AI Tools Comparison

How six popular tools compare, where each one falls short, and a practical demonstration you can try yourself. Features change often, so check each official site.

At a glance

A quick view of what each tool is best at.

Tool	Best for	Suitable industries	Official site
ChatGPT	General writing, brainstorming and everyday tasks.	Professional services, SMEs, Marketing	Visit
Claude	Long documents, careful analysis and detailed drafting.	Finance & Accounting, Legal & Compliance, Investment Banking	Visit
Gemini	Working across Google tools and large amounts of material.	SMEs, Business operations, Research	Visit
Perplexity	Research that needs links to sources you can check.	Investment Research, Consulting, Journalism and content	Visit
Microsoft Copilot	Working inside Microsoft tools such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook.	Finance & Accounting, HR & Administration, Corporate teams	Visit
n8n	Automation: connecting apps into repeatable workflows.	SMEs, Manufacturing, Finance & Accounting	Visit

Tool by tool

Capabilities, typical uses, limitations, and a demonstration to try.

ChatGPT

General writing, brainstorming and everyday tasks.

Capabilities

Writing and editing
Summarising documents
Analysing data you paste in
Working with uploaded files

Typical uses

Drafting emails and memos
Explaining concepts
Turning notes into a plan

Limitations

Can state things confidently that are wrong
Needs checking for figures
Plans and data settings vary

Industries

Professional services, SMEs, Marketing

Try this demonstration

Turn meeting notes into an action list

Prompt

Turn the notes below into a list of actions. For each action give an owner and a date. If an owner or date is missing, write [MISSING].

[Paste notes]

What to check

Check that every owner and date comes from the notes, not from the assistant.

Claude

Long documents, careful analysis and detailed drafting.

Capabilities

Reading long documents
Careful, structured analysis
Drafting and editing
Explaining its reasoning on request

Typical uses

Summarising reports and contracts
Reviewing a draft for clarity
Comparing two documents

Limitations

Can still miss details in very long files
Needs source checks for figures
Plans and data settings vary

Industries

Finance & Accounting, Legal & Compliance, Investment Banking

Try this demonstration

Compare two versions of a policy

Prompt

Compare Version A and Version B below. List every change in wording that affects a decision. Do not describe changes that are only spelling or formatting.

Version A: [paste]

Version B: [paste]

What to check

Check each change in the original text. Long comparisons can miss a clause.

Gemini

Working across Google tools and large amounts of material.

Capabilities

Drafting and summarising
Working with uploaded files
Google app connections, where available

Typical uses

Summarising a folder of notes
Drafting in Google Docs or Gmail
Research with web sources

Limitations

Connections depend on your account and settings
Check sources for facts
Features vary by region and plan

Industries

SMEs, Business operations, Research

Try this demonstration

Summarise a set of research notes

Prompt

Summarise the notes below into five points. For each point, say which note it came from.

[Paste notes]

What to check

Check that each point really appears in the cited note.

Perplexity

Research that needs links to sources you can check.

Capabilities

Web search with cited sources
Quick research summaries
Follow-up questions

Typical uses

Background research before a meeting
Checking a claim quickly
Finding primary sources

Limitations

Sources can be weak or outdated
Must open and read the sources
Not a replacement for a professional database

Industries

Investment Research, Consulting, Journalism and content

Try this demonstration

Find primary sources on a topic

Prompt

Find three primary sources (company filings, official statistics or regulator publications) on [topic]. Give the title, publisher, date and link for each.

What to check

Open each link. Make sure it is the official source and that it says what the summary claims.

Microsoft Copilot

Working inside Microsoft tools such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook.

Capabilities

Drafting in Word and Outlook
Helping with Excel formulas and summaries
Building slides from a document

Typical uses

Drafting a reply in Outlook
Summarising a long Word document
Creating a first draft of slides

Limitations

Some features need a paid Microsoft 365 licence
Feature set depends on your organisation's setup
Check data settings with your IT team

Industries

Finance & Accounting, HR & Administration, Corporate teams

Try this demonstration

Draft slides from a memo

Prompt

Create five slides from the memo below: a title, the key message, three supporting points and a closing next step. Keep each slide under 40 words.

[Paste memo]

What to check

Check every number on the slides against the memo before you present.

n8n

Automation: connecting apps into repeatable workflows.

Capabilities

Scheduled workflows
Connecting many apps
Adding AI steps inside a workflow
Human approval steps

Typical uses

Monthly reporting drafts
Moving data between systems
Routing invoices or requests

Limitations

Needs setting up and testing
Some technical comfort is needed
Hosted plans and self-hosting have different costs and rules

Industries

SMEs, Manufacturing, Finance & Accounting

Try this demonstration

Plan a simple scheduled workflow

Prompt

Describe the steps for a workflow that runs on the first working day of each month, reads a CSV file, drafts a summary with an AI step and saves it as a draft for approval. List each step as a node.

What to check

Test the workflow on old data first, and keep a person in the approval step.