How to choose AI tools for your business
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Most teams get the biggest return from two AI tools: a general assistant and an automatic meeting notetaker. Add specialist tools only for work you do every week.
Start with one general assistant
An AI assistant handles drafting, summarising, research, spreadsheets and quick analysis. Most have a free plan; a paid plan mainly buys more use, better models and longer documents. Pick one for the team rather than paying for several:
| Product | Price today | Free plan | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google Gemini | Free plan, then USD 4.99 per month | Yes | Pricing |
| Microsoft Copilot | Free plan, then USD 9.99 per month | Yes | Pricing |
| Claude | Free plan, then USD 20 per month | Yes | Pricing |
| ChatGPT | Free plan, then USD 20 per month | Yes | Pricing |
Prices from vendor websites, checked 2026-10-12; they update automatically.
Compare ChatGPT vs Claude, ChatGPT vs Gemini and Claude vs Gemini. If your team lives in Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace, the assistant built into it may be the cheapest choice: see ChatGPT vs Microsoft Copilot.
Then automate meeting notes
A notetaker joins your calls, writes the summary and action items and can update your CRM. It saves time every week from day one:
| Product | Price today | Free plan | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Otter.ai | Free plan, then USD 16.99 per user per month | Yes | Pricing |
| Read AI | Free plan, then USD 19.75 per user per month | Yes | Pricing |
| Fireflies.ai | Free plan, then USD 18 per seat per month | Yes | Pricing |
| Fathom | Free plan, then USD 19 per user per month | Yes | Pricing |
Prices from vendor websites, checked 2026-10-12; they update automatically.
Compare Otter vs Fireflies and Fireflies vs Fathom. Tell people when a call is being recorded; in many countries the law requires consent.
Add specialist tools for regular work
- Marketing copy at volume: AI writing tools.
- Images for ads and social posts: AI image generators; check commercial-use terms.
- Short video clips: AI video generators; most charge in credits per second of video.
- Translating your videos: AI dubbing tools.
- Software development: AI coding assistants.
Protect your data
- Use business plans for company data: they usually exclude your content from model training and add admin controls.
- Don't paste customer personal data into tools that aren't approved for it.
- Check outputs before publishing: AI can state wrong facts confidently.
Count the cost
Per-seat prices add up quickly. Price the whole team before you commit, and compare yearly billing, which is often 15–25% cheaper.
Questions
Which AI assistant is cheapest?
Several have free plans. Among paid plans, compare entry prices in the table above; they update automatically from each vendor's pricing page.
Do AI tools use my data for training?
It depends on the plan. Business and team plans usually exclude your content from training; check each vendor's data policy.