TL;DR: Gemini in Google Workspace is the fit when the company already pays for Business Standard or higher, because Gemini is bundled into the edition rather than sold as a second line item. Slack AI fits chat-first teams; thread summaries start on Pro, while recaps and search sit on Business+. Notion AI fits wiki-first teams, but full AI now requires Business or Enterprise. ChatGPT Business fits teams that want a dedicated model workspace with connectors. Microsoft 365 Copilot fits tenants that will use AI across Word, Excel, Outlook and Teams, not only chat. Public pricing and packaging are below.
A workplace AI assistant is the product that drafts, summarises and searches inside the software employees already open. Buying one is confusing because some vendors sell an add-on, some folded a former add-on into a higher suite plan, and some bundled the assistant into the edition you already pay for.
This guide compares five assistants businesses actually licence for that job. Every entry is assessed on the same fields: published pricing, whether AI is bundled or sold separately, where the assistant runs, admin signals and the buyer it realistically fits. The order below is not a quality ranking. Products are listed by their lowest publicly described incremental cost for usable workplace AI, lowest first, so the sequence is set by a stated rule rather than by editorial preference.
Workplace AI assistants compared at a glance
| Provider | Published pricing | How AI is sold | Best for | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gemini in Google Workspace | Included in Workspace Business/Enterprise editions; Starter is limited. Legacy Gemini add-ons withdrawn. | Bundled | Google Workspace companies | Visit β |
| Slack AI | Pro commonly $7.25/user/mo annual ($8.75 monthly); Business+ commonly $15 annual ($18 monthly). Enterprise+ quote. | Bundled into Slack plans | Chat-first teams already on Slack | Visit β |
| Notion AI | Plus $10/member/mo annual; Business $20 annual ($24 monthly). Enterprise quote. | Full AI on Business/Enterprise only | Wiki and docs teams on Notion | Visit β |
| ChatGPT Business | $20/user/mo annual or $25 monthly; 2-seat minimum. Enterprise quote-only. | Separate product | A dedicated ChatGPT workspace with connectors | Visit β |
| Microsoft 365 Copilot | Add-on commonly listed near $21/user/mo annual for Business; near $30 for Enterprise. Eligible M365 base licence required. | Paid add-on | Microsoft 365 tenants using AI across apps | Visit β |
Pricing and packaging were read from each providerβs own website or help centre on 12 September 2026. Published figures are starting points. Promotions, education SKUs, resellers and usage credits change the invoice. Gemini Enterprise on Google Cloud is a different product from Gemini inside Workspace and is not in this table.
Two of the five sell AI as part of a suite you may already own. The other three require a new paid identity.
What workplace AI actually costs in 2026
The hidden cost is overlap. A company can pay for Gemini inside Gmail, Copilot inside Word, Slack recaps and ChatGPT Business connectors for the same employee. The useful question is not βwhich model is bestβ but βwhich surface already holds the work.β
Practically, that means a ten-person Google Workspace shop and a 400-seat Microsoft tenant are not shopping in the same market, even though both search for βAI assistant for work.β Decide which system of record you will not rip out before you request a quote.
The five providers in detail
1. Gemini in Google Workspace
LOWEST INCREMENTAL COST IF YOU ALREADY PAY FOR WORKSPACE STANDARD OR HIGHER
Best for: companies standardised on Gmail, Docs, Drive and Meet that want AI without a second Copilot-style line item.
| Published pricing | No current commercial Gemini Business/Enterprise add-on. Features ship with the Workspace edition. Business Starter is limited; Standard, Plus and Enterprise get broader Gemini. Education still has a separate Google AI Pro add-on. |
| How AI is sold | Bundled. Legacy Gemini add-ons were removed from sale. |
| Where it runs | Gmail, Docs, Sheets, Slides, Drive, Chat, Meet (βtake notes for meβ from Standard up) |
| Admin signals | Admin controls on Enterprise editions; users can also limit Gemini settings |
| Main limitation | Prompt and model limits still differ by edition. Do not confuse this with Gemini Enterprise on Google Cloud. |
- Googleβs help centre states Gemini features that used to sit on add-ons now ship with Workspace editions.
- Meet note-taking is listed from Business Standard upward, not on every Starter seat.
- If you are on Starter, upgrading the edition is usually cheaper than buying a third assistant.
2. Slack AI
Best for: organisations whose work already happens in Slack channels and huddles.
| Published pricing | Pro commonly $7.25/user/mo billed annually or $8.75 monthly; Business+ commonly $15 annual or $18 monthly. Confirm on slack.com/pricing. Enterprise+ is sales-led. |
| How AI is sold | Former Slack AI add-on withdrawn. Basic summaries on paid plans; recaps, file summaries, translations, AI search and Slackbot on Business+ and Enterprise+. |
| Where it runs | Threads, channels, huddles, canvases, Workflow Builder |
| Admin signals | Enterprise+ adds enterprise search, SAML options and DLP features listed on the pricing grid |
| Main limitation | Does not draft your Google Doc or Excel model. A poor standalone buy if Slack is not the operating system. |
- Slackβs own plan-change article says conversation summaries and huddle notes are on paid plans after the add-on was retired.
- Deeper recap and search are the reason to look at Business+, not Pro.
- Licence only people who live in Slack; viewer-only staff should not drive the AI SKU.
3. Notion AI
Best for: teams whose wiki, specs and meeting notes already live in Notion.
| Published pricing | Plus $10/member/mo annual; Business $20 annual ($24 monthly); Enterprise quote. Read from notion.com/pricing on 12 September 2026. |
| How AI is sold | Standalone $10 AI add-on retired. Free and Plus get a limited AI trial. Full AI β agent, meeting notes, enterprise search β sits on Business and Enterprise. Custom Agents can consume extra Notion credits. |
| Where it runs | Pages, databases, meeting notes, workspace search |
| Admin signals | SSO and stronger audit/retention on Business/Enterprise |
| Main limitation | Moving every Plus user to Business only for AI is a 2Γ seat jump. |
- Do not budget the old $10 add-on; that SKU is gone.
- Custom Agents are usage-priced on credits on top of the seat, according to Notionβs own agent announcement.
- Keep Plus only if the team can live without full AI.
4. ChatGPT Business
Best for: teams that want ChatGPT with admin SSO and connectors without moving the company off Google or Microsoft.
| Published pricing | $20/user/mo annual or $25 monthly; 2-seat minimum (OpenAI help, April 2026 update). Enterprise is contact-sales only. |
| How AI is sold | Separate product. Does not include the OpenAI API bill. |
| Where it runs | ChatGPT workspace plus connected apps such as Slack, Google Drive, SharePoint and GitHub |
| Admin signals | Business: SAML SSO and MFA. Enterprise adds SCIM, EKM, analytics and custom retention on OpenAIβs plan comparison. |
| Main limitation | Another tab and another admin plane. Business lacks several Enterprise controls. |
- OpenAI publishes Business list prices; it does not publish Enterprise list prices.
- Connectors are the reason to buy Business instead of personal Plus seats.
- A ChatGPT Business subscription is not an API contract.
5. Microsoft 365 Copilot
Best for: organisations already paying for Microsoft 365 that will use Copilot in Teams, Outlook, Word and Excel, not only chat.
| Published pricing | Copilot Business add-on commonly listed near $21/user/mo annual; promotional figures near $18 have appeared. Copilot Enterprise near $30/user/mo annual. Requires an eligible Microsoft 365 base licence. |
| How AI is sold | Paid add-on. Copilot Chat exists for eligible users without the paid SKU. |
| Where it runs | Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams, Graph-grounded chat |
| Admin signals | Purview and tenant meeting policy; Enterprise SKU adds broader governance |
| Main limitation | You pay for the whole Copilot surface. Weak case if the company is not already on Teams and Office as the system of record. |
- Teams Premium can cover a thinner recap feature set; do not treat it as full Copilot.
- The economic case improves when the same seat is used in mail and spreadsheets, not only Friday stand-ups.
- Sensitive meetings can run Copilot under tenant policy without keeping a transcript.
Kurums Match: which one fits your situation
Pick the line that describes your stack and open it.
We already run Google Workspace
Start with the Gemini that ships in your edition. Upgrade Starter to Standard before you buy ChatGPT Business or Copilot. Gemini Enterprise on Google Cloud is a separate agent platform and is not required for Gmail side-panel use.
We already run Microsoft 365
Price Copilot only for people who will use it weekly in Outlook or Excel. If you only need meeting recap, ask IT whether Teams Premium already covers that recap. Do not double-buy Slack Business+ AI and Copilot for the same summary job without a written policy.
Chat is the company operating system
Slack Pro covers lighter summaries. Business+ is the plan that adds recaps, file summaries and AI search. Slack will not replace Docs or Word.
Our source of truth is Notion
Budget Business seats ($20/member/mo annual) for anyone who needs full AI. Plus is not a full-AI plan after the add-on was retired.
We want one assistant that is not tied to our suite
ChatGPT Business is the cleanest separate workspace. Model the 2-seat minimum and remember Enterprise controls are quote-only.
Buying tip: count unique employees who need a paid AI identity. Do not assign Copilot, ChatGPT Business and Notion Business to the same person unless each surface holds different work. Viewer-only Slack or Notion seats should not get a second AI SKU by default.
How this comparison was put together
Every packaging and price figure above was read from the providerβs official pricing page or help centre on 12 September 2026. Where a vendor no longer sells a standalone AI add-on, this guide records that change instead of repeating an obsolete SKU. No provider paid for its position. Kurums did not run a side-by-side writing-quality lab test β that judgement depends on your documents and cannot be measured consistently across five products.
Products appear in ascending order of their lowest publicly described incremental cost for usable workplace AI. No badge on this page reflects a commercial relationship. Product images were taken from official vendor pages, official Open Graph assets, or a first-party ChatGPT interface capture supplied for this article on 12 September 2026.
Frequently asked questions
Can we buy only the AI and skip the suite?
ChatGPT Business is the cleanest AI-only workspace. Copilot and Gemini assume you already pay Microsoft or Google. Slack and Notion AI are features of those productsβ paid plans.
Is Gemini Enterprise the same as Gemini in Gmail?
No. Gemini in Workspace is the in-app assistant bundled with Workspace editions. Gemini Enterprise is Google Cloudβs agent and enterprise-search platform with its own seat prices.
Why did Notion and Slack kill their AI add-ons?
Both moved AI into higher suite plans. The practical effect is that adding a cheap AI SKU is no longer how you buy. You upgrade the plan that contains the assistant.
Should every employee get a seat?
No. Licence people who create or search work weekly. Shared inboxes and occasional viewers inflate the invoice without changing output.
Did we test model quality?
No. This page compares packaging, price and fit. Run a two-week pilot on your own mail and docs before a company-wide SKU.
- ChatGPT vs Claude vs Gemini β model-level comparison.
- Best AI Meeting Assistants in 2026 β recorders and recap bots.
- Best AI Writing Software in 2026 β long-form writing tools.
- AI Tools hub
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