Accountancy and professional services.
Copilot for the inbox and meeting notes, Claude for letters, reports and anything a client reads. Data settings matter most here.
Home / Copilot vs ChatGPT vs Claude
Compared
Copilot, ChatGPT or Claude for a small business?
The honest comparison we give every team we train. Most end up with two of the three. Here's how to decide which.
Written by the person who trains teams on all three. About Shanoor
Updated October 2026
In short
Microsoft 365 Copilot lives inside Outlook, Teams, Word and Excel and can see everything the user already has access to; it's strongest at catching up on email and meetings and weakest at careful writing. ChatGPT is the widest general tool, with custom GPTs, image and voice. Claude is strongest on long documents, careful writing and analysis. Pick Copilot if the team lives in Outlook and Teams, Claude if the work is documents and client writing, ChatGPT for range. Prices are all about £20 to £25 per user a month.
Side by side
Copilot, ChatGPT and Claude for a small UK business.
| Microsoft 365 Copilot | ChatGPT (Team) | Claude (Team) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where it lives | Inside Outlook, Teams, Word, Excel | Separate app and browser | Separate app and browser |
| Sees your email and files | Yes, everything the user can already open | Only what you upload or connect | Only what you upload or connect |
| Strongest at | Catching up on threads and meetings; first drafts in Word | General tasks, custom GPTs, image and voice | Long documents, careful writing, analysis |
| Weakest at | Careful writing and analysis; Excel beyond basics | Reading your tenant without setup | Reading your tenant without setup |
| Main data risk | Surfaces oversharing you didn't know about | Staff pasting client data on the wrong plan | Staff pasting client data on the wrong plan |
| Typical cost | About £23 per user a month on top of Microsoft 365 (annual) | About £20 to £25 per user a month | About £20 to £25 per user a month |
| Pick it when | The team lives in Outlook and Teams | You want the widest range of tasks | Your work is documents and client writing |
Prices checked October 2026. Confirm current pricing with each vendor.
By type of business
Where each one usually lands.
Trades and small manufacturing.
Usually one tool is enough. ChatGPT or Claude for quotes, enquiries and customer messages; Copilot only if the office already runs on Microsoft 365.
Recruitment and staffing.
Copilot if Outlook is the system of record; ChatGPT or Claude for job adverts and candidate messages. Compliance chasing wants automation, not a chat tool.
FAQ
Common questions.
Which one should a small UK business pick?
If the team lives in Outlook and Teams, Copilot, because it can see your email and files. If the work is documents and client writing, Claude. If you want the widest range of tasks and custom GPTs, ChatGPT. Most teams we train end up with two: Copilot for the inbox and meetings, plus one of the others for proper writing.
Is Copilot worth the extra licence?
Only if people will use it inside Outlook and Teams every day. Catching up on threads and meetings is where it earns the money. For writing and analysis it is the weakest of the three.
What's the data risk with each?
Copilot: it surfaces anything the user can already open, including folders overshared years ago, so check permissions before rollout. ChatGPT and Claude: staff pasting client data into a personal plan that trains on it. Team and Enterprise plans on both don't. We check the settings in the session.
Can we use all three?
Yes, and plenty do. The training covers when to reach for which, so people aren't choosing at random.
How much do they cost?
Copilot is about £23 per user a month on top of Microsoft 365 on an annual plan. ChatGPT Team and Claude Team are about £20 to £25 per user a month. Prices checked October 2026; confirm with each vendor.
Want the team trained on whichever you pick?
Free 30-minute call. We'll tell you which tool fits and scope a session on your own work.
Related