ChatGPT (OpenAI), Gemini (Google), Copilot (Microsoft) and Claude (Anthropic) answer questions, write, summarize, analyze spreadsheets and help with coding. The models change every few months (see September 2026 AI releases), so the criteria that last longer are different: where the AI is integrated and which account you’ll use it with.
Quick summary
| AI | Where it’s integrated | Stands out at |
|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT | Its own website and app, integrations with many services | General use, voice conversations, image creation, a wide range of features |
| Gemini | Android, Google Search, Gmail, Docs and Drive (Google Workspace) | People who live in the Google ecosystem; research with up-to-date information |
| Copilot | Windows, Edge and Word, Excel, Outlook and Teams (Microsoft 365) | People who work in Microsoft 365: summarizing Teams meetings, emails and company documents |
| Claude | Its own website and app, integrations and coding tools | Long texts, analysis of lengthy documents, careful writing and coding |
All of them have a free version with usage limits and paid plans for heavy use.
For each task
- Summarizing a Teams meeting or an Outlook inbox: Copilot, with your work account and a Microsoft 365 Copilot license.
- Writing and reviewing emails in Gmail, organizing Drive: Gemini, in Google Workspace.
- Reading a long contract or report and pointing out risks: Claude or ChatGPT, attaching the file (see the note on data below).
- Building Excel formulas or explaining an error: any of them does it well. Always check the result. See also Excel errors.
- Researching something recent: prefer the one that shows the sources for its answer, and open the links to check.
Which one to choose
- Your company uses Microsoft 365: start with Copilot, which already works with Outlook, Teams and OneDrive.
- Your company uses Google Workspace: start with Gemini.
- Personal or professional use without a set ecosystem: try ChatGPT and Claude on your real tasks for a week each and keep the one that gets it right more often.
- You don’t need to subscribe to all of them: one paid plan for your main use and the free ones to compare answers on important cases works well.
Precautions with any AI
- Check facts, numbers and laws: AI can make things up with complete confidence.
- Don’t run commands or code it generates without understanding what they do.
- Scammers use AI too: fake messages and voice recordings are more and more convincing. See how to spot phishing.
FAQ
Is the free version good enough for work?
For tasks without sensitive data (generic text, Excel questions, ideas), yes. For company documents and customer data, use a business plan.
Which one is the smartest?
It changes with every release and depends on the task. Public benchmarks show all four close together at the top; in practice, integration with your tools matters more.
