It's probably the question we hear most often these months: "which is the right AI for my company?". It usually arrives already framed as a duel — "ChatGPT or Copilot?" — as if there were an answer valid for everyone. There isn't. And anyone who gives it to you straight, without first asking how you work, is selling you something.

Let's line up the four names that really matter for a business — Microsoft 365 Copilot, ChatGPT, Claude, and Google Gemini — with real prices and concrete use cases. A transparency disclaimer, because it's fair: we use all these tools every day, on different tools and for different jobs. So we don't cheer for anyone; if anything, we've learned the hard way when one is worth more than another.

Before the price: the three questions that decide for you

The choice, in the vast majority of cases, isn't made by the "top of the ranking." It's made by three much more mundane variables.

Which suite are you already using? If your company lives on Microsoft 365 (Outlook, Word, Excel, Teams), Copilot has a head start because it's inside those tools. If you live on Google Workspace (Gmail, Docs, Drive), the same applies to Gemini. It's the factor that weighs the most, and almost no one considers it first.

What work do you need it to do? Writing emails and summarizing meetings is one thing; analyzing long contracts, writing code, or building custom assistants is another. Different tools excel at different tasks.

How much do your data matter? If you handle sensitive client data, compliance and EU data residency become a selection criterion, not a detail. (We cover this in depth in the dedicated article on AI and GDPR.)

The four in brief, without slogans

Microsoft 365 Copilot. Lives inside Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Teams, and draws on corporate data (mail, files, meetings) via Microsoft Graph. It's the most "integrated" of all: its advantage isn't being the smartest AI, but being already there while you work. The flip side: it's not a standalone product, it's an add-on that adds to an already active Microsoft 365 license.

ChatGPT (OpenAI). The most mature and vast ecosystem: custom assistants (the "GPTs"), dozens of integrations with external apps, developer tools. It's often the first that people already know. Great as a generalist "Swiss army knife" for a team that wants to experiment quickly.

Claude (Anthropic). Recognized for quality in long-form writing, reasoning over dense documents (contracts, reports, specifications), and software development. If your work is reading and producing complex texts, it's often the choice that gives the cleanest results. Less natively integrated into office suites than Copilot, but it produces top-quality Word, PowerPoint, and Excel files.

Google Gemini. Integrated throughout Google Workspace (Gmail, Docs, Sheets, Slides, Meet). Since 2025 it's no longer a separate cost: it's included in paid Workspace plans. For those already on Google, it's the most painless to activate and often the most cost-effective, because it doesn't add anything to the bill.

The costs, clearly stated

Here you need double honesty. First: AI assistant prices change often, so the ones below should be verified before signing. Second: Microsoft, OpenAI, and Anthropic publish business pricing in dollars; an Italian company is charged in euros at the current exchange rate, plus VAT. Google is the only one that publishes official prices in euros for the European market. Values are per user per month, VAT excluded, generally with annual commitment.

Microsoft 365 Copilot — ~€18 (Business) – ~€30 (Enterprise) · It's an add-on: adds to the Microsoft 365 base license. Business up to 300 users.

ChatGPT — €20 (Business, 2 users min.) · Enterprise upon quote. No official price in euros.

Claude — €20 (Team, 5 seats min.) · Self-service Enterprise available. Includes developer tools.

Google Gemini — from €13.80 (Workspace Business Standard) · Included in the Workspace plan: no separate additional cost. Business Plus €18.40.

The number that surprises entrepreneurs is hidden in the first row: Copilot at "eighteen dollars" doesn't cost eighteen dollars. Underneath there must be an eligible Microsoft 365 license, so the real per-person total, between base and add-on, easily brushes fifty dollars a month. Gemini, on the contrary, for those who already have Workspace is effectively at zero extra cost. Comparing only the AI price, without the base underneath, leads to wrong conclusions.

The suite rule (and how not to pay twice)

From here comes the first decision, almost automatic. If you're already in the Microsoft house, Copilot is the natural starting point: it maximizes what you already pay and works inside the tools the team uses every day. If you're in the Google house, turn on Gemini: it's probably already included in your plan and you just need to activate it. Paying a ChatGPT or Claude subscription for everyone, when you already have an assistant included in the suite, only makes sense if you need something that assistant doesn't do.

And it's exactly here that ChatGPT and Claude stay in the game, regardless of the suite. ChatGPT is unbeatable when you want to build custom assistants and leverage a huge ecosystem of integrations and no-code automations. Claude is the choice we recommend when the core of the work is long and complex texts — contract analysis, report summaries, editorial writing, code — where its consistency makes the difference. In many companies the winning combination is hybrid: the suite (Copilot or Gemini) as a "baseline" assistant for everyone, and one or two ChatGPT or Claude licenses for the roles that push the hardest.

The point that matters more than price: who actually uses it

There's one data point that's worth more than any comparison table: much of the paid AI licenses at companies aren't used. It's not a technology problem, it's an adoption problem. Buying Copilot or ChatGPT for thirty people and ending up with five who actually use it means having wasted 85% of the spend, whatever the "best" price in the table was.

That's why our operational advice is almost always the same: start small and measured. Activate a small group, give them concrete goals (hours saved, response times), and after a few weeks look at who's using it and for what. It's that number — actual use, not licenses bought — that tells you if the investment is working and which tool is worth betting on.

A practical compass

No absolute truths, but an actionable summary based on where you are.

You're already on Microsoft 365 — Copilot · Integrated into Office and Teams, draws on your data. Maximum ROI on what you already pay for.

You're already on Google Workspace — Gemini · Often already included in the plan: zero additional cost, native integration in Gmail and Docs.

You work a lot on long texts, contracts, analyses — Claude · Quality on dense documents and reasoning; great also for writers and developers.

You want custom assistants and lots of integrations — ChatGPT · Most mature ecosystem for custom GPTs and no-code automations.

You handle sensitive data, EU compliance matters — Copilot or Gemini (enterprise plans) · Most mature EU data residency. Always verify terms (see GDPR article).

In summary

"Which AI?" is the wrong question. The right one is: which suite am I already using, what work do I need it to do, how much do my data matter. Answer these three and the tool almost picks itself — often it's the one you're already paying for without knowing it. The real cost, then, isn't in the price list: it's in the licenses no one uses. The difference between waste and return is made by adoption, not by per-user price.

Sources

Prices updated as of June 2026 and subject to change: business pricing from Microsoft, OpenAI, and Anthropic is in dollars and charged in euros at the current exchange rate, plus VAT. Always verify official pages before a quote.