# Which AI assistant plan fits a small UK firm? Five questions, seven outcomes, prices in pounds > Five questions on headcount, customer data, your office suite and billing lead to one of seven outcomes, each with the plans that fit and their UK prices. - Page to cite: https://aeolookup.com/ai-for-small-firms/which-ai-assistant-plan-fits-small-uk-firm-five-questions/ - Publisher: AEO Lookup (https://aeolookup.com/) - Section: AI for small firms, Choosing an AI assistant - Published 2 October 2026 - Key fact: We wrote this questionnaire of 5 questions and 7 outcomes from the rules set out in 4 of our guides and the sources each outcome names. Where the assistant should work decides most routes: 12 of the 20 routes through the five questions end on a plan tied to an office suite. Only the 8 routes that choose a separate app reach the two-seat minimum or the price gap between monthly and annual billing. - Sources: Microsoft UK, Microsoft 365 Copilot pricing page and Business Standard plan page, read 2 October 2026; Google Workspace UK pricing page, read 2 October 2026; Google, Generative AI in Google Workspace Privacy Hub (14 August 2026); Google Workspace UK pricing page and Microsoft UK Microsoft 365 Copilot pricing page, read 2 October 2026; chatgpt.com/pricing and its UK price data; claude.com/pricing, UK version; read 2 October 2026; ICO, When is a contract needed and why is it important?; chatgpt.com/pricing and claude.com/pricing (UK version), read 2 October 2026; each outcome names its source, and the linked guide shows the working. This questionnaire is for the owner of a small UK firm who has decided to pay for an AI assistant and does not know which plan to buy. It asks how many people will use it, whether personal details will go in, where the assistant should work, which office suite the firm pays for and how it wants to be billed. It ends in one of seven outcomes, each naming the plans that fit, with prices in pounds and what the vendor's page says about VAT. Every price was read on the vendor's own UK page on 2 October 2026. We did not buy or test any plan, so nothing here says which assistant writes better. Nothing you choose leaves the page. **Free tool on the page:** AI assistant plans: which one fits this firm. It runs in the browser at https://aeolookup.com/ai-for-small-firms/which-ai-assistant-plan-fits-small-uk-firm-five-questions/#tool and asks for no sign-up. ## The questions, and why each is asked **1. How many people in the firm will use the assistant?** ChatGPT Business and Claude Team both start at two seats, so a one-person firm cannot buy a single seat on either. Plans for individuals and the office-suite plans are sold by the single user. **2. Will personal details of customers or staff go into the assistant?** The ICO says there must be a written contract every time a firm uses a processor. OpenAI and Anthropic list a data processing agreement for their business plans and not for their plans for individuals. **3. Where should the assistant do its work?** Microsoft 365 Copilot and Gemini work inside the email, documents and meetings of their own office suite. ChatGPT and Claude are sold as separate apps that work beside any suite. **4. Which office suite does the firm already pay for?** Copilot is an add-on that needs a Microsoft 365 business plan underneath it. Gemini is included in the Google Workspace Business plans. A firm with neither buys the suite and the assistant together. This question appears only when an earlier answer makes it relevant. **5. Would the firm pay for a year up front, or month by month?** ChatGPT Business and Claude Team are level on annual billing and differ on monthly billing. Annual means one payment at the start; monthly costs more a seat and can be stopped. This question appears only when an earlier answer makes it relevant. ## Every outcome, and the rule behind it ### Microsoft 365 Copilot, as an add-on or a bundle Reached when: "Where should the assistant do its work?" answered "Inside our email, documents and meetings"; "Which office suite does the firm already pay for?" answered "A Microsoft 365 business plan". On Microsoft's UK page, read 2 October 2026, the Copilot Business add-on is £13.80 a user a month paid yearly under an offer that runs to 31 December 2026 and covers the first year only; the price before the offer is £16.10. Microsoft 365 Business Standard with Copilot, the bundle, is £18.10. Every price carries the line that it does not include VAT. Eligible Microsoft 365 plans already include Copilot Chat at no additional cost, which may be enough for staff who only need a chat window. - Try the Copilot Chat already in the plan before paying for a licence. - Ask before the renewal date whether the £18.10 bundle is open to an existing customer. - Check the sharing settings on SharePoint, Teams and OneDrive before assigning a licence. - Budget for £16.10 a user a month from the second year. Source: Microsoft UK, Microsoft 365 Copilot pricing page and Business Standard plan page, read 2 October 2026. The working is in [Microsoft 365 Copilot for a small business](https://aeolookup.com/ai-for-small-firms/microsoft-365-copilot-small-business-uk-cost-plan-data/). ### Gemini in the Google Workspace plan you already have Reached when: "Where should the assistant do its work?" answered "Inside our email, documents and meetings"; "Which office suite does the firm already pay for?" answered "Google Workspace". Gemini comes with the Google Workspace Business plans, so there may be nothing more to buy. On Google's UK page, read 2 October 2026, Business Starter is £5.90 a user a month and Business Standard £11.80 on a one-year commitment, and the page says the price does not include tax. Starter lists Gemini in Gmail and the Gemini app; Standard lists Gemini in Gmail, Docs, Meet and more. Google says Workspace content is not used to train its generative AI models outside your domain without permission. - Open the admin console and note which Business plan the firm is on. - On Starter, price the move to Standard: 5 users × £11.80 × 12 is £708 a year before tax. - Read Google's table of monthly limits for the features staff will use most. Source: Google Workspace UK pricing page, read 2 October 2026; Google, Generative AI in Google Workspace Privacy Hub (14 August 2026). The working is in [ChatGPT vs Claude vs Microsoft 365 Copilot vs Gemini for a small UK firm](https://aeolookup.com/ai-for-small-firms/chatgpt-vs-claude-vs-copilot-vs-gemini-small-uk-firm-business-plans-compared/). ### Buy the suite and the assistant together Reached when: "Where should the assistant do its work?" answered "Inside our email, documents and meetings"; "Which office suite does the firm already pay for?" answered "Neither of them". With no office suite in place, an assistant inside email and documents means buying the two as one plan. On pages read 2 October 2026, Google Workspace Business Standard, which includes Gemini, is £11.80 a user a month on a one-year commitment, and Microsoft 365 Business Standard with Copilot is £18.10 paid yearly. Google's page says its price does not include tax, and Microsoft's that its price does not include VAT. For five people that is £708 a year with Google and £1,086 with Microsoft. Each price buys business email, storage and office apps as well as the assistant. - Decide first which suite the firm wants for email and documents; the assistant follows from that. - Add 20% VAT to either figure: £849.60 and £1,303.20 a year for five. - If moving email is too much work, answer again and choose a separate app. Source: Google Workspace UK pricing page and Microsoft UK Microsoft 365 Copilot pricing page, read 2 October 2026. The working is in [ChatGPT vs Claude vs Microsoft 365 Copilot vs Gemini for a small UK firm](https://aeolookup.com/ai-for-small-firms/chatgpt-vs-claude-vs-copilot-vs-gemini-small-uk-firm-business-plans-compared/). ### A plan for individuals is enough: ChatGPT Plus or Claude Pro Reached when: "How many people in the firm will use the assistant?" answered "Just one person"; "Will personal details of customers or staff go into the assistant?" answered "No, nothing that identifies a person". One person with no personal details in the prompts can use a plan for individuals. On 2 October 2026 OpenAI's UK page listed ChatGPT Go at £7 a month and Plus at £20, and Anthropic's listed Claude Pro at £18 a month or £180 for a year up front. Anthropic's page says its prices include 20% VAT. OpenAI's does not mention VAT; its UK price data marks these plans as tax inclusive. On these plans OpenAI may train on content unless the user opts out, and Anthropic uses chats if the user allows it. - Open the data controls in settings and choose the training setting before the first prompt. - Keep customer names and details out; move to a business plan before any go in. - Buy it in the business's name and keep every invoice for the accounts. Source: chatgpt.com/pricing and its UK price data; claude.com/pricing, UK version; read 2 October 2026. The working is in [How much does ChatGPT cost for a small business in the UK? Plus, Pro, Business and Enterprise prices, VAT and a yearly figure for 1, 5 and 10 people](https://aeolookup.com/ai-for-small-firms/how-much-does-chatgpt-cost-small-business-uk/). ### A business plan with two seats, one of them spare Reached when: "How many people in the firm will use the assistant?" answered "Just one person"; "Will personal details of customers or staff go into the assistant?" answered "Yes, names, addresses or account details will go in". Personal details need a written contract with the supplier, and OpenAI and Anthropic list a data processing agreement for their business plans only. Both business plans start at two seats. On 2 October 2026 two ChatGPT Business seats on annual billing cost £360 a year before VAT (2 × £15 × 12), which is £432 with 20% VAT. Two Claude Team seats cost £432 a year including VAT (2 × £18 × 12). ChatGPT Plus and Claude Pro cost less, but neither comes with that agreement. - Buy the two-seat plan in the firm's name and leave the second seat unassigned. - Accept or sign the data processing agreement and file a copy with the date. - Add the supplier, or its category, to the recipients section of the privacy notice. Source: ICO, When is a contract needed and why is it important?; chatgpt.com/pricing and claude.com/pricing (UK version), read 2 October 2026. The working is in [How much does Claude cost for a small business in the UK? Pro, Max, Team and Enterprise prices, VAT and a yearly figure for 1, 5 and 10 people](https://aeolookup.com/ai-for-small-firms/how-much-does-claude-cost-small-business-uk/). ### ChatGPT Business or Claude Team: level on annual billing Reached when: "Would the firm pay for a year up front, or month by month?" answered "A year up front, for the lower price". On annual billing the two cost the same. On 2 October 2026 a ChatGPT Business standard seat was £15 a month and a Claude Team standard seat £18. Anthropic's page says its price includes 20% VAT. OpenAI's page does not mention VAT, and its UK price data marks Business as before tax, so £15 becomes £18. Five seats for a year cost £900 before VAT on either, £1,080 with it. Both vendors say business content is not used for training by default, and neither gives a figure for a full working day of use. - Trial one of the two for two weeks with the heaviest users before buying seats for everyone. - Check on the order screen whether VAT is added to the price shown. - A firm on Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace should price Copilot or Gemini too: both cost less a seat. - Accept or sign the data processing agreement and write down the date. Source: chatgpt.com/pricing and its UK price data; claude.com/pricing, UK version; read 2 October 2026. The working is in [ChatGPT vs Claude vs Microsoft 365 Copilot vs Gemini for a small UK firm](https://aeolookup.com/ai-for-small-firms/chatgpt-vs-claude-vs-copilot-vs-gemini-small-uk-firm-business-plans-compared/). ### Paying monthly: ChatGPT Business costs less than Claude Team Reached when: any other set of answers. Monthly billing avoids a year's commitment and costs more a seat. On 2 October 2026 a ChatGPT Business standard seat was £18 a month billed monthly, which OpenAI's UK price data marks as before tax, so £21.60 with 20% VAT. A Claude Team standard seat was £22.50 including VAT, which is £18.75 before it. For five people that is £1,080 a year before VAT on ChatGPT Business and £1,125 on Claude Team, a gap of £45. Annual billing brings both down to £900. - Start on monthly billing for the trial, then move to annual once the firm has chosen. - Set a monthly spending limit before turning on extra usage credits; both vendors offer one. - Check on the order screen whether VAT is added to the price shown. Source: chatgpt.com/pricing and its UK price data; claude.com/pricing, UK version; read 2 October 2026. The working is in [How much does Claude cost for a small business in the UK? Pro, Max, Team and Enterprise prices, VAT and a yearly figure for 1, 5 and 10 people](https://aeolookup.com/ai-for-small-firms/how-much-does-claude-cost-small-business-uk/). ## How to use the result Treat the outcome as a shortlist, not an order. Open the vendor's own pricing page before you pay, because prices and offers change within weeks, and check on the order screen whether VAT is added. Where an outcome names two plans, the prices are close enough that the choice can rest on a trial: give the heaviest users two weeks on one before buying seats for everyone. Then accept or sign the vendor's data processing agreement and write the plan into the firm's AI policy. Run the questions again when headcount changes or an offer price ends. The outcome applies the rule to the answers given; it cannot see the facts behind them. Where an answer is a judgement, or the facts are unusual, the outcome may not fit. This page is general information, not legal advice. Overlyft ![](https://aeolookup.com/img/d/ours-badge.png) is an AI agency that sets up AI office assistants for small firms in ten trades: the work is priced after a fixed-price audit, the firm pays Anthropic directly for its own Claude plan, and a person approves anything that goes to a customer. --- ![](https://aeolookup.com/img/d/owner-line.png) General information for UK small firms, not legal, tax or financial advice.