Key takeaways
- On Business Standard and above, Gemini is already in your bill. The decision is about configuration, not purchase.
- Gemini's advantage is that it can work with your own Gmail, Docs and Drive files without copying anything anywhere.
- Heavy drafting, research and analysis teams often still want ChatGPT Business or Claude Team alongside it.
- Drive sharing hygiene matters for the same reason SharePoint does with Copilot.
A lot of Google Workspace businesses ask us whether they should buy ChatGPT. Our first question back is whether they have looked at what they already have. Since Google folded Gemini into Workspace plans in 2025, most businesses on Business Standard or above have had a capable assistant in every inbox and document for over a year, often switched on by default and never configured or explained to anyone.
What you already have
- Gemini in Gmail: summarise threads, draft replies, find information across your mailbox.
- Gemini in Docs, Sheets and Slides: drafting, rewriting, formula help, data summaries, slide generation.
- Gemini in Meet: note taking and meeting summaries.
- Gemini in Drive: ask questions across files you have access to.
- The Gemini app and NotebookLM: a standalone assistant and a research notebook grounded in documents you add.
Business Starter gets a narrower version, mainly in Gmail and the Gemini app. If you are on Starter and want the full set, the upgrade to Standard is usually cheaper than adding a separate assistant for everyone.
Where Gemini is enough
For most staff in a Workspace business, Gemini covers the everyday work: catching up on long threads, drafting routine replies, turning meeting notes into actions, tidying a document, building a first-pass slide deck. The integration means nobody has to copy and paste between tools, which is the single biggest reason people stop using an assistant.
Where a team needs more
Teams whose work is mainly creating new material or analysing material from outside your Drive often get more from a standalone assistant:
- Bids and proposals teams writing long, structured documents from a brief.
- Marketing teams producing a lot of varied copy.
- Analysts working through exported data or external reports.
- Developers, where Claude in particular is widely used.
Buy ChatGPT Business or Claude Team for those teams only. At about 20 US dollars per seat on annual billing, a five person team adds around 1,200 US dollars a year, which is a far smaller decision than giving everyone a second tool. Our ChatGPT Business vs Claude Team comparison helps with that choice.
Settings to check before you call it done
- Which organisational units have Gemini on. You can enable features for some groups and not others. Decide deliberately rather than inheriting the default.
- Data handling. Read the Workspace data commitments for Gemini and record them in your AI usage policy so staff know what is and is not appropriate.
- NotebookLM and the Gemini app. Decide whether these are on and for whom.
- Drive sharing. Gemini can only see what the user can see, but "anyone in the organisation with the link" files are visible to everyone. Review shared drives and old sharing links, especially HR, finance and board material.
- Personal accounts. If staff are also using personal ChatGPT or Gemini accounts for work, that is the bigger risk. See moving off personal ChatGPT accounts.
The most common finding: a business pays for Gemini, staff use personal ChatGPT accounts for real work, and nobody has told them the company tool exists or what it is for. Fixing that costs nothing but an hour of training.
Should you switch suites for a better assistant?
No. Moving from Google Workspace to Microsoft 365, or the reverse, to get a particular assistant means migrating mail, files, calendars, identity and habits. The assistants leapfrog each other every few months. Your suite is a ten year decision and should stay one.
Frequently asked questions
Is Gemini included in Google Workspace?
Yes, on Business Standard and above Gemini is included across Gmail, Docs, Sheets, Slides, Meet and Drive, along with the Gemini app and NotebookLM. Business Starter includes a more limited version. Google retired its separate Gemini add-ons in 2025.
Is Gemini as good as ChatGPT for business?
For work inside Gmail, Docs and Drive, Gemini's access to your own files is a real advantage. For standalone drafting, research and analysis, many teams still prefer ChatGPT or Claude. The practical answer for most Workspace businesses is Gemini for everyone and a standalone assistant for the one or two teams that need more.
Do we need to configure Gemini?
Yes. Check which organisational units have Gemini features enabled, review the data handling settings in the admin console, decide whether NotebookLM and the Gemini app are on, and tidy Drive sharing so Gemini is not surfacing files to people who should not see them.
Should we move to Microsoft to get Copilot?
No. Changing productivity suite to get a particular assistant is almost never worth the disruption. Use the assistant in the suite you have and add a standalone tool where needed.
Get a straight answer for your business
The Clarity Package gives you a written business case and a detailed implementation plan for 500 USD. The Implementation Package does the whole build, live in 30 days, for a fixed 5,000 USD.