The short answer
Choose based on where your work lives and what you need most:
- Lives in Microsoft 365? Start with Copilot — it works inside Outlook, Teams, Word and Excel with your own data.
- Lives in Google Workspace? Start with Gemini — it's built into Gmail, Docs and Drive.
- Need a flexible all-rounder? ChatGPT or Claude on a business plan.
Many businesses end up with one "home" tool plus occasional use of another. That's fine — as long as both are approved, on business accounts, and covered by your policy.
How they compare
| Strengths | Watch out for | |
|---|---|---|
| Microsoft 365 Copilot | Deep integration with your emails, files, meetings and chats; enterprise admin controls | Only as safe as your permissions; paid licence per user |
| ChatGPT | Versatile, large ecosystem, custom GPTs, strong at analysis and multimedia | Use a business plan — free accounts have different data terms |
| Claude | Strong at long documents, careful writing and reasoning; projects for team knowledge | Fewer native integrations with everyday office apps than Copilot or Gemini |
| Gemini | Built into Google Workspace; good with Gmail, Docs and Drive | Best value only if you're already on Google Workspace |
All four improve every few months, so treat any comparison (including this one) as a snapshot. Test on your own real tasks.
The data protection question
The difference that matters most isn't between vendors — it's between consumer and business accounts. Business plans from all four providers offer stronger data commitments (such as not training on your data by default), admin controls and proper contracts. Free personal accounts are where most AI data leaks start.
How to test fairly
- Pick five real tasks (with sensitive details removed).
- Run each in two tools using the same prompt.
- Score for accuracy, usefulness and time to a usable result.
- Let the people who'll use it daily have the deciding vote.
Want a hand? Our AI training sessions include side-by-side comparisons on your own work.
