Most other AI subscriptions can wait until someone names a specific job they'll do better than the tools you already have. Below is how we'd spend the money, in order, with prices as shown to Australian accounts in October 2026.
Start with what you already pay for
It's easy to pay for a new AI tool while the one included in your existing software sits unused. Check these first.
Microsoft 365. Copilot Chat comes at no extra cost with eligible Microsoft 365 plans. It can draft and rewrite, analyse files people upload and search the web, and inside Outlook it can answer questions about a person's inbox, calendar and meetings.
Google Workspace. Google includes Gemini in its Workspace business plans. On Business Starter it's in Gmail, and from Business Standard it's also in Docs, Sheets, Slides, Drive and Meet.
Xero. JAX, Xero's AI assistant, is available to all Xero subscribers and users, and Xero says there's currently no additional charge for it.
Your CRM, practice management system or job management software may have its own AI features too. Ask your account manager what's included and what costs extra, then try it on one real job before you pay for anything new.
The one tool worth paying for: a business-plan assistant
The tools above are useful, but each one works inside its own app. A general AI assistant is the one your team will open for everything else: drafting a tricky client email, summarising a long document, turning meeting notes into actions, checking a proposal before it goes out.
Put it on a business plan. On personal ChatGPT plans, conversations can be used to train OpenAI's models unless each person opts out. On the business plans, neither Anthropic nor OpenAI trains on your content by default. You also get one bill, one admin view of who has access, and the work stays with the business when someone leaves.
| Plan | Price per person a month (AUD, includes GST) | For ten people a year |
|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT Business | A$28 billed yearly, or A$35 monthly | A$3,360 on yearly billing |
| Claude Team | A$34 billed yearly, or A$43 monthly | A$4,080 on yearly billing |
Both plans suit teams from two people up, and both connect to Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace. In our experience, Claude is often the stronger fit for careful writing and long documents, and ChatGPT is the easy all-rounder most people have already tried. Our Claude vs ChatGPT vs Copilot comparison asks six questions and suggests one.
Our rule of thumb is to pick one for the whole team. Two overlapping assistants mean twice the training and twice the bill, and people tend to use neither well.
When to pay for more
Three upgrades are worth it in the right circumstances.
Premium seats for your heaviest users. Both Claude Team and ChatGPT Business let you mix standard and premium seats, so you only pay more for the people who spend all day in long documents or hit their usage limits. Claude Team premium seats are A$170 a month billed yearly, and ChatGPT Business premium seats are A$140 a month billed yearly, both including GST.
Paid Copilot for people who live in Microsoft 365. Copilot Business is A$31.40 a person a month ex GST on a yearly plan, on top of your Microsoft 365 plan. Microsoft is offering A$26.91 ex GST for the first year on yearly plans bought between 1 July and 31 December 2026. Microsoft quotes its prices without GST, so add 10% to compare them with the Claude and ChatGPT prices above. That's A$34.54 including GST, or A$29.60 in the discounted first year. It reads across a person's emails, Teams chats, meetings and files and works inside Word, Excel and PowerPoint. It earns its place for people whose day is spent searching through all of that. Try it on a few seats before you buy it for everyone.
A specialist tool for a specialist job. Some jobs are better served by software built for one industry, like the AI built into a property management system or a recruitment platform. Pay for one when a general assistant can't do the job well enough and someone can show you the hours it saves.
A quick test before you buy any AI tool
Ask these five questions about any AI subscription, including ones a vendor is pitching you.
- What job will it do, and who does that job today? If nobody can name it, wait.
- How long does that job take now? Write it down, so you can tell later whether anything changed.
- Can the tools we already pay for do it? Try the job in your main assistant first.
- Where does our data go? Check whether the vendor trains on your content and where it's stored, and add the tool to your AI use policy before anyone puts client information in.
- Can we try it monthly before committing to a year? Ask for a monthly plan or a trial. It's worth a few extra dollars to find out whether people keep using it.
What it's worth
Price only makes sense next to what you get back. In Thomson Reuters' 2025 survey of 2,275 professionals, respondents expected people using AI to save about five hours a week each within the next year. For a team of ten, that would be around 50 hours a week back for clients and the work that grows the business. At A$34 a seat a month, the same team's Claude Team bill is A$340 a month.
Your numbers will be different. Our AI Time Calculator takes two minutes and shows the hours and their value for your team, so you can compare them with any subscription.
What to skip
- Personal subscriptions on staff credit cards. Nobody can see them all in one place, and they leave client work in personal accounts.
- Tools bought before the job is clear. If the main reason is that a competitor mentioned it, try it in your main assistant first.
- Annual plans for tools nobody has tested. Pay monthly until usage settles.
- Paying for the same feature twice. Meeting notes and document summaries are often already covered by tools you have.
Common questions
For most owner-led businesses, a general assistant on a business plan, usually Claude Team or ChatGPT Business, plus the AI already built into Microsoft 365, Google Workspace or your accounting software. Pick the assistant that suits the work your team does most.
For trying ideas, yes. For client work, move to a business plan. Free and personal plans don't give you central admin, and on personal ChatGPT plans conversations can be used for training unless each person opts out.
Not necessarily. Copilot Chat is included with eligible plans. The paid Copilot licence is worth testing for people who spend their day searching across emails, meetings and shared files.
Usually not across the whole team. One main tool is easier to train people on and keep safe. A second tool for one or two people with a specific need is fine.
For a general assistant on yearly billing, A$28 to A$34 a person a month including GST, plus any premium seats. Then compare that with the hours it gives back using the AI Time Calculator.