| Criteria | ChatGPTOpenAIFree / $30 AUD (Plus) / Enterprise | ClaudeAnthropicFree / $30 AUD (Pro) / Enterprise | GeminiGoogleFree / $32.99 AUD (Google AI Pro) / Workspace | PerplexityPerplexity AIFree / $30 AUD (Pro) / Enterprise | Microsoft CopilotMicrosoftFree / $33 AUD (Copilot Pro) / $47 AUD per user (Microsoft 365 Copilot) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Reasoning Multi-step analysis and logical reasoning | 5/5 | 5/5 | 4/5 | 4/5 | 4/5 |
Document Handling Processing long documents and cross-referencing | 5/5 | 5/5 | 4/5 | 3/5 | 4/5 |
Writing Quality Professional writing precision and instruction following | 4/5 | 5/5 | 4/5 | 3/5 | 4/5 |
Data Analysis Spreadsheet, statistical, and data processing capability | 5/5 | 3/5 | 4/5 | 3/5 | 4/5 |
Privacy Controls Data governance and enterprise privacy controls | 3/5 | 4/5 | 3/5 | 3/5 | 5/5 |
Enterprise Integration Integration with existing workplace systems | 4/5 | 4/5 | 5/5 | 4/5 | 5/5 |
Verdicts for all professionals
ChatGPT
▼ MoreThe most versatile general-purpose AI tool with the strongest data analysis capabilities, now on the GPT-5.6 family (generally available 9 July 2026). Enterprise tier resolves most governance concerns but requires active management.
Claude
▼ MoreThe best choice for knowledge-intensive professional work. Unmatched writing quality, and it ties for the top score on reasoning and document handling. The default pick for any professional whose output is words.
Gemini
▼ MoreBest choice for organisations running on Google Workspace. Unmatched native integration with Docs, Sheets, and Gmail, plus a 1M token context window. Slightly behind Claude and ChatGPT for the most demanding professional reasoning tasks.
Perplexity
▼ MoreThe best choice when citations and live web sources matter more than polished prose. Purpose-built for research workflows, and the new Microsoft 365 embedding brings cited research into Word, Excel, and Teams. Pair it with Claude or ChatGPT when the work shifts from research to drafting.
Microsoft Copilot
▼ MoreThe default choice for Microsoft 365 organisations, especially in regulated industries. Best-in-class enterprise governance and Excel integration, and the model picker now includes GPT-5.5 Thinking and selectable Claude models. Pair with Perplexity for cited research.
Scoring methodology
Scores (1-5) reflect editorial assessment based on published model capabilities, data handling policies, and testing across professional use cases relevant to Australian knowledge workers. WC and GRC scores assess suitability for Australian workers compensation (SRC Act/Comcare) and GRC (APRA, ASIC, FAR) contexts specifically. Scores are current as of July 2026 and will be updated as models evolve. This is general information only. Evaluate tools against your specific requirements and organisational governance framework before deploying.
General information only. Not endorsement or professional advice. Tool capabilities change frequently. Verify current specifications before making procurement decisions.