Category
General-purpose AI assistants such as ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Microsoft Copilot are the first AI tool most UK small businesses buy. They draft emails, summarise contracts, build spreadsheets and answer research questions. The right choice depends on the office suite you already use, how sensitive your data is and whether you need team controls.
Our top pick: Claude (9.4/10) — contracts, policies, long reports and polished client writing.
Anthropic • AI Assistants
Claude is the strongest all-round assistant we have tested for writing, contract and policy review, and analysing long documents — with a calm, precise tone that suits UK business communication.
Best for: Contracts, policies, long reports and polished client writing
OpenAI • AI Assistants
ChatGPT remains the Swiss Army knife of AI: fast, multimodal, packed with integrations and custom GPTs, and familiar to almost everyone you will hire.
Best for: All-round use, image generation and custom GPT workflows
Google • AI Assistants
Gemini is the natural choice for Google Workspace businesses, with AI built into Gmail, Docs, Sheets and Meet, plus a capable standalone assistant with strong research features.
Best for: Google Workspace users and research-heavy work
Microsoft • AI Assistants
If your business runs on Microsoft 365, Copilot is the most natural way to add AI — it works inside the apps and files your team already uses, under your existing security settings.
Best for: Businesses already on Microsoft 365 and Teams
Perplexity AI • Research
Perplexity is the fastest way to research a market, competitor or supplier with sources you can check — it answers like an assistant but cites like a search engine.
Best for: Competitor, supplier and market research
Mistral AI • AI Assistants
Le Chat from Paris-based Mistral AI is a fast, capable assistant and a sensible pick for businesses that want a European provider with EU data hosting.
Best for: Businesses wanting a European AI provider
DeepSeek • AI Assistants
DeepSeek's models are impressively capable and free to use, but its consumer app stores data in China. We do not recommend it for confidential UK business data unless the open-weight model is self-hosted.
Best for: Non-sensitive experiments, or self-hosted open-weight use