There are three names you’ll hear over and over in the AI conversation: ChatGPT, Claude, and Microsoft Copilot. They can all write, summarize, and answer questions — so which one should your business actually use? The honest answer is “it depends,” but here’s a plain-language guide to help you decide.
Microsoft Copilot — best if you live in Microsoft 365
Copilot’s superpower is that it’s built into the tools you already use: Word, Excel, Outlook, and Teams. It can act on your own company’s documents and emails, which the others can’t do out of the box. If your business runs on Microsoft 365, Copilot is the most natural fit because it works where your team already works.
Best for: teams already using Microsoft 365 who want AI inside their everyday apps.
ChatGPT — the versatile all-rounder
ChatGPT (from OpenAI) is the tool most people have tried. It’s flexible and great for brainstorming, drafting, coding help, and general research. There’s a capable free version, and the paid business tier adds better privacy controls and the ability to build custom assistants for specific tasks.
Best for: general-purpose use, brainstorming, and teams that want to experiment widely.
Claude — strong writing and careful reasoning
Claude (from Anthropic) has a reputation for thoughtful, natural writing and for handling long, detailed documents well. It’s a favorite for work that involves reading through big files, careful analysis, and producing polished, human-sounding text.
Best for: heavy writing, summarizing long documents, and tasks where tone and nuance matter.
You don’t have to pick just one
Here’s the thing most articles won’t tell you: plenty of businesses use more than one. A team might lean on Copilot for internal Microsoft 365 work, ChatGPT for quick drafting, and Claude for longer-form writing. The right mix depends on how your team actually works — and what data you’re comfortable putting into each tool.
The real question isn’t “which tool”
It’s “how do we use any of these safely and get real value?” A tool your team doesn’t understand — or one you feed the wrong data into — is a cost, not a benefit. That’s where having a guide helps.
We help Des Moines-area businesses choose the right AI tools, set them up with the proper security guardrails, and train their teams to actually use them well. If you’re not sure where to start, explore our AI Solutions or reach out — we’ll help you find the best fit without the hype.