If you work with data, you have probably asked an AI assistant to clean a CSV, write a formula or explain a chart. In November 2026 the three big assistants, ChatGPT from OpenAI, Claude from Anthropic and Gemini from Google, all cost about $20 a month for the standard plan. But they have drifted apart in what that money buys, where they work and how they handle your files. This guide compares them for one job: everyday data analysis.
What each plan costs
| Tier | ChatGPT | Claude | Gemini (Google AI) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | GPT-6 Luna, text chats uncapped | Sonnet 5.5, rolling 5-hour limit | Auto: mostly Flash-Lite |
| Budget | Go: $8 | None | AI Plus: $4.99 |
| Standard | Plus: $20 | Pro: $20, or $17 a month yearly | AI Pro: $19.99 |
| Heavy use | Pro: $100, $200 or $500 | $100 and $200 tiers | AI Ultra: $99.99 or $199.99 |
US prices per month, before tax. UK prices are similar in pounds: Claude Pro is £18 plus VAT and Google AI Pro £18.99.
Which model you actually get
The headline model is not always the one in your plan, so this matters more than the price.
Higher is better. Scores as of 3 November 2026. Google's stronger Gemini 4 Carbon (59.4) is not in consumer plans yet. Plans may route simple questions to smaller models.
- ChatGPT Plus ($20)
- OpenAI's GPT-6 reasoning models, more Deep Research, projects and scheduled tasks. Pro reasoning with GPT-6 Astra is reserved for the Pro tiers.
- Claude Pro ($20)
- Opus 5.5 and Sonnet 5.5, plus Claude Code and Claude for Excel. The top model, Fable, uses extra usage credits on Pro.
- Google AI Pro ($19.99)
- Gemini 4 Argon, Gemini in Gmail, Docs and Sheets, a 1 million token context window and 5 TB of storage.
- Free plans
- ChatGPT runs GPT-6 Luna, Claude runs Sonnet 5.5, and Gemini picks a model per question, mostly Flash-Lite. See the best free AI models.
Working with spreadsheets
ChatGPT
Add-in for Excel and Sheets- ChatGPT for Excel and Google Sheets has been generally available since 5 May 2026
- Works on every plan, including Free, with limited use on Free and Go
- Runs Python on uploaded files to clean data, test ideas and draw charts
- On Plus, big workbooks use up the agent allowance quickly
Best for exploring a new file and quick charts.
Claude
Claude for Excel- Explains multi-tab workbooks with clickable cell references and finds formula errors
- Works in Excel on the web, Windows (Microsoft 365) and Mac
- Strong at writing SQL and Python that follows your schema
- Needs a paid plan; no macros or VBA, and not in Excel 2016 or 2019
Best for inherited, complicated workbooks and code.
Gemini
Built into Google Sheets- Formulas, pivot tables, charts and conditional formatting from a prompt
- Included in Google AI Pro, or Workspace Business Standard at $14 a user
- Connects to BigQuery and other Google databases through Knowledge Catalog
- Works in Sheets, not Excel; Excel files can lose features when converted
Best for teams already on Google Workspace.
Connecting to your data platform
Uploading files only goes so far. For real company data you want the assistant to query the warehouse directly, under your own permissions.
- Gemini is the most integrated on Google Cloud: Knowledge Catalog grounds answers in BigQuery, AlloyDB, Cloud SQL and Spanner, and Google says it is now on by default in Gemini (preview). See Google's November data cloud update.
- ChatGPT and Claude both connect to Databricks through its managed MCP servers, and to many other tools through connectors. Snowflake and Databricks also run Claude and OpenAI models inside their own platforms.
- The model behind the answer matters less than the business context. All three give better answers when your tables have clear names and agreed definitions. Our guide to the semantic layer for AI agents explains why.
Privacy: read this before uploading
- 1
Prefer business plans for company data
Team and Enterprise plans from all three exclude your data from model training by default.
- 2
Treat free tiers as public
Google, for example, says content sent through the free Gemini API is used to improve its products.
- 3
Check retention
Anthropic says Claude for Excel inputs and outputs are deleted from its servers within 30 days, with some exceptions.
- 4
Beware of hidden instructions
Spreadsheets from outside sources can contain text that tries to steer the assistant; review what it changes.
Which one should you choose?
| If you mainly... | Choose | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Write SQL and Python for analysis | Claude Pro | Opus 5.5 on the $20 plan; strong at following a schema |
| Explore new files and make charts | ChatGPT Plus | Runs code on your file and charts the result in one step |
| Work in Excel all day | Claude for Excel or Copilot | Both work inside the workbook you already have |
| Work in Google Sheets and BigQuery | Google AI Pro | Built into Sheets and grounded in your Google Cloud data |
| Want to spend as little as possible | Google AI Plus or ChatGPT Go | $4.99 and $8 a month |
Check your understanding
1/3Which assistant's spreadsheet add-in works on the free plan?
ChatGPT's add-in works on every plan, with limited use on Free and Go.
2/3Which model does Claude Pro include?
Opus 5.5 scores 58.4 on the Artificial Analysis index; Fable uses extra credits on Pro.
3/3What is the cheapest paid plan of the three companies?
Google AI Plus costs $4.99 a month in the US.
You got 0 out of 3.
More on AI for analysts: the best AI models in November 2026, AI in spreadsheets and Power BI vs Tableau.
Sources: Notebookcheck's comparison of AI subscription prices (November 2026) and the vendors' pricing pages as summarised by BenchLM (October 2026); FreeAcademy's comparison of AI tools for Excel (3 November 2026); Fello AI's guide to free AI models (updated 4 November 2026); Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index v5 scores as of 3 November 2026; Google Cloud blog (4 November 2026). Prices and model access change often; check before you buy.
Alessandro Ecclesie AgazziWritten by Alessandro Ecclesie Agazzi, analytics engineer in London. Updated 9 November 2026. About me