The Brain / Compare / Dust alternatives

2026Updated 15 September 2026

The 10 best Dust alternatives for a 200 to 2,000 person company.

Dust is an agent workbench: your team builds custom agents over 20+ models and 70+ connectors, with a dual-layer permission model, from 24 euro per month. This list is based on public product information, not a controlled test.

Book a demo See the table →

Dust, as shown on its own public site
Dust, the product this list is an alternative to

The short answer

Stay with Dust when your team wants to build: AI operators who will create and share their own agents over the models they choose. Look elsewhere when nobody will assemble the agents and the judgment must arrive installed, with a person's yes before every write.

At a glance

10 Dust alternatives, side by side

Six columns that decide it. Bold is the value, grey is the qualifier, and every vendor row is copied from that product's own comparison page, where its sources are listed.

WorkElate Chief's morning briefing on a seeded organization, the ranked list with a reason on each item
WorkElate Chief, the Brain, on a seeded organization

PickWorkElate Chief, the Brain. One memory across the systems you already run: it reads what they record, judges what needs a person, and asks before it changes anything. A two-week Sprint, then $30K–$100K fixed.

Why the Brain →
ToolSits onSpeaks firstCarries to doneWho approves a writeHow it is boughtBest for
The Brain Pick200 to 2,000 people, many systems your systemsinstalled by WE_AINA, no rip and replace ranked list with reasonsafter deciding it is worth your time with a person's yesfind, read, draft, send, assign a person, alwaysthe AI cannot approve its own action 2-week Sprintthen $30K–$100K fixed One memory across the systems you already run
GleanEnterprise search and agents its own index275+ connectors, permissions honored agents on triggerssearch waits for the question agents, depth to documentagents that reason and act not documentedgovernance and oversight, no per-action yes found on request Finding anything across a wide estate
Microsoft 365 CopilotSuite copilot one suiteMicrosoft 365, grounded in Graph agents on triggersCopilot Chat waits for a question agents, depth to documentdeep inside its apps; Agent Store, Copilot Studio not documentedinherits your Microsoft 365 permissions $18 per user per monthBusiness add-on, yearly, promotional to 31 Dec 2026; list $21 Work that stays inside Microsoft 365
Gemini for Google WorkspaceSuite copilot one suiteGoogle Workspace and the Gemini app agents on triggersWorkspace Studio flows you build; the rest waits agents, depth to documentinside Workspace; flows for meeting prep, mail not documentedadmin controls decide who has Gemini includedfrom Business Starter; priced per region Work that stays inside Workspace
UnifyAppsAI platform for large enterprises its own platformyour cloud or on-prem, 950+ connectors automations on triggersno proactive briefing found agents, depth to documentagentic AI and automations you build not documentedgovernance named, no per-action yes found on requestno public pricing page found Large enterprises with a platform team
MoveworksEmployee assistant its own indexplugins into your apps, 50+ sources waits for a questionno proactive briefing found agents, depth to documentReasoning Engine picks plugins, runs actions not documentedgoverned AI with guardrails on requestcustom quote IT and HR tickets at scale, every channel
Notion AIWorkspace teammate a workspaceNotion, plus connected apps and MCP agents on triggersCustom Agents on schedule, Notion Agent on demand agents, depth to documentinside Notion, plus Slack, Mail, Calendar not documentedadmins limit who creates agents $20 per member per monthBusiness; Custom Agents $10 per 1,000 credits Teams whose record lives in Notion
GuruVerified knowledge its own indexgoverned knowledge base, 100+ integrations about knowledgeflags stale content and conflicts answersdrafts and corrections to knowledge only documented approvalsverification routed to experts; other writes not documented on requestscoped on the first call Keeping company knowledge verified and cited
CoveoAI relevance and search its own indexconnectors into ServiceNow, Salesforce, SharePoint waits for a questionrecommendations on a visit answersretrieval for people and agents not documentedreads dominate on requestentitlement or seat based Relevance for commerce, service and intranet
WorkatoOrchestration and iPaaS its own platform12,000+ connectors, as an orchestration layer on your own triggerevents, schedules and APIs along the recipeDeep Action runs the process written documented approvalsa person signs off on consequential actions on request Known processes that must run exactly once

yes, as documentedpartly, or only where you build itno, or not documented

  1. The Brain Pick

    Best for: one memory across the systems you already run

    Differs from Dust by starting from what changed and asking a person before it writes, where Dust is assembled by your own team.

    Why the Brain →
  2. Glean

    Best for: finding anything across a wide estate

    Differs from Dust by answering from its own index across 275+ connectors, where Dust is assembled by your own team.

    Full comparison →
  3. Microsoft 365 Copilot

    Best for: work that stays inside Microsoft 365

    Differs from Dust by working inside Word, Excel, Outlook and Teams at a published price, where Dust is assembled by your own team.

    Full comparison →
  4. Gemini for Google Workspace

    Best for: work that stays inside Workspace

    Differs from Dust by coming included with Workspace Business plans, inside every Workspace app, where Dust is assembled by your own team.

    Full comparison →
  5. UnifyApps

    Best for: large enterprises with a platform team

    Differs from Dust by being a platform to build on, in your cloud or on-prem, where Dust is assembled by your own team.

    Full comparison →
  6. Moveworks

    Best for: iT and HR tickets at scale, every channel

    Differs from Dust by answering employees' IT and HR questions in every channel, where Dust is assembled by your own team.

    Full comparison →
  7. Notion AI

    Best for: teams whose record lives in Notion

    Differs from Dust by working inside the Notion page at $20 per member per month, where Dust is assembled by your own team.

    Full comparison →
  8. Guru

    Best for: keeping company knowledge verified and cited

    Differs from Dust by keeping company knowledge verified and cited, not carrying work, where Dust is assembled by your own team.

    Full comparison →
  9. Coveo

    Best for: relevance for commerce, service and intranet

    Differs from Dust by ranking results for commerce, service and intranet search, where Dust is assembled by your own team.

    Full comparison →
  10. Workato

    Best for: known processes that must run exactly once

    Differs from Dust by running a written recipe exactly once, with documented approvals, where Dust is assembled by your own team.

    Full comparison →
Be honest

Which one, and when

When to stay with Dust

Your team wants to build

AI operators who will create and share their own agents.

You want the model choice

20+ models behind one workbench, switched as they improve.

The price is published

Pro from 24 euro per month, Max 120 euro, Enterprise on request.

When to switch

Nobody will assemble the agents

The Brain arrives installed, with the verbs already there.

You want to be told first

A ranked list before standup, not a workflow your team wrote.

You want a person in front of writes

The AI cannot approve its own action, on any system.

Questions

Dust alternatives, asked plainly

What is the closest Dust alternative for a mid-sized company?

Notion AI is the closest: agents on triggers inside a workspace, at a published per-seat price. UnifyApps is the closest platform for a large enterprise. The Brain is the alternative when you want the judgment installed at a fixed fee, not a workbench your team staffs.

Is there a cheaper Dust alternative?

Dust publishes 24 euro per month for Pro, billed yearly, which is already among the lowest published prices of the ten. Microsoft 365 Copilot is $18 per user per month, Notion AI is $20 per member per month, and Gemini is included from Workspace Business Starter. The Brain is a two-week Sprint, then $30K to $100K fixed, not a per-seat price.

Can the Brain replace Dust?

No. The Brain is not a workbench and does not let your team build agents over twenty models. It sits on the systems you already run, reads what changed, and asks a person before it writes. If building is the point, Dust is the better buy.

Comparison based on publicly available product information as of September 2026, not a controlled test. If we have something wrong, tell us and we will fix it. Sources read: dust.tt/, dust.tt/home/pricing, dust.tt/home/security. Third-party connectors are what a WE_AINA engagement builds, not a shipped list. The nine other rows are copied from each product's own comparison page, where its sources are listed. Product image from Dust's public site.

Updated 15 September 2026 · WE_AINA

Book a Diagnostic Sprint

If you run Dust today, bring one workflow it never finishes. Fixed fee.

Book a Diagnostic Sprint