Every MD we speak to asks the same thing: which AI should we actually use? Claude, ChatGPT or Microsoft Copilot?
The honest answer is that all three are good, and the best choice depends far more on how your business works than on which is “smartest” this month. Here’s a plain-English comparison of what each costs, how they treat your data, and where each one fits, using the providers’ own pages (checked 7 October 2026).
The short answer
If your business lives in Microsoft 365 (Outlook, Word, Excel, Teams), look hard at Copilot, because it works inside those apps.
If most of your AI use will be writing, thinking things through, and working with long documents and spreadsheets, Claude is the one we use most ourselves.
If you want a broad all-rounder with a large range of add-ons, ChatGPT is a strong choice.
That’s our view from using them in real businesses, not a lab test. The right answer for you comes from trying them on your own work.
What they cost for a business
Claude Team: $20 per person a month billed annually, or $25 monthly, for 2 to 150 people (Claude pricing).
ChatGPT Business: $20 per person a month billed annually, or $25 monthly, minimum two people (ChatGPT Business).
Microsoft 365 Copilot Business: an add-on for existing Microsoft 365 business customers at £19.32 per person a month on a monthly plan, or £13.80 on an annual plan under a promotion that runs to 31 December 2026 for the first year (Microsoft 365 Copilot).
Claude and ChatGPT list prices in US dollars, so the amount you pay in pounds may differ. All prices exclude VAT. Each provider also has cheaper personal plans, but for a team we’d always start on a business plan.
What happens to your business data
This matters more than any feature. On their business plans, both Claude and ChatGPT say they don’t train their models on your content by default (Claude pricing; ChatGPT Business). On the free and personal plans, both list model training as something you can opt out of (ChatGPT pricing), so check the settings before anyone uses them for work.
For Copilot, check Microsoft’s terms for your specific plan with whoever looks after your Microsoft 365 account.
Where each one fits into your day
Copilot works inside Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and Teams. Microsoft also says Copilot Chat is available at no extra cost to users with an eligible Microsoft 365 subscription, so it’s worth checking what you already have (Microsoft 365 Copilot).
Claude includes Claude for Microsoft 365, covering Outlook, on its paid plans, alongside Projects for keeping work on one job together (Claude pricing).
ChatGPT lists Projects, scheduled tasks and custom GPTs on its Plus plan and above (ChatGPT pricing).
How to choose, in a month
1. Pick two jobs your team does every week, such as a report and a customer email
2. Try two of the tools on exactly those jobs for two weeks each
3. Use business plans, and agree what data can and can’t go in before you start
4. Ask the people doing the work which one saved them more time
5. Choose one, set it up properly and train the team on it
The worst outcome is everyone using a different free tool with nobody knowing what’s been shared. Picking one and setting rules matters more than picking the “best” one.
Want help choosing?
We’re not IT people. We’re business leaders who’ve put AI to work across sales, finance, operations and marketing. We use Claude most day to day, but we’ll set you up with whichever AI tool suits your business and train your team on it. See what it costs, or take the 3-minute AI Readiness Check to see where AI could save you the most time.
Growing pains like this are normal in a business that has grown quickly, and they’re fixable. Take the free Growing Pains Check to see where your business stands in three minutes, or book a free call about a Growing Pains Diagnostic: half a day with you and your business, then a written 90-day plan with the three changes that matter most.
Leave a Reply