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AI tools for work, compared
10 options that are strong for small businesses and bigger employers: price, medical-privacy agreement (BAA), whether your data trains their models, admin controls, and how easy each is for a beginner.
Education, not legal, compliance, HIPAA, or professional advice. A BAA alone doesn't make you HIPAA-compliant. Prices change often; confirm on the vendor page before buying. "Unverified" means we couldn't confirm it on an official page this month.
Quick picks
- Already on Microsoft 365? Start with Copilot Chat (no extra cost on eligible plans). Upgrade to M365 Copilot only after a pilot.
- Already on Google Workspace? Use Gemini in Gmail/Docs. An admin can accept Google's BAA if you handle health data.
- Need the strongest general assistant for a team? ChatGPT Business or Claude Team ($20–25/seat). Neither offers a BAA, so keep health data out.
- Health data and 20+ people? Claude Enterprise or ChatGPT Enterprise (HIPAA-ready paths), after a compliance review.
- Research with sources? Perplexity Enterprise Pro. Live web/X news? Grok Business.
- Meeting notes? Fireflies or Otter, with everyone's consent to record; check your state's recording laws.
- Automate copy-paste work? Zapier, after you've proved one manual AI task works.
Full comparison
| Tool | Plans & price | BAA / HIPAA | Trains on your business data by default? | Admin controls | Beginner ease (1–5)* | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Microsoft Copilot Chat & Microsoft 365 Copilot | Copilot Chat: no extra cost with eligible M365 business plans. M365 Business Standard + Copilot $23.50/user/mo; Business Premium + Copilot $32.00 (paid yearly). | Yes. Microsoft's BAA is in its DPA by default for covered entities/business associates; Copilot and Copilot Chat are in scope. | No. Microsoft says prompts, responses and Graph data aren't used to train foundation models. | M365 admin center, Purview retention/search, admin chooses which agents and third-party models are allowed. | 5 | src src src checked Oct 2026 |
| Gemini in Google Workspace | Business Starter $7, Standard $14, Plus $22 /user/mo annual (Flexible $8.40 / $16.80 / $26.40). Promo on Google's page: 20% off all three plans Oct 30 2026–Jan 30 2027 ($5.60 / $11.20 / $17.60), then list price. | Yes, after an admin accepts Google's BAA in the Admin console. Gemini in Workspace and the Gemini app are in scope; Gemini Notebook and Gemini in Chrome are NOT covered. | No, not without the customer's permission (Workspace Service Specific Terms). | Turn Gemini on/off per app, retention 90 days–indefinite, audit logs, DLP, client-side encryption. | 5 | src src src checked Oct 2026 |
| ChatGPT (OpenAI) Unverified: Plus training default unverified. OpenAI prices not re-checked Oct 16 (page blocked our check); confirm on OpenAI's page. | Plus $20/mo (monthly only). Business: Standard seat $20/mo annual or $25 monthly, Premium seat $100/$125, 2-seat minimum. Enterprise: contact sales. | No BAA on Plus or Business. HIPAA-eligible: Enterprise with Regulated Workspace, ChatGPT for Healthcare, ChatGPT for Clinicians, API with a BAA. | Business/Enterprise: no, not by default. Plus: consumer terms; default setting not re-checked this pass (unverified). | Business: workspace owner manages seats; admins can view, export, delete chats and set retention. Enterprise: admin-set retention, Compliance API audit log, SAML SSO. | 4 | src src src src checked Oct 2026 |
| Claude (Anthropic) | Pro $17/mo annual ($200 up front) or $20 monthly; Max from $100/mo. Team (2–150): Standard $20/mo annual or $25 monthly, Premium $100/$125. Enterprise $20/seat/mo + usage at API rates, annual, 20-seat minimum. | Enterprise only (HIPAA-ready; Primary Owner accepts the BAA in-product). Free, Pro, Max and Team can't enable HIPAA. | Team & Enterprise: none by default. Free/Pro/Max: opt-out (trains unless you turn it off). | Team: SSO, domain verification, central billing, connector controls, usage analytics. Enterprise adds SCIM, audit logs, role-based access, custom retention, Compliance API. | 4 | src src src src checked Oct 2026 |
| Grok (xAI) Unverified: Plan-level BAA coverage unverified; xAI pages are now branded 'SpaceXSI'. | Consumer X Subscription: Plus $8, Premium $30 (includes SuperGrok benefits and Grok Bot), Super $100, Ultra $200 /mo. Teams/Business from $30/user/mo. Enterprise: contact sales. | Case-by-case: xAI 'can support' HIPAA under some circumstances via a BAA questionnaire (Enterprise FAQ, API-focused, updated Feb 25 2025). Business page shows a HIPAA badge, but which plan is covered is unverified. | Business/Enterprise: 'No training' listed; xAI FAQ says business data isn't used for training. Consumer default: unverified. | Business: role-based access, seat management, domain verification, user analytics, custom retention, audit controls. Enterprise adds custom SSO, SCIM, customer-managed keys. | 4 | src src src checked Oct 2026 |
| Perplexity Enterprise Pro Unverified: Prices read from Perplexity's own help-center pages via search excerpt; direct page fetch timed out. BAA unverified. | Enterprise Pro $40/seat/mo or $400/seat/yr; Enterprise Max $325/$3,250. (Nonprofit/education Pro: $30 or $300.) | Unverified (no BAA terms found this pass). | No: Perplexity says Enterprise data is never used for training. | Admins manage billing, seats and access; shared Projects and governed file connectors. | 4 | src src checked Oct 2026 |
| Zapier (automation + AI steps) Unverified: Training default and BAA unverified. | Free (100 tasks/mo). Pro from $19.99/mo annual for 750 tasks ($29.99 monthly). Team from $69/mo annual for 2,000 tasks, 25 users. Enterprise custom. | Unverified. | Unverified. | Team: SAML SSO, shared connections, audit log (6 months). Enterprise: SCIM, app access controls, custom data retention. | 2 | src checked Oct 2026 |
| Notion AI (in Notion Business) Unverified: Whether $20 is the annual or monthly rate isn't shown in the fetched page text; BAA unverified. | Plus $10/member/mo (AI trial only). Business $20/member/mo (Notion Agent, AI meeting notes, SAML SSO). Enterprise: custom (zero data retention with LLM providers). | Unverified. | No: Notion says it won't train on your data unless you opt in. | Business: SAML SSO, granular permissions, private teamspaces. Enterprise: SCIM, audit log, DLP/SIEM connections. | 3 | src checked Oct 2026 |
| Otter.ai (meeting notes) Unverified: Training default unverified. | Basic free (300 min/mo). Pro $16.99/user/mo monthly or $8.33 annual. Business $30 monthly or $19.99/user/mo annual. Otter often shows extra first-time discounts; confirm at checkout. Enterprise: contact sales. | HIPAA available as an Enterprise add-on. | Unverified. | Business: activity logs, usage analytics. Enterprise: SSO/SCIM (100-user minimum), retention, recording controls. | 5 | src checked Oct 2026 |
| Fireflies.ai (meeting notes) Unverified: BAA terms unverified. | Free. Pro $10/seat/mo annual ($18 monthly). Business $19 annual ($29 monthly). Enterprise $39/seat/mo, annual only. | 'HIPAA compliance' listed on Enterprise. Whether a BAA is signed: unverified. | Fireflies says data is never used for AI training (marketing page). | Enterprise: SSO, SCIM, audit logs, custom retention, super admin. | 4 | src checked Oct 2026 |
*Ease is editor judgment, not a measurement. No company pays for placement. Grok is xAI's assistant; xAI's pages are currently branded "SpaceXSI".
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