Capability · 16 solutions compared
General-purpose AI assistant
Chat with an AI model to draft, summarise, brainstorm, analyse files and answer questions.
People ask: “which AI subscription do I actually need”
Buy nothing: ChatGPT, Claude, Google Gemini, Grok, Microsoft 365 Copilot, Perplexity do this well on a free plan.
Every way to do it
Scored on what matters most for this job: quality, privacy, ease.
| Tool | Fit | Quality | Privacy | Ease | Skill | Cheapest plan with it | Limits |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT | Core feature | none | Free$0/mo | Usage caps apply on every plan, including the 'unlimited' ones · Consumer plan content may be used for training unless you opt out | |||
| Claude | Core feature | none | Free$0/mo | Usage resets on 5-hour sessions and weekly limits, which heavy users hit · Consumer plans train on content unless you opt out | |||
| Google Gemini | Core feature | none | Free$0/mo | Free uses a lightweight model · Feature availability varies by country | |||
| Grok | Core feature | — | none | Free$0/mo | Fewer workspace, project and admin features than ChatGPT or Claude business plans | ||
| Microsoft 365 Copilot | Strong | none | Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat$0/seat/mo | Free Copilot Chat does not reason over your Microsoft Graph data the way the paid add-on does · Requires a Microsoft 365 subscription | |||
| Perplexity | Strong | — | none | Free$0/mo | Leans toward search-style answers rather than long creative work · Fewer project and memory features than ChatGPT or Claude | ||
| Google Workspace | Strong | none | Business Starter$7/seat/mo | Business Starter has basic access only · Higher limits need the separate AI Expanded Access add-on | |||
| Microsoft 365 | Strong | none | Business Basic$7/seat/mo | Copilot Chat is web-grounded; grounding in your emails and files and Copilot inside Word/Excel/PowerPoint need Microsoft 365 Copilot (add-on) | |||
| Notion | Strong | none | Business$20/seat/mo | Free and Plus only include a limited AI trial · Zero data retention with LLM providers is Enterprise only | |||
| Grammarly | Partial | none | Free$0/seat/mo | Narrower than general AI chat tools · Prompt caps on Free and Pro | |||
| Otter.ai | Partial | — | none | Basic$0/seat/mo | Only knows your meeting content · Monthly query caps (20/50/200 by plan) | ||
| Confluence | Partial | none | Standard$5.42/seat/mo | Credit allowance (25 per user/month on Standard) can run out · Not on the Free plan | |||
| Cursor | Partial | — | none | Plus$8/mo | The bundled assistant is Grok only · Teams and Enterprise bundle contents were not confirmed | ||
| Jasper | Partial | — | none | Pro$59/seat/mo | Marketing-focused; general chat assistants are cheaper for broad use | ||
| Looker Studio | Workaround | — | technical | Data Studio (self-service)$0/mo | Needs BigQuery and technical setup · Only answers questions about connected data | ||
| Tableau | Workaround | — | basic | Not listed | Only for analytics questions about connected data · Plan inclusion not fully verified |
Fit and scores are editorial judgements; prices show their verification status. Methodology
Workflows for this
- Consolidate overlapping AI assistant subscriptions (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity, Grok, Copilot)If you pay for two to four AI assistants, run a one-week, side-by-side test on your real tasks with a provided prompt set and scoring sheet, check which assistant your Google Workspace or Microsoft 365 plan already includes, and cancel the rest at their renewal dates. Some heavy users will rightly keep two; the test tells you which.easy1 hour to set up$0 extrauses
- Drop Grammarly when you already pay for ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini or CopilotIf you already pay for an AI assistant, prompts handle rewrites, tone and careful proofreading, and built-in checkers (Google Docs, Microsoft Editor, Apple Writing Tools) cover everyday spelling and grammar. What you genuinely lose is Grammarly's real-time underlines everywhere you type, plus plagiarism checks, AI detection and team style guides on paid plans.easy30–45 minutes$0 extrauses
- Stop paying for Otter: use the transcription and AI notes already in Meet, Teams or ZoomMany business plans already include meeting transcripts and AI notes: Google Meet transcripts and 'Take notes for me' on eligible Workspace editions, Teams transcription (with AI notes via Teams Premium or Microsoft 365 Copilot), and Zoom's built-in meeting summaries on eligible paid plans. Check what you have, fill gaps with a transcript-to-action-items prompt, and handle recording consent properly.easy30–60 minutes$0 extrauses
- Research ~500 target accounts a month with an AI assistant and Google SheetsReplace the account-research columns you'd build in Clay with batched, cited web research in Claude or ChatGPT, a strict JSON output schema, a scoring rubric and a 10% hallucination spot-check. It does not replace verified contact data — you still need Apollo, ZoomInfo or similar for emails and phones.moderate2–3 hours$0 extrauses Google Workspace