order Agent. They work within the permissions and profile an administrator assigns and involve designated users for review. They are billed in Copilot Credits, through prepaid packs or pay-as-you-go.
A custom agent in Copilot Studio. An agent you build for employees, in channels such as Teams, connected to Business Central through its MCP server. Copilot Studio usage is metered in Copilot Credits, with inclusions for some scenarios when the user holds a Microsoft 365 Copilot licence. Copilot Studio caps an agent at 70 tools, which is why Business Central offers a dynamic tool mode.
Any MCP client, Microsoft or not. Microsoft lists the hosts Business Central supports: Visual Studio Code with GitHub Copilot, Copilot Studio, and other clients that comply with the MCP specification, citing Claude, ChatGPT and MCP Inspector as examples. Why that keeps the model swappable is covered in our article on MCP for an ERP. On our own Business Central, an AI client that is not Microsoft’s runs internal checks such as time sheets.
Features built in AL. For a capability that belongs inside a specific Business Central process, developers use the AI module of the System Application. Microsoft’s recommended default is AI resources it manages; a partner or customer can use its own Azure OpenAI subscription instead when it has specific requirements.
Which one fits which task?
Start from the task, then read across.
| Task | Usually fits | Reads | Writes | Billing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Help on one page, inside a standard process | Copilot features in Business Central | Page context, user permissions | Proposals the user keeps or discards | Included in the licence |
| Ask questions about Business Central data in conversation | Microsoft Copilot in Business Central | User’s Business Central data, plus work data with a Copilot licence | No | Copilot Chat eligibility, Copilot licence for work data |
| Run a whole process: invoices in, orders in | A Business Central agent | What its profile allows | Drafts and documents, with review | Copilot Credits |
| A custom assistant for employees in Teams | Copilot Studio over the MCP server | The exposed API pages | Only what the configuration allows | Copilot Credits or licence inclusions |
| Analyst or developer work, or a model already used elsewhere in the group | An MCP client, Microsoft or not | The exposed API pages, read-only by default | Only what the configuration allows | The client’s own licence |
| A capability that belongs inside one process | A feature built in AL | What the code reads | What the code writes | Depends on the AI resource used |
Two rows deserve a warning. Microsoft Copilot in Business Central cannot write, so it is the wrong choice for anything that ends in a document. And an MCP client’s cost and data terms come from its own provider, not from Microsoft, so they need their own review.
Which questions decide it, beyond the task?
Four, and they are the same for every option.
- What data does the task touch? Business Central only, or Business Central plus emails and documents? The second points to the Microsoft 365 side, with the licence it requires.
- Does it need to write? If yes, the write path must be designed: an agent’s review step, or an MCP configuration that allows exactly the operations needed and nothing else. Over MCP, Business Central’s default configuration is read-only.
- Can you trace it? From version 28.0, Business Central telemetry records each MCP tool call with the user, the tool, the configuration and the client. Agents show their steps to their supervisors. Whatever you pick, decide where the trace lives before go-live.
- Where is the data processed, and who signed off? Business Central’s own Copilot and agent capabilities follow Microsoft’s data movement setting; Microsoft Copilot follows Microsoft 365 Copilot commitments; a non-Microsoft client follows its provider’s terms.
These are the questions a group should settle before choosing any model at all. We list them, with their owners, in our article on AI readiness for an ERP group.
When is Copilot the right answer?
More often than its critics say. When the task sits inside a standard Business Central page, the built-in feature is already there, already governed by the same permissions, and included in the licence. When the question mixes Business Central data with emails and meetings, Microsoft Copilot is built for exactly that. And when the process matches one of Business Central’s agents, rebuilding it elsewhere rarely makes sense.
When is another model the better choice?
When the task does not match what Microsoft packaged. A group may already use another AI client for its analysts or developers, and want the same tool on its ERP data. It may need a check across several companies that no built-in feature covers. It may want to compare two models on the same job. In those cases an MCP client works against the same Business Central configuration, with the same read-only default and the same telemetry, and the choice of model stays open.
What never changes is the rule underneath: the model prepares, a person commits, under their own name.
The Asio Services way
We start from the task list, not the vendor list. For each task we write down the data it touches, whether it writes, how it will be traced and where the data goes, then pick the option that fits, Copilot or not. It is how we approach AI for multi-entity groups. If you are building an AI budget around Business Central and want it built on tasks rather than logos, start with a clarity session.
FAQ
Is Copilot included with Business Central?
Microsoft’s FAQ states that Copilot in Business Central is included with the Business Central licence at no extra cost, and that fair-use policies, quotas or pricing might be introduced later. Business Central agents such as the Payables Agent are billed separately in Copilot Credits.
Can ChatGPT or Claude work with Business Central?
Microsoft’s documentation lists Claude and ChatGPT as examples of MCP-compliant clients that can connect to the Business Central MCP server, alongside Visual Studio Code with GitHub Copilot and Copilot Studio. Access follows the signed-in user’s permissions and the MCP configuration.
Can Microsoft Copilot change data in Business Central?
Not in the experience Microsoft documents for Business Central version 29. It has read-only access to Business Central data and cannot create, modify or delete records. Writing goes through features, agents or MCP configurations built for it.
Should a group standardise on one AI option?
On one set of rules, yes. On one model, not necessarily. Read-only by default, designed write paths, named users and telemetry can apply to every option, which leaves the choice of model free per task.