Which AI tool is best for your business?
ChatGPT, Claude, Microsoft Copilot, Google Gemini and Numa compared for New Zealand businesses: what each is best at, what it costs, what happens to your data, and how to choose.
The short answer
There is no single best AI tool. For most New Zealand businesses the choice follows where your work already lives.
Microsoft Copilot suits a Microsoft 365 business, Gemini suits Google Workspace, and ChatGPT and Claude are the strongest general assistants.
Choose on fit, data handling and governance, not on a demo.
Key facts.
- General-purpose assistants such as ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude are the most used AI technology in New Zealand organisations, at 68 percent.Datacom State of AI Index 2026 · source
- ChatGPT Business starts at NZ$33 per user a month, billed annually.OpenAI pricing, checked 19 October 2026 · source
- Microsoft Copilot Business, an add-on to Microsoft 365, is NZ$34 per user a month paid yearly, excluding tax, with a first-year offer of NZ$29.14 until 31 December 2026.Microsoft NZ, checked 19 October 2026 · source
- Gemini is built into Google Workspace Business Standard, NZ$21 per user a month excluding tax, across Gmail, Docs, Sheets, Meet and Drive.Google Workspace pricing, checked 19 October 2026 · source
- Claude Team starts at $20 per seat a month billed annually, excluding tax. Anthropic's page does not name the currency.Anthropic pricing, checked 19 October 2026 · source
- OpenAI, Anthropic, Microsoft and Google all say they do not train their models on business customers' data by default.Vendor privacy pages, see Sources · source
- Of the five, only ChatGPT Enterprise and Microsoft offer data storage commitments in Australia. Claude and Google Workspace offer no Australian option.Vendor data residency pages, checked 19 October 2026 · source
How do the main AI tools compare?
All five are capable. The differences that matter are where they fit, what they cost and what they do with your data.
| Feature | ChatGPTOpenAI | ClaudeAnthropic | Microsoft CopilotMicrosoft | GeminiGoogle | NumaArcanum, Wellington |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best for | Broad, everyday tasks for everyone | Long documents, careful writing, multi-step work | Microsoft 365 businesses | Google Workspace businesses | Small and medium firms wanting agents fast |
| Works inside | Its own app, with connectors to Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Slack and more | Its own app, with connectors to Microsoft 365, Chrome and other tools | Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and Teams | Gmail, Docs, Sheets, Slides, Drive and Meet | Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, Xero, MYOB and simPRO |
| Business price from | NZ$33 per user a month, billed annually (Business) | $20 per seat a month, billed annually, excl. tax (Team) | NZ$34 per user a month, paid yearly, excl. tax, as an add-on (Copilot Business) | Included from NZ$21 per user a month, excl. tax (Business Standard) | From $750 a month per organisation, up to 20 users, ex-GST, billed annually (Starter) |
| Trains on your business data? | No, by default (OpenAI) | No, by default (Anthropic) | No (Microsoft) | No, without your permission (Google) | No; data stays in your own cloud (Numa) |
| Australian data option | Storage at rest in Australia for Enterprise (details) | None; US or global only (details) | Australian commitments via Advanced Data Residency (details) | None; US or Europe only (details) | Runs in your own AWS account, in your region (details) |
| Models, October 2026 | GPT-6 family | Claude Opus 5.5, Sonnet 5.5, Fable 5.1 | OpenAI and Anthropic models | Gemini 4 | Frontier models, including Claude, via AWS |
Prices are the vendor's published list price per user per month for the entry business plan, in the vendor's currency, checked 19 October 2026. They change often: follow the links for current pricing, and check whether GST is included.
Which AI tool is best for which job?
Start from the situation you are in, not the tool with the loudest launch.
You run on Microsoft 365
Microsoft CopilotWorks inside Outlook, Teams, Word and Excel, and respects the permissions you already have. Start with Copilot Chat, then license the people who will use it daily.
You run on Google Workspace
Google GeminiBuilt into Gmail, Docs, Sheets and Meet, and included from Workspace Business Standard.
Long documents and careful writing
ClaudeStrong at reading long policies and contracts, writing in a consistent voice, and working through multi-step tasks.
One tool for everyone, broad tasks
ChatGPTThe most widely used assistant, with the broadest set of features: images, voice, research and data analysis.
A small team that wants agents fast
NumaA Wellington-built agent platform designed for small and medium businesses, quick to stand up.
Data must stay in your own environment
Open-weight modelsModels you host yourself, so data never leaves your infrastructure. More set-up, more control.
Most organisations end up with more than one. A common pattern is the suite assistant for everyone, plus a stronger general assistant for the people who do the heavy writing and analysis. For the deeper decision framework, read how to choose AI tools for your business.
What is each AI tool best at?
A short, fair read of each, with a link to our fuller guide.
ChatGPT
The assistant most people already know, and the broadest feature set: writing, research, data analysis, images, voice and shared workspace agents. The Business plan adds admin controls and keeps your data out of training by default. Its weakness for business is the same as its strength: it sits outside the apps your people work in, so it relies on connectors and habit. Read our guide to ChatGPT for business.
Claude
Claude is strong at reading long policies and contracts, writing in a consistent voice, and working through multi-step tasks; our Claude guide goes deeper. Projects and skills let a team load its procedures and templates once, and Claude Cowork hands it whole tasks to complete across your files. It now connects to Microsoft 365 too. The gap for New Zealand is data location: Anthropic offers no Australian option, per its data residency page.
Microsoft Copilot
Formerly Microsoft 365 Copilot. It works inside Word, Excel, Outlook and Teams and respects the file permissions you already have, which makes it the natural default for a Microsoft 365 business. The paid licence is what grounds it in your email, files and meetings; Copilot Chat is the lighter chat assistant. Its usefulness depends heavily on how tidy your SharePoint and permissions are. See our guide to Microsoft Copilot.
Google Gemini
For a Google Workspace business, Gemini is already in Gmail, Docs, Sheets and Meet on Business Standard and above, with no separate add-on. The cheaper Starter plan has a limited version. Google offers US or European data regions, but not Australia.
Numa
Numa is a New Zealand-built platform for small and medium businesses that bundles agents, connectors to tools like Xero and MYOB, and frontier models under one subscription priced per organisation rather than per user. Data stays in your own cloud account. It is an agent platform rather than a chat assistant, so compare it with what you would build in Copilot Studio or Claude, not with ChatGPT. We deploy Numa for clients; see the note below. Read more in our Numa guide.
Other options worth knowing
Perplexity Enterprise Pro (US$34 a seat a month, billed annually) is strong for research with cited sources. Open-weight models, such as Qwen, can be hosted in your own environment when data sovereignty rules out a cloud assistant. Both need more care to roll out across a team.
How should a NZ business choose an AI tool?
Answer four questions before you compare a single feature.
- Which number are you trying to move? Revenue, cost to serve, cycle time, risk or customer experience. Name the metric and its baseline.
- Where does the work happen? A tool inside the apps your people already use will be adopted faster than a better tool in another tab.
- What does it really cost? The licence is the small part. Set-up, connecting it to your knowledge and training people cost more, and matter more.
- Can you govern it? Admin controls, data terms, audit logs and where data is processed. If you cannot answer these, you are not ready to roll it out.
The free NZ AI Benchmark shows where your organisation stands before you decide, and our guide to what AI is explains the types of tool behind the brand names.
What should NZ businesses know about data, privacy and cost?
Check the plan, not the product: the same tool can treat your data very differently on a free and a business plan.
Prices are now mostly in New Zealand dollars
OpenAI, Microsoft and Google show NZ$ prices to New Zealand visitors, and Numa prices ex-GST. Anthropic's page shows dollars without naming the currency. Most vendors state their prices exclude tax, so budget for GST, and remember the licence is usually the smaller cost next to set-up and training.
Where your data is stored and processed
None of the five stores data in New Zealand. ChatGPT Enterprise can store data at rest in Australia, and Microsoft offers Australian commitments through Advanced Data Residency, though Copilot queries may be processed in other regions. Anthropic offers US or global processing only, and Google Workspace offers US or European regions. Numa runs in your own AWS account. If your contracts or clients require data to stay in Australia or New Zealand, check this before anything else.
The Privacy Act applies whichever tool you pick
The Privacy Commissioner says the Privacy Act 2020 applies to everyone using AI tools, and recommends a privacy impact assessment before AI is used on personal information. Use business plans for work, never personal accounts, and set out in your policy what information can go into which tool. Our guide to AI and the Privacy Act covers the detail, and trust concerns with popular AI assistants answers the common worries.
Not legal advice. This page explains the general position. For decisions about your organisation, talk to a lawyer.
Our view
The tool is the last decision, not the first. The organisations getting value from AI chose how the work should run, wrote down their procedures, tone and templates, and then picked the platform that fit their team, systems and budget.
That order also protects you. Your encoded knowledge, workflow maps and governance carry across if you change platform. The build itself, the agents, skills and connectors, does not: a Copilot Studio agent is not a Claude skill. So invest most in the part that moves with you.
And avoid the shiny object trap. A tool that serves several use cases well beats five tools that each do one thing brilliantly.
How we chose, and our interests. We are vendor neutral, but not without interests, so here they are. We build AI Operating Systems for clients on Numa, Claude and Microsoft Copilot, and on open-weight models. Anthropic, Arcanum (which makes Numa) and Microsoft are listed on our partners page. We sell certificate courses on Claude and Microsoft Copilot. This page carries no affiliate links.
We compared each tool's entry business plan using the vendor's own pricing, privacy and product pages, linked in the sources, and our experience deploying them with New Zealand organisations.
Where should you start?
Know where you stand, then try before you buy, with real work and a business plan.
- Find out where you stand. The free NZ AI Benchmark is 40 questions, takes about 20 minutes, and shows where your organisation stands and the next move, before you spend on a tool.
- Set a short policy. Which tools are approved, and what information can go into them. The AI Champions Committee pack has a template.
- Trial two tools on the same tasks. Pick three real, repeatable tasks and run them in both, side by side. Our free toolkit to coach sales calls with ChatGPT, Claude or Copilot is a ready-made test.
- Give the tool your context. Load your procedures, tone and templates once. See our free setup checklists for Claude and Copilot, and make AI documents that match your brand.
- Train the people who will use it. The Claude at Work and Microsoft Copilot courses are self paced, with a certificate.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best AI tool for a small business in New Zealand?
Usually the one that sits inside the software you already use: Microsoft Copilot for a Microsoft 365 business, Gemini for Google Workspace. If you want a stronger general assistant on top, trial ChatGPT and Claude on the same three real tasks and choose on results. Numa suits small teams that want agents connected to tools like Xero without building them.
Is ChatGPT or Microsoft Copilot better for business?
They do different jobs. Copilot works inside Word, Excel, Outlook and Teams and draws on your own files and email, so it suits everyday work in Microsoft 365. ChatGPT is a stronger all-round assistant for research, analysis and writing, but sits outside those apps. Many organisations use both.
Is it safe to use the free version of ChatGPT or Claude for work?
Not for business information. Free and personal plans have different data terms from business plans, and give you no admin control. Use a business plan, which the major vendors say is not used to train their models by default, and set a policy on what information staff may enter.
Do AI tool prices include GST?
Mostly not. Microsoft, Google, Anthropic and Numa state their published prices exclude tax. Check the checkout or invoice for each vendor, and budget for GST on top of the listed price.
Which AI tools keep data in Australia or New Zealand?
None of the five main tools stores data in New Zealand. ChatGPT Enterprise can store data at rest in Australia, and Microsoft offers Australian commitments through Advanced Data Residency. Claude and Google Workspace currently offer US or other regions only. Numa runs in your own cloud account.
Is Microsoft Copilot Chat the same as Microsoft Copilot?
No. Copilot Chat is the lighter chat assistant. The paid Microsoft Copilot licence, formerly called Microsoft 365 Copilot, works inside Word, Excel, Outlook and Teams and draws on your own files, email and meetings.
Should we use more than one AI tool?
Often, yes, but deliberately. A common pattern is the suite assistant for everyone and a stronger general assistant for people who do heavy writing and analysis. Keep the list short and approved in your AI policy, so data rules and training stay manageable.
Sources
- 2026 State of AI Index press release, Datacom (August 2026; accessed 19 October 2026)
- ChatGPT pricing, OpenAI (checked 19 October 2026; accessed 19 October 2026)
- Data residency and inference residency for ChatGPT, OpenAI (help article; accessed 19 October 2026)
- Claude pricing, Anthropic (checked 19 October 2026; accessed 19 October 2026)
- Is my data used for model training?, Anthropic (privacy centre; accessed 19 October 2026)
- Data residency, Anthropic (documentation; accessed 19 October 2026)
- Microsoft Copilot for business (NZ), Microsoft (checked 19 October 2026; accessed 19 October 2026)
- Data, privacy and security for Microsoft 365 Copilot, Microsoft (Microsoft Learn; accessed 19 October 2026)
- Data residency for Microsoft Copilot, Microsoft (Microsoft Learn; accessed 19 October 2026)
- Google Workspace pricing, Google (checked 19 October 2026; accessed 19 October 2026)
- Generative AI in Google Workspace privacy hub, Google (admin help; accessed 19 October 2026)
- Choose a geographic location for your data, Google (admin help; accessed 19 October 2026)
- AI in Google Workspace, Google (product page; accessed 19 October 2026)
- Numa, Arcanum (product page; accessed 19 October 2026)
- Numa pricing, Arcanum (checked 19 October 2026; accessed 19 October 2026)
- Numa FAQ, Arcanum (product page; accessed 19 October 2026)
- Enterprise pricing, Perplexity (checked 19 October 2026; accessed 19 October 2026)
- Artificial intelligence (AI), Office of the Privacy Commissioner (September 2023; accessed 19 October 2026)
Related topics
Keep going.
Your next step
Test the tools on your own work, for free.
Our free toolkits give you ready-made setups and prompts for ChatGPT, Claude and Copilot, so you can compare them on real tasks.
Changelog: 19 October 2026, first published.