How to Choose an AI Assistant for Your Team

The best AI assistant for a small team is usually the one that fits the office software you already pay for. Google Workspace offices should look at Gemini first. Microsoft 365 offices should look at Copilot first. If you use neither, ChatGPT and Claude both sell plans made for teams.

This guide compares the four tools on what matters to an owner or office manager. That means plans, admin controls, what each vendor says about your data, and how well each one fits your existing setup. Prices and plan names change often, so treat the figures here as a snapshot and check each link before you buy.

Start with the software your office already uses

Most small teams already live in either Google or Microsoft apps. An assistant built into those apps can work with your email, documents and meetings without extra setup. That is the main reason to start there.

• Google Workspace office: look at Gemini.
• Microsoft 365 office: look at Microsoft 365 Copilot.
• Mixed or neither: compare ChatGPT and Claude.

If you are unsure which camp you are in, look at where your staff email lives. Gmail means Google. Outlook means Microsoft.

Compare the four business options

The table below shows how each vendor packages AI for a small team. Details come from each vendor’s own pricing or help pages.

Tool	Business plan	What the vendor says	Best fit
ChatGPT	ChatGPT Business, priced per user with a 2-user minimum on the pricing page	“Your data is never used for training our models.” Admins manage users, usage, billing and seats	Mixed offices
Claude	Team plan, minimum 2 seats and maximum 150 on Claude pricing	Commercial inputs and outputs are not used for training by default	Mixed offices
Gemini	Included in Google Workspace Business plans, see Workspace pricing	Workspace does not use customer data for training without your prior permission	Google offices
Microsoft 365 Copilot	Add-on or bundle for Microsoft 365 Business plans, see Microsoft’s page	Prompts and responses are not used to train the underlying models	Microsoft offices

Compare plans and prices

Prices below come from each vendor’s pricing page at the time of writing. They change, so confirm them before you buy.

• Claude Team: Claude pricing lists a standard seat at $20 per seat per month billed annually, or $25 billed monthly, with a minimum of 2 seats. Premium seats cost more and include higher usage.
• Microsoft 365 Copilot: Microsoft’s business page lists Microsoft 365 Business Standard with Copilot at $23.50 per user per month paid yearly. It also lists an add-on for people who already have an eligible Microsoft 365 Business plan.
• Gemini: Google’s Workspace pricing page shows Gemini inside the Business Starter, Standard and Plus plans. Gemini in Docs, Sheets, Slides, Drive, Meet and Chat is listed for Standard and Plus and not for Starter.
• ChatGPT Business: priced per user per month. The pricing page did not show the amount in the text we could read, so check it there.

If you already pay for Google Workspace or Microsoft 365, ask whether the AI features are an upgrade of your current plan. That is often simpler than adding a separate tool and a separate bill.

What each vendor says about your business data

Read these promises closely, because they apply to the business products and not to free personal accounts.

ChatGPT and Claude

OpenAI says on its ChatGPT Business page that your data is never used for training its models. Anthropic’s Privacy Center says commercial products are not used for training by default. It adds that feedback you submit, such as a thumbs up or down, can be used. Owners can switch off the rating feature in the organization settings.

Gemini

Google’s privacy hub says Workspace does not use customer data for training models without the customer’s prior permission. It also says chats and uploaded files in the Gemini app are not reviewed by human reviewers. Admins can turn the Gemini app off.

Microsoft 365 Copilot

Microsoft’s privacy article says prompts, responses and data accessed through Microsoft Graph are not used to train foundation models. It also says Copilot only surfaces files a person already has at least view permission to open. This means messy sharing permissions in SharePoint can expose files to the wrong people, so clean those up first.

Compare admin controls

Admin controls decide whether you can manage the tool or only hope people use it well.

• ChatGPT Business: admins manage users, usage, billing and seats. Apps such as Slack and Gmail can connect to it.
• Claude Team: Anthropic’s Team plan page lists central billing and access management, role-based permissions, and spend caps at the organization and individual level.
• Gemini: admins can turn Gemini features on or off in Gmail, Drive, Docs, Meet and Chat for supported editions.
• Copilot: admins assign licenses in the Microsoft 365 admin center and decide which agents are allowed in the organization.

All four let an owner control who has access. The differences are in how much of your existing setup they plug into.

Run a one-month trial

Do not roll out four tools at once. Follow these steps instead.

1. Pick one tool using the table above.
2. Choose two or three people with different jobs, such as sales, admin and operations.
3. Give each person two real tasks, such as drafting a customer email or summarizing a long document.
4. Ask them to note the time saved and the mistakes they had to fix.
5. After a month, keep the tool, switch, or drop it.

Write down your rules for the trial before it starts. Our guide to writing an AI use policy covers what to include. If you pick ChatGPT, the next step is setting up a ChatGPT business workspace.

Check before you buy

• Confirm the current price and seat minimum on the vendor’s pricing page.
• Confirm you are buying a business plan and not a personal one.
• Ask who will be the owner or admin and what happens when that person leaves.
• Check that your team uses work accounts and not personal logins.