Best AI for Automate Work

Where it wins

• The widest feature range of any consumer AI product, covering research, files, data, images, and code
• Deep Research and web browsing built in
• Projects, memory, and custom GPTs make repeat workflows genuinely faster
• Four price points, from USD 8 to USD 200, so you can match spend to use

Know before choosing

• The number of modes and models is genuinely confusing, and the right one is rarely obvious
• Usage allowances are per model rather than one pool, so heavy users hit caps they did not expect
• Chat data trains OpenAI models by default and you have to go and turn it off

Privacy note

OpenAI states consumer chat data is used to improve its models by default. You can disable this under Data controls, using the Improve the model for everyone toggle.

Where it wins

• The strongest default privacy position of the major assistants: consumer data is not used for training unless you opt in
• Claude Code is included rather than sold separately, which is unusual value for developers
• Excellent at long form drafting, structural editing, and reasoning over large documents
• The free plan runs on Claude Sonnet 5, a frontier class model

Know before choosing

• Usage limits apply on every tier, including Max, which Anthropic footnotes on its own pricing page
• The Max tier price is quoted only as from USD 100 per month, so the 20x tier cost is not published
• Less integrated web research than Perplexity or Gemini

Privacy note

Anthropic states consumer data is not used for model training unless you opt in through Model Improvement Privacy Settings, and Incognito chats are excluded even when that setting is enabled. This is the strongest default position among the major assistants.

Where it wins

• Works inside Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook rather than requiring copy and paste
• Bundled with a subscription many people already hold, so the marginal cost is low
• The Premium tier adds AI agents for research reports and data analysis

Know before choosing

• On the Family plan, Microsoft states AI features are available to the subscription owner only, not all six members, which is easy to miss when comparing prices
• Consumer conversation data is used for AI model training by default and requires opting out
• The good agent features sit at the USD 19.99 Premium tier

Privacy note

Microsoft confirms consumer conversation data is used for AI model training by default. You opt out under Privacy, using the Training on conversation activity toggle, with a separate toggle for voice conversations.

Where it wins

• Answers are grounded in your own wiki, docs, and databases rather than the open web
• Notion states its AI subprocessors are prohibited from using customer data to train models, which is the strongest contractual position on this list
• Enterprise adds zero data retention with the underlying model providers

Know before choosing

• Notion Agent, AI Meeting Notes, and Enterprise Search all require the USD 20 Business tier, not the USD 10 Plus tier
• Custom Agents cost a further USD 10 per 1,000 monthly Notion credits after the trial
• Priced per member, so costs scale with headcount rather than usage

Privacy note

Notion states that your data is yours and that its AI subprocessors are prohibited from using customer data to train models. Enterprise plans add zero data retention with the large language model providers.

Where it wins

• Works in every major editor rather than requiring you to switch to a new one
• A real free tier at 2,000 completions per month with no card
• Unlimited completions on all paid plans, with credits covering chat and agents on top

Know before choosing

• Chat, agents, and CLI draw on a finite monthly credit balance, so only completions are truly unlimited
• As of 24 April 2026 the Allow GitHub to use my data for AI model training setting is enabled by default for Copilot Free, Pro, Pro+, and Max, covering inputs, outputs, code snippets, and context
• Business and Enterprise are excluded from training, but individuals are not

Privacy note

GitHub documents a setting named Allow GitHub to use my data for AI model training which, as of 24 April 2026, is enabled by default on all individual Copilot plans. Individuals opt out by setting it to Disabled. Business and Enterprise plans are excluded from training entirely.