Skip to content

Best AI assistants for a team of 5: start with Google Gemini

Start here: Google Gemini

People who already use Gmail, Docs and Drive

See Google Gemini pricing

Three that fit most small teams

  • Checked 2026-10-14
  • 21 sources

Sorted by best fit, which comes from the data below. How we score tools. What we earn is not part of it.

  1. Rank 1

    Google Gemini

    People who already use Gmail, Docs and Drive

    Our score83 / 100

    Five years for a team of 5: $1,497

    See the facts for Google Gemini

  2. Rank 2

    Gemini Notebook

    Students and researchers working from their own documents

    Our score79 / 100

    Five years for a team of 5: $1,497

    See the facts for Gemini Notebook

  3. Rank 3

    Claude

    Beginner and working programmers needing code generation and debugging

    Our score71.7 / 100

    Five years for a team of 5: $6,000

    See the facts for Claude

Show all 7 AI assistants tools

  1. Rank 4

    ChatGPT

    Writers, marketers and creatives drafting content

    Our score70.9 / 100

    Five years for a team of 5: $6,000

    See the facts for ChatGPT

  2. Rank 5

    Microsoft Copilot

    People already paying for Microsoft 365 who want AI inside Word, Excel and Outlook

    Our score69.8 / 100

    Five years for a team of 5: $649.95

    See the facts for Microsoft Copilot

  3. Rank 6

    Microsoft 365 Copilot

    Small businesses already on Microsoft 365 who want Copilot in Word, Excel, Outlook and Teams

    Our score62.1 / 100

    Five years for a team of 5: $5,400

    See the facts for Microsoft 365 Copilot

  4. Rank 7

    Perplexity

    People who want quick answers drawn from web searches

    Our score47.3 / 100

    Five years for a team of 5: $10,000

    See the facts for Perplexity

Who each pick is for, and who it is not

Google Gemini: who it fits and who it does not

Good for
  • People who already use Gmail, Docs and Drive
  • Free voice chat and deep research without paying
  • Quick apps and drafts in Canvas
Not for
  • Anyone who needs fixed usage numbers: limits are based on compute and vary
  • Teams wanting Gemini inside Gmail and Docs on Free (that starts at Google AI Pro)
The catch
A strong free plan with voice, research and Canvas, but usage limits are compute-based, so how much you get varies.

Data last verified: 2026-10-16

How we make money · How we score tools

Gemini Notebook: who it fits and who it does not

Good for
  • Students and researchers working from their own documents
  • Turning long reports into audio summaries
  • Answers that cite only the sources you gave it
Not for
  • Questions that need fresh answers from across the web
  • Very large research sets on Free: 50 sources per notebook
The catch
Answers stay tied to your own sources, which cuts made-up answers, but it will not go beyond what you add.

Data last verified: 2026-10-16

How we make money · How we score tools

Claude: who it fits and who it does not

Good for
  • Beginner and working programmers needing code generation and debugging
  • Content creators drafting posts and long-form text in different tones
  • Visual learners who benefit from charts and diagrams
Not for
  • Budget-limited users who want advanced features on the free plan
  • Users needing built-in image, video or audio generation
  • People needing predictable usage limits
The catch
Strong writing and coding assistant, but usage limits are hard to predict and the free plan is constrained.

Data last verified: 2026-10-18

How we make money · How we score tools

See Google Gemini pricing

What our first pick costs over five years

Five years for a team of 5, paid monthly: $1,497

On the Google AI Plus plan, at today's price. We do not assume a rise.

Paid monthly, one year
$299.40
Paid yearly, one year
Not verified
  • "Google AI Plus" has no verified annual price

Change the number to see your own total. Nothing is sent anywhere.

Vendor pricing page · checked 2026-10-19
See Google Gemini pricing

Five-year cost for your team

Every tool above, priced for your team size, cheapest first. How we work it out.

How you pay
Paying for extras too? Add them

Your own numbers, added to every tool the same way. We have not checked any vendor's add-on prices.

Lowest 5-year cost for a team of 5

Microsoft Copilot

$779.40 · $12.99 a month

  • Perplexity, the dearest here, costs $11,220.60 more over 5 years.
  • Paying Microsoft Copilot yearly saves $129.45 over 5 years.

Cheapest first. Team of 5, billed monthly. Totals are for the whole team.

  1. Microsoft Copilot

    Microsoft 365 Family

    $779.40 over 5 years

    Per month, whole team
    $12.99
    Per month, per user
    $2.60

    See Microsoft Copilot pricing

    What this assumes
    • Cheapest plan we could price: Microsoft 365 Family, one price for the whole team, priced for up to 6 people.
    • Billed monthly.
    • Today's price holds for 5 years. No rise, discount, tax or setup fee is included.

    Vendor pricing page · Data last verified: 2026-10-19

  2. Gemini Notebook

    Google AI Plus

    $1,497 over 5 years

    Per month, whole team
    $24.95
    Per month, per user
    $4.99

    See Gemini Notebook pricing

    What this assumes
    • Cheapest plan we could price: Google AI Plus, charged per user.
    • Billed monthly.
    • Today's price holds for 5 years. No rise, discount, tax or setup fee is included.

    Vendor pricing page · Data last verified: 2026-10-19

  3. Google Gemini

    Google AI Plus

    $1,497 over 5 years

    Per month, whole team
    $24.95
    Per month, per user
    $4.99

    See Google Gemini pricing

    What this assumes
    • Cheapest plan we could price: Google AI Plus, charged per user.
    • Billed monthly.
    • Today's price holds for 5 years. No rise, discount, tax or setup fee is included.

    Vendor pricing page · Data last verified: 2026-10-19

  4. ChatGPT

    Business (Standard seat)

    $7,500 over 5 years

    Per month, whole team
    $125
    Per month, per user
    $25

    See ChatGPT pricing

    What this assumes
    • Cheapest plan we could price: Business (Standard seat), charged per user.
    • Billed monthly.
    • Today's price holds for 5 years. No rise, discount, tax or setup fee is included.

    Vendor pricing page · Data last verified: 2026-10-18

  5. Claude

    Team (Standard seat)

    $7,500 over 5 years

    Per month, whole team
    $125
    Per month, per user
    $25

    See Claude pricing

    What this assumes
    • Cheapest plan we could price: Team (Standard seat), charged per user.
    • Billed monthly.
    • Today's price holds for 5 years. No rise, discount, tax or setup fee is included.

    Vendor pricing page · Data last verified: 2026-10-18

  6. Microsoft 365 Copilot

    Microsoft 365 Copilot Business (add-on)

    $7,560 over 5 years

    Per month, whole team
    $126
    Per month, per user
    $25.20

    See Microsoft 365 Copilot pricing

    What this assumes
    • Cheapest plan we could price: Microsoft 365 Copilot Business (add-on), charged per user.
    • Billed monthly.
    • Today's price holds for 5 years. No rise, discount, tax or setup fee is included.

    Vendor pricing page · Data last verified: 2026-10-18

  7. Perplexity

    Enterprise Pro

    $12,000 over 5 years

    Per month, whole team
    $200
    Per month, per user
    $40

    See Perplexity pricing

    What this assumes
    • Cheapest plan we could price: Enterprise Pro, charged per user.
    • Billed monthly.
    • Today's price holds for 5 years. No rise, discount, tax or setup fee is included.

    Vendor pricing page · Data last verified: 2026-10-18

Worked out in your browser. Nothing you type is sent anywhere.

What to do next

See Google Gemini pricing

You can leave now. Nothing here expires.

Data last verified: 2026-10-14