ChatGPT, Copilot, Gemini or Claude: which should a small business use?

Most small businesses ask this question the wrong way round. They compare the four big AI assistants as if starting from nothing, when they already pay for one through Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace. The better question is whether what you already have is enough, and if not, what one extra tool would add.

Prices below are list prices as of November 2026, with sources at the end of this page. They change often, so check the vendor page before you buy.

What AI do you already pay for?

If you use Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace, you probably already have an AI assistant.

• Microsoft 365: Microsoft says Copilot Chat is included at no additional cost with eligible Microsoft 365 plans. When staff sign in with their work account, chats are covered by Microsoft's enterprise data protection and are not used to train the models. Copilot Chat answers from the web and from files you paste or upload. It can also work with your email and calendar inside Outlook.
• Google Workspace: Business Standard and Plus include Gemini in Gmail, Docs, Sheets, Slides, Drive and Meet. Business Starter includes Gemini in Gmail and the Gemini app, but not in Docs, Sheets, Slides, Drive or Meet.
• Your CRM and other software: many CRMs, accounting tools and help desks now include AI features. Check your current plans before adding anything.

Microsoft recently renamed its products: Microsoft 365 Copilot is now called Microsoft Copilot, and Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat is now Microsoft Copilot Chat. You will see both names for a while.

How do ChatGPT, Copilot, Gemini and Claude compare?

Tool	Business price (as of November 2026)	Where it lives	Best at
Microsoft Copilot Chat	Included with eligible Microsoft 365 plans	Web, Copilot app, Teams, Outlook	General drafting and questions for teams already on Microsoft 365
Microsoft 365 Copilot Business	US$21 per user per month add-on to a Microsoft 365 Business plan. US$18 for the first year on annual commitments from July 1 to December 31, 2026, for existing customers	Inside Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and Teams, with access to your work files and email	Summarizing meetings and email threads, drafting from your own files
Gemini in Google Workspace	Included. Business Starter C$9.20, Standard C$18.40, Plus C$28.70 per user per month (Canadian pricing page)	Gmail, Docs, Sheets, Meet and the Gemini app (Starter: Gmail and the app only)	Email drafting and document work for teams on Google Workspace
ChatGPT Business	US$20 per user per month billed annually, US$25 monthly, 2 seat minimum	Separate app and website, with connectors to other tools	Wide-ranging writing, analysis of uploaded files, custom assistants for repeated tasks
Claude Team	US$20 per standard seat per month billed annually, US$25 monthly, 2 to 150 seats	Separate app and website, with connectors to other tools	Long documents, careful writing, analysis and shared project workspaces

The "best at" column is our general view, not a benchmark. All four are capable at everyday drafting. The bigger difference for a small business is where the tool sits and what it can see.

Is Microsoft 365 Copilot Business worth it over Copilot Chat?

It is worth it for staff who spend much of their day in Outlook, Teams and Word, and who would use it on their own files and meetings. The paid licence lets Copilot work across your organization's email, files and meetings. Copilot Chat mostly works with what a person pastes in or uploads. Do not license the whole team at once. Give Copilot Business to the three or four people with the heaviest email and meeting load, then decide after a month.

Is Gemini included in Google Workspace?

Yes, on Business Standard and Plus. Google folded Gemini into its Business plans in January 2025 and raised prices at the same time. If you are on Business Starter, Gemini only works in Gmail and the separate Gemini app. Moving to Standard is often cheaper than buying a separate AI subscription, and you get the other Standard features too.

When is a separate ChatGPT or Claude subscription worth it?

When your staff do heavy writing or analysis that the built-in tools handle poorly, or when you want shared custom assistants for repeated tasks, such as a proposal drafter that knows your service descriptions. Typical cases are long reports, grant applications, policy documents and analysis of large spreadsheets or PDFs. Even then, start with the people who need it, not everyone.

Before adding one, check the data side. ChatGPT Business and Claude Team are business plans whose vendors say they do not train on your data by default. Personal accounts on the same products are handled differently. Our page on putting client information into ChatGPT explains the difference.

Why not use all of them?

Because overlapping tools cost money and split your team's habits. If half the team uses Copilot and half uses a personal ChatGPT account, nobody shares prompts, nobody knows where client information went, and you pay twice. Pick one primary tool, approve it in writing, and close personal-account use for work.

A worked example

Example: an 18-person housing nonprofit in Sydney, Nova Scotia runs on Microsoft 365. Two staff pay for ChatGPT Plus on their own cards, and the executive director wants to know whether to buy Copilot for everyone.

1. Confirm Copilot Chat is available to all staff on their work accounts. It is included with their plan.
2. Run a two-week pilot with five staff, using Copilot Chat on three real tasks: drafting funder updates, summarizing board packages and replying to tenant emails.
3. Give paid Copilot to the two people with the heaviest meeting and email load, as a test.
4. Ask the two ChatGPT Plus users to try the same tasks in Copilot Chat. If it falls short for grant writing, consider one or two ChatGPT Business or Claude Team seats on an organization account instead of personal ones.
5. Check Microsoft's nonprofit pricing before buying any paid seats.

How do you run a two-week AI pilot?

Pick five staff and three tasks they do every week. Time each task once before the pilot. During the two weeks, they use the tool on those tasks and note what worked and what needed fixing. At the end, time the tasks again and ask one question: would you be annoyed if we took this away? If the answer is no for most people, you do not need to buy more.

Do nonprofits get discounts on AI tools?

Often, yes. Microsoft and Google both run nonprofit programs, and some AI vendors offer nonprofit pricing too. Terms change regularly. Check each vendor's nonprofit page for current eligibility and pricing before you budget, rather than relying on figures quoted on third-party sites.

What to do next

• List the AI features in the tools you already pay for.
• Find out which AI tools staff use on personal accounts.
• Run a two-week pilot with five people and three real tasks.
• Choose one primary tool and write a one-page use policy.
• Buy paid seats only for the people the pilot shows need them.

To compare costs across the whole setup, see our guide to what AI work costs a Canadian small business. If you want help setting up the tools you already have and training your team on them, that is our AI adoption and training service.