4 Microsoft Copilot Linux alternatives that are just as good (if not better)
4 Microsoft Copilot Linux alternatives that are just as good (if not better)
Publish Date: 2026-03-13 08:30:00
Source Domain: www.howtogeek.com
Summary
- I tested 20+ Linux desktop AI companions—several match or beat Copilot depending on use case.
- Newelle, LM Studio, PyGPT, and Jan.ai stand out for supporting local models, offline use, and more integrations.
- Most mainstream AIs lack official Linux desktop apps.
As an avid user of AI tools, I was instantly intrigued when I overheard a conversation about AI assistants that Linux users could access and use via a desktop app. The discussion aroused my curiosity because it made me realize that, although I use Copilot on Windows, I don’t usually use an AI companion on Linux primarily because, unlike Windows, Linux distributions usually don’t have built-in AI companions.
When curiosity got the better of me, I did what any tech enthusiast would in a similar situation: I installed and tested over 20 AI companions with official Linux desktop apps. After weeks of testing, I narrowed my list to these Copilot alternatives that are just as good, if not better, based on your AI use cases and Linux workflow.
All AI tools have strengths and weaknesses because they’re trained to perform well at specific tasks. Thus, this list is unordered. Use your AI use cases to decide which Linux AI companion best fits your needs.
Newelle
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