AI tools for small-team work
What are the best AI tools for a small team? This comparison covers assistants, docs, automation, customer records, meeting notes, support chat and design, with each row showing free-plan details, price and stated limits.
The fact matrix
Read across each row to compare free plans, listed prices, stated limits and the kind of small-team work each tool supports. Under each cell is the vendor page we read and the date. The order of the rows is not a ranking.
| Tool | Free plan | Price | Stated limits |
|---|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT BusinessGeneral assistant for the team | No free team plan; the individual Free plan costs nothing chatgpt.com checked 2 Oct 2026 | Standard seat US$20/user/month billed annually, US$25 monthly; Premium seat US$100 / US$125. The help centre says pricing may vary by country help.openai.com checked 2 Oct 2026 | For teams of 2 to 200 people chatgpt.com checked 1 Oct 2026 |
| Claude TeamGeneral assistant for the team | No free team plan; the individual Free plan is US$0 claude.com checked 1 Oct 2026 | Standard seat US$20/seat/month billed annually, US$25 monthly; premium seat US$100 / US$125 claude.com checked 1 Oct 2026 | For teams of 2 to 150 people; usage limits apply claude.com checked 1 Oct 2026 |
| NotionDocs, notes and a shared knowledge base | Yes, US$0 per member/month notion.com checked 1 Oct 2026 | Plus US$10 per member/month; Business US$20 per member/month (the page offers a yearly discount; we did not capture which billing term the listed figures use) notion.com checked 2 Oct 2026 | Free and Plus list only a trial of Notion AI. Custom agents: free to try, then US$10 per 1,000 Notion credits notion.com checked 1 Oct 2026 |
| ZapierConnecting apps and automating routine steps | Yes, US$0/month, described as free forever zapier.com checked 1 Oct 2026 | Professional from US$19.99/month; Team from US$69/month; Enterprise by quote. Price rises with the task tier you choose zapier.com checked 1 Oct 2026 | Free: 100 tasks a month and two-step Zaps only. Multi-step Zaps and webhooks start on Professional. Team includes 25 users zapier.com checked 1 Oct 2026 |
| HubSpot CRMCustomer records and sales follow-up | Yes, free tools with no credit card required hubspot.com checked 1 Oct 2026 | Starter from US$15/month per seat; Professional from US$50/month per seat; Enterprise from US$75/month per seat hubspot.com checked 1 Oct 2026 | Free tools are for up to 2 users; 2,000 marketing email sends per calendar month with HubSpot branding; up to 3 email templates per account. Branding is removed from Starter up hubspot.com checked 2 Oct 2026 |
| FirefliesMeeting notes | Yes, $0, described as free forever fireflies.ai checked 1 Oct 2026 | Pro $18 monthly or $10 per seat/month billed annually; Business $29 or $19 per seat/month billed annually (currency symbol shown as $ only) fireflies.ai checked 1 Oct 2026 | Free: limited AI summaries, 400 minutes of storage per team, 20 AI credits. Pro: 8,000 minutes of storage per seat fireflies.ai checked 1 Oct 2026 |
| OtterMeeting notes | Yes, the Basic plan is labelled Free otter.ai checked 1 Oct 2026 | Pro US$16.99/user/month billed monthly, or US$8.33/user/month on the annual plan; Business US$30 monthly or US$19.99 annual. The page states prices are in USD and also showed time-limited discounts, which we left out otter.ai checked 2 Oct 2026 | Basic: 300 transcription minutes a month. Pro: 1,200 minutes, up to 90 minutes per meeting, 10 file imports a month otter.ai checked 1 Oct 2026 |
| TidioWebsite chat and customer support | Yes, $0/month tidio.com checked 1 Oct 2026 | Starter $24.17/month; Growth from $49.17/month; Plus from $300/month plus usage. The page has monthly and annual views and we did not capture which one these figures belong to tidio.com checked 2 Oct 2026 | Starter: 100 billable conversations and 50 Lyro AI agent conversations (one-off). Growth: from 250 billable conversations tidio.com checked 1 Oct 2026 |
| CanvaDesign and social graphics | Yes: Canva Free (US$0) includes up to 20 uses a month of Standard or Premium AI tools; no access to Ultra AI tools. canva.com checked 2 Oct 2026 | Pro US$144/year for one person; Business US$250/year per person (yearly billing, United States setting). Enterprise by quote canva.com checked 2 Oct 2026 | Shared monthly AI allowance across AI tools: Free up to 20 uses; Pro up to 200 Premium uses or 20 Ultra uses; Business up to 400 Premium or 40 Ultra. Trial allowance equals Free. canva.com checked 2 Oct 2026 |
Scroll the table sideways to see every column.
About the prices. Vendor pages were read on 1 and 2 October 2026 from a connection in Australia. Where a vendor shows local prices, we took the US-dollar figure from its United States page or its help centre and link to that page. Where we could not read a US-dollar price, the cell says so and names the currency we saw. Prices in other countries can differ.
Who each one suits, and who it does not
These lines are drawn only from the facts we could read on vendor pages. We have not run our own tests, so nothing here ranks the tools on the quality of their output.
ChatGPT BusinessSource: chatgpt.com
- Best for
- A team of two or more that wants one shared workspace with admin controls and a no-training default.Based on: stated limits, listed features
- Not ideal for
- A sole trader: the plan starts at two people.Based on: stated limits
Claude TeamSource: claude.com
- Best for
- Small teams that want search across their own company tools included in the seat.Based on: listed features
- Not ideal for
- A sole trader: the plan starts at two people.Based on: stated limits
NotionSource: notion.com
- Best for
- Keeping procedures, notes and project lists in one place; the AI features sit on the Business tier.Based on: listed features
- Not ideal for
- Getting ongoing AI on the cheaper tiers: Free and Plus list a trial only.Based on: stated limits
ZapierSource: zapier.com
- Best for
- Passing data between the apps you already use, starting with simple two-step automations at no cost.Based on: free plan, stated limits
- Not ideal for
- Anything beyond a two-step flow on the free plan: multi-step Zaps need Professional.Based on: stated limits
HubSpot CRMSource: hubspot.com
- Best for
- A first shared customer list and deal pipeline at no cost, with an AI assistant included.Based on: free plan, listed features
- Not ideal for
- Getting the AI customer agent cheaply: it is listed from the Professional tier.Based on: listed features, price
FirefliesSource: fireflies.ai
- Best for
- Getting a written record of client calls; transcription itself is listed on the free plan.Based on: free plan, stated limits
- Not ideal for
- Keeping a long archive for free: storage is capped at 400 minutes per team.Based on: stated limits
OtterSource: otter.ai
- Best for
- Teams that want published minute allowances to plan against.Based on: stated limits
- Not ideal for
- Meetings that run past 90 minutes on Pro.Based on: stated limits
TidioSource: tidio.com
- Best for
- A small shop that wants live chat and an AI agent on its website with a stated conversation allowance.Based on: stated limits, listed features
- Not ideal for
- High chat volumes on Starter: it covers 100 billable conversations.Based on: stated limits
CanvaSource: canva.com
- Best for
- Social posts, flyers and simple brand graphics without a designer; there is a free plan to start on.Based on: free plan, listed features
- Not ideal for
- Heavy AI image use on the cheaper plans: the monthly AI allowance is shared across tools and capped.Based on: stated limits
How to choose from this table
Start with the work your team needs to do. ChatGPT Business and Claude Team are general assistants for teams. Notion covers docs, notes and a shared knowledge base, while Zapier connects apps and automates routine steps. Fireflies and Otter handle meeting notes, and Tidio supports website chat and customer support.
Check the budget before you choose a paid tier. Notion, Zapier, Fireflies, Otter, Tidio and Canva all list free plans. ChatGPT Business, Claude Team, Notion Plus and HubSpot Starter have different paid prices and billing terms. Review the listed figure and billing period before deciding which plan fits your team.
Watch the stated limits that affect daily work. Zapier Free includes 100 tasks a month and two-step Zaps only. Fireflies Free has 400 minutes of storage per team, while Otter Pro lists a 90-minute maximum per meeting. Tidio Starter includes 100 billable conversations and 50 one-off Lyro AI agent conversations.
Match the plan to your team size and setup. ChatGPT Business is for teams of 2 to 200 people, and Claude Team is for teams of 2 to 150 people. Zapier Team includes 25 users. HubSpot Free tools are for up to 2 users, while Notion Free and Plus list only a trial of Notion AI.
Treat not verified as a reason to check, not a mark against the product. It means the vendor page did not show us the detail on the day. Every figure, with its source and date, is also in the fact ledger.
Related: AI tools compared by task, price and usage limits, Business AI plans compared by cost and limits, Free AI tools and their plan limits, How to compare AI tools for your business.
Questions people ask
Which AI tools have free plans for small teams?
Notion, Zapier, Fireflies, Otter, Tidio and Canva list free plans. HubSpot also offers free tools with no credit card required. ChatGPT Business and Claude Team do not list a free team plan, although their individual Free plans cost US$0 or nothing.
What is the cheapest listed team option?
The table lists free or no-cost options for several tools, but their included features and limits differ. For shared assistants, ChatGPT Business and Claude Team both list Standard seats at US$20/user/month or US$20/seat/month billed annually, with US$25 monthly. Country pricing may vary for ChatGPT Business.
Can a sole trader use ChatGPT Business or Claude Team?
The table says both team plans start at two people. ChatGPT Business is for teams of 2 to 200 people, and Claude Team is for teams of 2 to 150 people. A sole trader may need an individual plan instead.
Which small-team tool has a shared knowledge base?
Notion is listed for docs, notes and a shared knowledge base. Its free plan is US$0 per member/month, while Plus is US$10 per member/month and Business is US$20 per member/month. Free and Plus list only a trial of Notion AI.