ChatGPT or Gemini for business: which AI subscription to choose
A comparison of AI subscriptions for a small business: ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude. Price per person, training on your data, data processing agreement and EU data. With a checklist.
Many small business owners ask themselves: “ChatGPT or Gemini for my business?” Usually they mean the same thing: how much does it cost, what happens to my customers’ data, and am I overpaying? The answer isn’t “this one is the best” but “it depends on which tools you already use and what data you paste in”.
Below you will find the criteria I use to choose a subscription for a small business, a simple example calculation and a checklist you can print. Specific prices and plan names change often, so I give them according to the pricing pages as of 15 October 2026 and show you where to check them before you buy.
First, answer three questions
Before you compare pricing pages, work out what you actually need:
- Who will use AI? One person (you) or 3–5 employees?
- What data will go into it? Marketing texts and proposals are one thing. Customer emails, contracts and personal data are another.
- Which tools do you use every day? Email and storage in Google, Microsoft or something else?
Your answer to the second question decides whether a free account is enough or you need a business plan with a data processing agreement.
What to compare in business plans
I don’t compare the “intelligence” of the models, because it changes every few months. I compare things that are stable and measurable:
| Criterion | Why it matters | Where to check |
|---|---|---|
| Price per person | The cost grows with every employee | The provider’s pricing page |
| Training on your data | Whether your conversations teach the model | Account settings and plan terms |
| Data processing agreement (DPA) | A GDPR requirement for customer data | The provider’s legal documents |
| Data in the EU | Important for some customers and tenders | Plan description, trust page |
| Integration with your tools | Saves time every day | Admin console |
| Minimum number of accounts | ChatGPT Business and Claude Team require at least 2 people | The provider’s pricing page |
ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude: how I see them in a small business
I write about what I check in practice, without promising that it stays current forever.
ChatGPT
The most commonly chosen, because most people already know it. The business plan is ChatGPT Business (until August 2025 it was called Team). According to OpenAI, as of 15 October 2026 a standard seat costs USD 25 per person per month in most countries, or USD 20 with annual billing, with a minimum of 2 seats. OpenAI states that by default it does not use data from business plans to train its models, and it signs a data processing agreement (DPA) with customers. Check this in the plan’s documents, not in the settings of a personal account, because the situation there is different: on personal plans, conversations can be used for training until you turn off the “Improve the model for everyone” option (Settings, Data controls). It works well for writing, analysis and working with files.
Gemini
The biggest advantage is the integration with Google Workspace. If your company’s email, calendar and documents are already in Google, Gemini can help directly in Gmail, Docs and meetings. What is included in a Workspace plan at no extra charge changes over time, so look at the admin console and Google’s pricing page. According to Google’s pricing as of 15 October 2026, Gemini in Gmail is already included in the Business Starter plan (PLN 31.50 net per person per month on an annual contract), and in Docs, Meet and other services from Business Standard (PLN 63 net). Google states that in Workspace it does not use a company’s data to train models without its consent. On a personal Google account, chats can be used for training when the “Keep Activity” setting is on. I covered the newer model separately in the guide Gemini 4 Argon for a small business.
Claude
Good for long texts, working with documents and writing in a natural, calm style. The business plan is Claude Team: according to Anthropic, as of 15 October 2026 a standard seat costs USD 25 per person per month, or USD 20 with annual billing (US prices, before taxes), with a minimum of 2 people. Anthropic states that by default it does not use data from business plans to train its models. On personal plans (Free, Pro, Max), this is decided by a privacy setting that you choose when you create the account and can change later. For a small business it is often a second tool for testing rather than the first choice.
I write about OpenAI’s newest model in the guide GPT-6 in ChatGPT for a small business.
Customer data matters more than price
The biggest risk isn’t a high bill but pasting personal data into a free account. A name, phone number, address and the content of an order are personal data. If they go into a tool, the provider becomes a processor, and that requires a data processing agreement.
A simple rule I follow:
- Free or personal account: no customer data. Replace names and numbers with “Customer A”, “order 1”.
- Business plan with a DPA: you can paste in customer data, but only what the task needs.
- Confidential documents (contracts, quotes, financial data): only in a business plan, and after checking where they are stored.
Remember the regulations too: the GDPR applies to personal data, and for customer-facing chatbots, from 2 August 2026, Article 50 of the AI Act applies (telling people that they are talking to AI). This is general information as of 18 October 2026, not legal advice. I described the details in the guide AI chatbots and the AI Act.
An example calculation for a company of 4 people
Picture a home renovation company: the owner, an office (2 people) and a site manager. AI is supposed to write proposals, answer emails and summarize meeting notes.
Put your own numbers into a calculator. For the example I assume about PLN 100 per person per month. That is roughly what a standard seat in ChatGPT Business or Claude Team costs with monthly billing: USD 25, or about PLN 98 at the National Bank of Poland (NBP) exchange rate of 14 October 2026 (plug in the price from your own account):
- 4 people × PLN 100 = PLN 400 per month, or PLN 4,800 per year,
- if only the office and the owner get a paid plan (3 people): PLN 300 per month, PLN 3,600 per year,
- if the company already has Google Workspace with Gemini included in the plan price: the extra cost can be PLN 0.
The most important question isn’t “how much does it cost” but how many hours a month it saves. If each person in the office saves 5 hours a week, that adds up to about 40 hours a month. At any reasonable hourly rate, the plan pays for itself quickly. If nobody uses it, that is PLN 400 down the drain.
How to test it in a week
Don’t choose based on reviews. Run a simple test on your own tasks:
- Pick 5–10 tasks from real work: a proposal, a reply to a complaint, a summary of an email, a service description, a table of quotes.
- Do each one in two tools, on free accounts and without customer data.
- Rate the results on a scale of 1–5: accuracy, tone, and how many corrections you had to make.
- Measure the time: how many minutes it took to get to a good version.
- Choose the tool that needs fewer corrections, not the one with the nicer style.
Checklist before you buy
- [ ] I know who will use AI, and I’m buying as many accounts as there are people who need one.
- [ ] I know the current price and whether it is net or gross.
- [ ] I know whether data from a business plan is used to train the model by default.
- [ ] I have access to the data processing agreement (DPA) and it has been accepted.
- [ ] I know where the data is stored and whether EU options are available.
- [ ] I know what AI I already get in my current package (e.g. Google Workspace).
- [ ] The tool has been tested on 5–10 of my own tasks.
- [ ] My team knows the rules: what they may paste in and what they may not.
- [ ] I have written down the date when I will assess whether the subscription pays off.
When a subscription is not enough
A subscription helps when people open the chat themselves and type their own prompts. If you repeat the same actions every day, for example answering the same customer questions or copying data between systems, it is better to automate them. I can analyze the processes in your company and show where AI brings a real gain, as part of the AI implementation in your business service. If you are thinking about customer questions on your website, also see the guide Is an AI chatbot worth it.
Summary
Choosing between ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude is mainly a decision about data, the tools you already use and the number of people. Start with one account, test 5–10 tasks and check the data processing agreement before you paste in anything about customers.
If you’d like me to check where AI would bring your company the biggest gain, write to me or see AI implementation in your business. I prepare quotes within 24 hours, and new customers get 20% off their first project.
Frequently asked questions
First check which plan you have and how training on data is set. Enter customers’ personal data only if you have a business plan with a data processing agreement. The safest approach is to replace names and numbers with labels, for example “Customer A”.
For writing proposals, summarizing emails or coming up with post ideas, often yes, as long as you don’t paste in customer data or confidential documents. A paid plan makes sense when several people use AI every day or you need a data processing agreement. Keep in mind that the ChatGPT Business and Claude Team business plans require at least 2 seats, so a single paid account is usually a personal plan, without a data processing agreement.
It can be, because according to Google’s pricing as of 15 October 2026, Gemini in Gmail is already included in the Business Starter plan, and in Docs and Meet from Business Standard, with no separate charge. The scope depends on the plan and changes over time, so check it in the admin console and in Google’s pricing. Don’t assume that all features are included in the price.
Yes, but in a small business it rarely pays off. It is better to choose one tool for daily work and test the other on a free plan. Two paid accounts per person make sense only once you know which tasks each one handles better.
If you put a chatbot in front of customers, from 2 August 2026 Article 50 of the AI Act requires you to tell people that they are talking to AI. The same article requires labeling deepfakes and some published AI-generated content. Where personal data is involved, the GDPR applies as well. This is general information as of 18 October 2026, not legal advice. If you want to adapt your chat or website to these rules, write to me.
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