ChatGPT, Copilot or Gemini: which AI tool should your business use?

The three tools are more alike than different for everyday writing. Each can draft an email, rewrite a page, summarise a long document or help you think through a problem. For a small business, the deciding factor is usually where your work already lives.

An AI tool that sits inside your inbox and documents gets used every day. One that needs a separate tab and lots of copying and pasting often gets forgotten after a few weeks. So start with the tool that matches your existing systems, try it on real work, and only add another if there's a clear gap.

Each tool comes from a different starting point. Copilot is built around Microsoft 365, Gemini around Google Workspace, and ChatGPT is a standalone assistant with its own apps. Their features change often, so treat this as a snapshot at the time of writing (November 2026).

Microsoft's documentation describes a few levels. Copilot Chat is included with eligible Microsoft 365 licences. It answers using web data, and you can give it your own content by uploading a file or using it with an open email in Outlook or Teams.

Microsoft says users without the paid Microsoft 365 Copilot add-on may still get standard access to Copilot in Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote, depending on their licence. The paid add-on gives priority access and lets Copilot draw on your emails, files, meetings and calendar automatically.

Microsoft says all of these Copilot levels are covered by its enterprise data protection when you sign in with a work account. That means your prompts and responses are protected by the same terms as your Exchange email and SharePoint files.

Gemini comes with Google Workspace plans. Google's UK pricing page shows Gemini in Gmail and chat with Gemini on the Starter plan, with Gemini in other Workspace apps listed as limited. The Standard and Plus plans add Gemini in Gmail, Docs, Sheets, Slides, Vids, Drive, Meet and Chat, plus Google's most capable models.

In Gmail, 'Help me write' drafts new emails and replies, with buttons to make a draft more formal, friendlier or shorter. Google also says Workspace doesn't use customer data to train models without permission, and that your content isn't reviewed by people.

ChatGPT is a standalone assistant, so it doesn't depend on your email system. OpenAI's pricing page lists Free, Go, Plus and Pro plans for individuals, plus Business and Enterprise plans for organisations. The Business plan starts at two users and can be billed monthly or annually.

The paid personal plans add projects, custom GPTs (versions of ChatGPT set up with your own instructions), scheduled tasks and deeper research tools. OpenAI says the Go plan may include ads.

The important point for business use is data. OpenAI's pricing page says content on Free, Go, Plus and Pro is used to train its models, with an opt-out available. If staff will paste in customer emails or quotes, a business plan is the better fit.

Prices change often and promotions come and go, so check each provider's UK pricing page before you decide. These are the figures we could confirm at the time of writing (November 2026).

Before paying for anything new, check what your current Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace plan already includes. Many small businesses already have some AI features they've never switched on.

The tool matters less than the type of account. Personal accounts and work accounts are treated differently by all three providers. Microsoft's enterprise data protection applies when staff sign in with their work account, and Google's Workspace commitments apply to Workspace accounts.

The UK's National Cyber Security Centre advises not to include sensitive information in queries to public AI tools, and to understand the terms and privacy policy first. If your business handles personal data, UK data protection law still applies. The ICO (Information Commissioner's Office, the UK's data protection regulator) has guidance on AI and data protection.

• Use business or work accounts for anything involving customers.
• Ask staff to sign in with their work account, not a personal one.
• Write a one-page rule on what can and can't go into AI tools.
• Remove names and contact details from prompts when you don't need them.

Don't choose from feature lists alone. A short, fair trial on your real work tells you far more.

1. 1 Pick five tasks you do every week, such as replying to enquiries, writing a social post, summarising a long email thread and drafting a quote.
2. 2 Start with the tool that comes with your current email system. Free trials or included features are often enough to test with.
3. 3 Do each task with the AI for two weeks, and note how long it takes and how much editing the draft needs.
4. 4 If one task keeps going badly, try just that task in a second tool.
5. 5 Ask anyone else who'll use it which tool they prefer. A tool your team won't use is no use at all.
6. 6 Only then decide whether to pay for an upgrade or a second tool.

Usually not at first. One tool used well beats three used now and then. Paying for several subscriptions also makes it harder to control where customer data goes.

Some businesses do end up with two: the one built into their office suite for email and documents, and a standalone assistant for longer writing or research. That's fine if each has a clear job and both are business accounts.

Our AI training is a set of live remote sessions built on your own work, using the tools you already have. We cover jobs such as writing service pages, replying to reviews and enquiries, faster quotes, social posts and admin email. You keep the prompt library afterwards.

If you need AI to work with your website, CRM (customer relationship management system) or booking system, our custom software and integrations work can connect them. To talk it through, use the 'Tell us about your project' form.