Last Updated on November 9, 2026
The best AI tools for most UK businesses are the ones that fit software you already pay for: Microsoft 365 Copilot if you live in Outlook and Word, Gemini if you use Google Workspace, and a general assistant such as ChatGPT or Claude for everything else. After that, add one specialist tool for a job you do every week, such as meeting notes, bookkeeping or customer chat. Below are 14 tools in seven categories, with the plan a UK business would likely need, the price from the vendor’s own page, and one honest limitation for each.
In short
- Start with the AI already built into your email and office software before buying anything new.
- Many prices are in US dollars and exclude VAT. We say which for each tool.
- Most tools have a free option. Use it for a fortnight on real work before you pay.
- Check whether a plan uses your data to train its AI. Business plans usually say they do not; personal plans often do unless you opt out.
- One tool used every day beats five tools nobody opens.
The mistake: buying tools before fixing the job
Most businesses pick AI tools from a “top 50” list, sign up to several, and stop using them within a month. The tool was never the problem. The problem was that nobody decided which job it was meant to do.
So work the other way round. Pick the job first (replying to enquiries, writing up meetings, chasing invoices), then choose the simplest tool that does that job. That is how this list is organised.
New to the terms? Our glossary explains them, and the AI for business hub has guides on using these tools well.
How we chose
We read each vendor’s own pricing and help pages on 9 November 2026 and took prices, plan names and free options only from those pages. Where a page did not show a price when we read it, we say so rather than guess. No vendor paid to appear in this list. We have not tested these tools hands-on for this article, so treat the limitations as what the vendor’s own pages show, not as a review. You can read how Whito makes money.
General AI assistants
A general assistant is a chat tool you type or talk to. It drafts emails, summarises documents and answers questions. For most businesses, this is the first and often the only AI tool needed. Our guide to AI chatbots in the UK goes into more depth.
ChatGPT
What it does: OpenAI’s general assistant for writing, summarising and answering questions.
Likely plan: Business, which OpenAI’s help page prices at $25 per user per month billed monthly, or $20 per user per month billed annually (USD, shown on the vendor’s page). The help page says prices vary by region and local currency, and that a business in a VAT region can enter its tax ID at checkout to exempt the purchase from VAT. The pricing page FAQ says Business starts at two users.
Free option: Yes. OpenAI’s pricing page lists “Content is used to train our models” on Free, Go, Plus and Pro, with an opt-out available.
Limitation: OpenAI’s help page says self-serve Business is paid by card only, with no invoice, bank transfer or purchase order option.
For ten practical uses with prompts, see our ChatGPT guide in the guides section.
Microsoft 365 Copilot
What it does: AI built into Word, Excel, Outlook, Teams and other Microsoft 365 apps.
Likely plan: If you already have an eligible Microsoft 365 Business plan, the Microsoft 365 Copilot Business add-on is £19.32 per user per month on monthly billing, or £13.80 per user per month on a yearly plan. Microsoft says the yearly price is a first-year promotion (originally £16.10) available between 1 July and 31 December 2026. Bundles are also listed, for example Microsoft 365 Business Standard with Copilot at £21.72 monthly or £18.10 yearly per user. Prices exclude VAT.
Free option: Yes. Microsoft says Copilot Chat is included at no additional cost with eligible Microsoft 365 plans.
Limitation: the add-on is only for existing customers on an eligible Business plan, and Microsoft says some advanced AI features are billed on usage on top of the plan price.
Google Gemini
What it does: Google’s assistant, available as the Gemini app and inside Gmail, Docs, Sheets and other Google Workspace apps.
Likely plan: Google’s admin help says Gemini features are now included in Workspace Business Starter, Standard and Plus. Google’s UK Workspace pricing page did not show price figures when we read it, so check it directly. For individuals, the Gemini subscriptions page lists Google AI Pro at £18.99 a month.
Free option: Yes, the Gemini app is £0 a month with a Google Account. For Workspace, Google says Gemini app submissions are not reviewed by humans or used to train models.
Limitation: Google’s comparison table shows Business Starter does not include Gemini in Docs, Sheets, Slides, Drive, Meet or Chat. You need Standard or above for that.
Claude
What it does: Anthropic’s general assistant for writing, analysis and working with long documents.
Likely plan: Team, with a Standard seat at $20 per seat per month billed annually or $25 billed monthly (USD, shown on the vendor’s page), for teams of 2 to 150. Anthropic says prices do not include applicable tax.
Free option: Yes. The pricing page lists model training as “Opt-out” on Free, Pro and Max, and “None by default” on Team and Enterprise.
Limitation: priced in dollars with tax added on top, so your monthly cost in pounds will move with the exchange rate.
Writing
A general assistant already covers most writing. A writing tool earns its place if you want help inside every app you type in, such as email, browser and documents.
Grammarly
What it does: checks spelling, grammar and tone, and rewrites sentences as you type.
Likely plan: Pro, at $12 per member per month billed annually, or $30 per member per month billed monthly (USD, shown on the vendor’s page). Pro includes 2,000 AI prompts per member per month.
Free option: Yes, with writing mistake checks and 100 AI prompts a month.
Limitation: paying monthly costs more than twice the annual rate per month, so trial it properly before you commit either way.
Meeting notes and transcription
These tools join online calls, write a transcript and produce a summary. Tell people at the start that you are recording. UK GDPR applies to recordings of people, and the ICO has guidance on AI and data protection.
Otter.ai
What it does: joins Zoom, Microsoft Teams and Google Meet calls to write and share notes automatically.
Likely plan: Business, at $19.99 per user per month billed annually, or $30 monthly (USD, shown on the vendor’s page).
Free option: Yes. Basic gives 300 transcription minutes a month.
Limitation: on the free plan each conversation is capped at 30 minutes, and only your 25 most recent conversations are kept.
Fireflies.ai
What it does: records, transcribes and summarises meetings.
Likely plan: Pro at $10 per seat per month, or Business at $19 per seat per month, both billed annually (shown in $ on the vendor’s page, which does not name the currency).
Free option: Yes, with limited AI summaries, 400 minutes of storage per team and a 2-hour recording limit.
Limitation: the monthly-billing prices were not shown in the page text we read, so check the cost if you do not want an annual commitment.
Images
AI image tools create graphics or edit photos from a text description. For product photos specifically, see our guide to AI product photo tools in the UK.
Adobe Firefly
What it does: creates and edits images, video and audio from text prompts.
Likely plan: Firefly Standard at £9.98 a month including VAT, with 2,000 generative credits a month. For teams, Firefly Pro for teams is £16.66 per licence per month excluding VAT, on an annual plan billed monthly.
Free option: Yes. Adobe offers free daily generations without a plan, with limits that refresh daily.
Limitation: every generation uses credits, and the team plans need an annual commitment. Adobe’s FAQ says outputs from its own Firefly models are safe for commercial use, but that you are responsible for checking content made with partner models.
Customer chat
A website chat tool with an AI agent can answer common questions out of hours and pass harder ones to you.
Tidio
What it does: live chat for your website, with an AI agent called Lyro that answers customer questions.
Likely plan: Starter at $24.17 a month, with 100 billable conversations. The Lyro AI agent on its own starts at $32.50 a month with 50 Lyro conversations (USD, shown on the vendor’s page).
Free option: Yes, with 50 billable conversations and 10 seats.
Limitation: the free plan’s 50 Lyro AI conversations are a one-time lifetime allowance, not a monthly one.
Bookkeeping with AI features
Accounting software now uses AI to read receipts and match bank transactions. Your accountant may already have a preference, so ask before you switch. Accountants can find more at our accountants hub.
Xero
What it does: cloud accounting, with AI-marked smart document capture and auto-reconciliation of bank transactions.
Likely plan: Grow at £39 a month excluding VAT. Xero shows a new-customer offer of 90% off for the first six months (£3.90 a month on Grow), after which the full price applies.
Free option: No free plan. Xero mentions a “get one month free” option.
Limitation: auto-reconcile is not included on the cheapest plan, Ignite, where it is a £3.50 a month add-on. Xero promotes its JAX AI assistant but the pricing page does not say which plans include it.
QuickBooks
What it does: cloud accounting, with AI features Intuit calls “Intuit Intelligence”, such as chat for insights, expense organisation and, on Simple Start and above, a VAT pre-file check.
Likely plan: Simple Start or Essentials for most small teams. UK prices did not load on Intuit’s pricing page when we read it, so check them directly.
Free option: not shown on the page we read.
Limitation: several AI features are labelled beta or “limited capacity”, and Intuit says AI outputs are English only and should be reviewed carefully.
FreeAgent
What it does: accounting for sole traders, partnerships and limited companies. Its Smart Capture reads receipts and bills, and smart categorisation explains new bank transactions based on past ones. FreeAgent’s pricing page does not use the word “AI” for these.
Likely plan: Limited company at £33 a month excluding VAT (£16.50 a month for the first six months).
Free option: Yes, free for as long as you keep a NatWest, RBS or Ulster Bank business current account, or a Mettle account with at least one transaction a month (Mettle does not apply to partnerships and LLPs).
Limitation: Smart Capture is limited to 10 receipts and bills a month unless you add Smart Capture Unlimited for £5 a month.
Automation
Automation tools connect your apps so one thing triggers another. For example: a new website enquiry creates a row in a spreadsheet and sends you a text. Get the basics running before you automate them.
Zapier
What it does: connects apps with automated workflows called Zaps. It includes an AI helper, Copilot, to build them.
Likely plan: Professional, starting from $19.99 a month (USD, shown on the vendor’s page), with multi-step Zaps.
Free option: Yes, with 100 tasks a month and two-step Zaps.
Limitation: the free plan only allows two-step Zaps and checks for new data every 15 minutes, so it suits simple jobs only.
Make
What it does: a visual tool for building automations between apps, with AI agents and an AI assistant listed among its products.
Likely plan: Core or Pro. Make’s pricing page did not show prices when we read it, so check it directly.
Free option: Yes, with 1,000 credits a month.
Limitation: each action uses credits, and Make says some advanced AI features may use more than one credit per action, which makes costs harder to predict.
Summary comparison table
| Tool | Category | Likely plan and price (vendor’s page) | Free option | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT | General assistant | Business: $25/user/month monthly or $20 annual (USD) | Yes | Card payment only on self-serve |
| Microsoft 365 Copilot | General assistant | Copilot Business add-on: £19.32 monthly or £13.80 yearly promo, ex VAT | Yes (Copilot Chat) | Needs an eligible Microsoft 365 plan |
| Google Gemini | General assistant | Included in Workspace Business plans (price not shown); Google AI Pro £18.99/month | Yes | Starter lacks Gemini in Docs and Sheets |
| Claude | General assistant | Team Standard: $20/seat/month annual or $25 monthly (USD), plus tax | Yes | Dollar pricing |
| Grammarly | Writing | Pro: $12/member/month annual or $30 monthly (USD) | Yes | Monthly billing much dearer |
| Otter.ai | Meeting notes | Business: $19.99/user/month annual or $30 monthly (USD) | Yes | Free plan caps calls at 30 minutes |
| Fireflies.ai | Meeting notes | Business: $19/seat/month annual | Yes | Monthly prices not shown |
| Adobe Firefly | Images | Standard: £9.98/month inc VAT | Yes (daily limits) | Credits run out |
| Tidio | Customer chat | Starter: $24.17/month; Lyro from $32.50/month (USD) | Yes | Free AI chats are one-off |
| Xero | Bookkeeping | Grow: £39/month ex VAT | No | Auto-reconcile extra on Ignite |
| QuickBooks | Bookkeeping | Price not shown when read | Not shown | Some AI features in beta |
| FreeAgent | Bookkeeping | Limited company: £33/month ex VAT | Yes, with selected bank accounts | Smart Capture limited to 10 a month |
| Zapier | Automation | Professional: from $19.99/month (USD) | Yes | Free plan two-step only |
| Make | Automation | Price not shown when read | Yes | AI actions can use extra credits |
How to pick without wasting money
- List three jobs that take up your week and that are mostly writing, summarising or copying data between apps.
- Check what you already pay for. If you have Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace, try the AI included first.
- Trial one tool on one job for two weeks, using the free plan.
- Check the data terms. Before you put customer or staff details in, confirm the plan does not use your content for training and that it fits your UK GDPR duties. If you are in a regulated profession, check your professional body’s guidance.
- Only then pay, and choose monthly billing until you are sure you will keep using it.
The takeaway
Choose the job first, then the tool. For most UK businesses that means one general assistant, plus one specialist tool where the work repeats every week.
Want to know whether AI assistants already mention your business? Try the free Whito Visibility Check.
Your next step
Want the working kit? The Whito AI Starter Toolkit is a 39-page PDF with a 30-day plan, a staff AI policy to adapt, a UK GDPR checklist and 40 copy-ready prompts. £29, instant download.
Prefer to keep learning for free? Get Whito Insights, our free email on what changed in AI and what it means for UK businesses.
More from AI for UK business
- A beginner’s guide to AI for business
- How to introduce AI into your business
- 50 ways to use AI in your business
- 10 practical ways to use ChatGPT
- Five practical AI workflows
- AI for accountants
- AI for estate agents
- AI for tradespeople
- AI for professional services
- All AI for UK business guides
Sources
- OpenAI, ChatGPT pricing, read 9 November 2026
- OpenAI Help Center, ChatGPT Business billing and pricing, read 9 November 2026
- OpenAI Help Center, How your data is used to improve model performance, read 9 November 2026
- Microsoft, Microsoft 365 Copilot for business, read 9 November 2026
- Google Workspace, UK pricing, read 9 November 2026
- Google Workspace Admin Help, Gemini AI features in Workspace, read 9 November 2026
- Google, Gemini subscriptions (UK), read 9 November 2026
- Anthropic, Claude pricing, read 9 November 2026
- Grammarly, Plans, read 9 November 2026
- Grammarly, Pro, read 9 November 2026
- Otter.ai, Pricing, read 9 November 2026
- Fireflies.ai, Pricing, read 9 November 2026
- Adobe, Firefly plans (UK), read 9 November 2026
- Tidio, Pricing, read 9 November 2026
- Xero, UK pricing plans, read 9 November 2026
- Intuit QuickBooks, UK pricing, read 9 November 2026
- FreeAgent, Pricing, read 9 November 2026
- Zapier, Pricing, read 9 November 2026
- Make, Pricing, read 9 November 2026
- ICO, Artificial intelligence guidance, read 9 November 2026
