AI agents for office work, compared.

AI work agents take a goal, such as “build next week’s client deck from these files”, and hand back the finished document, spreadsheet, email or slides. As of September 2026, the four big ones are Claude with Cowork, ChatGPT Work, Microsoft Copilot (until recently Microsoft 365 Copilot) with Copilot Cowork, and Gemini in Google Workspace.

The quickest way to choose: pick the one that lives where your files already are. Teams on Microsoft 365 get the most from Copilot, Google Workspace teams from Gemini, and teams whose files sit on their own computers or across mixed tools from Claude or ChatGPT Work.

01AI work agents at a glance

This table compares what each agent makes, where it works and the plan you need. Checked on September 28, 2026, on each vendor’s own pages.

Microsoft renamed Microsoft 365 Copilot to Microsoft Copilot, but its pricing page still sells the add-on as Microsoft 365 Copilot Business. Prices above are list prices in US dollars; a yearly plan or commitment is cheaper for all four.

02What can each AI work agent do?

Each of the four can plan a task, pull in context and deliver a file you can review. The differences are in where they reach and how you pay.

Claude with Cowork

Cowork reads, edits and creates files in folders you choose, and works through connected tools such as Microsoft 365 and Slack. It has its own browser in a side panel, uses your screen only when it has to, and runs scheduled tasks unattended.

On September 16, Anthropic began merging Cowork and chat into one Claude app, starting with Pro and Max. Its Cowork page now reads “Claude Cowork is now just Claude.” Anthropic also added Claude Docs and Slides in beta, and brought Claude Design into conversations. Slides exports to PowerPoint or PDF. By default, Claude asks before taking an action.

ChatGPT Work

ChatGPT Work launched on July 9, 2026, inside a new ChatGPT desktop app that absorbed the Codex app. It delegates tasks with a clear outcome, such as a brief, a deck or a recurring update, using your files, plugins and approved tools.

In the desktop app it can work locally with files, apps and the browser, or in OpenAI’s cloud so it keeps going after you close your laptop. ChatGPT for Excel is available on Plus, Pro, Business and Enterprise, and a Sites feature for dashboards and interactive reports is in public beta.

Microsoft Copilot and Copilot Cowork

Copilot sits inside Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and Teams. The Copilot Business plan adds prebuilt agents such as Researcher and Analyst, and Word, Excel and PowerPoint agents you reach from chat.

Copilot Cowork is Microsoft’s multi-step agent. It grounds its work in your email, meetings, files and business data, plans the steps, and pauses for approval before sending an email or making a big update. It is available to Microsoft Copilot customers with usage-based billing, and an admin has to turn it on.

Gemini in Google Workspace

Gemini works inside Gmail, Docs, Sheets, Slides, Drive, Meet and Chat. Since September 2, Google has been rolling out cross-app tasks: from Gmail, Docs, Slides, Drive or Chat you can ask Gemini to create a formatted doc, sheet or deck, research across files, draft and send email, or schedule meetings.

Before sending email or booking a meeting, Gemini shows a preview card to review, edit and confirm. Workspace Studio, included in every business plan, builds agents that automate recurring work. Google also offers Gemini Spark, a 24/7 personal agent, to Google AI Pro and Ultra subscribers and select business users.

03What is the difference between Claude Cowork and ChatGPT Work?

Claude Cowork and ChatGPT Work are the closest pair here: both are desktop agents that can work in local files and apps, and both can hand a task to the cloud. The differences are price, platforms and office tools. Checked on September 28, 2026, on Anthropic’s pricing and Cowork pages and OpenAI’s pricing and computer use docs:

If you want an agent for more than office files, our list of desktop AI agents compares ten of them on the same fields.

04Which AI work agent is best for documents and spreadsheets?

The best one for documents and spreadsheets is the one built into the apps where your files live. An agent that works inside those apps saves you copying results back and forth between tools.

• Word, Excel and PowerPoint: Microsoft Copilot works inside the apps. Claude with Cowork can also read and edit Word, Excel and PowerPoint files, and ChatGPT has Excel and PowerPoint add-ins.

• Google Docs, Sheets and Slides: Gemini works inside them, and its new cross-app tasks can create a doc, sheet or deck from Gmail or Chat.

• Files on your own computer, from many sources: Claude with Cowork or ChatGPT Work, which read local folders through their desktop apps.

Whichever you pick, check the numbers yourself. Our guide to AI for spreadsheets shows how to test formulas on rows where you know the answer, and AI presentations covers decks that look designed rather than generated.

05How do their data controls compare?

On business plans, all four vendors say your work data is not used to train their models by default. The controls around that promise differ. Checked on September 28, 2026:

One detail for European teams: Microsoft says the Anthropic models available in Copilot are currently excluded from its EU Data Boundary. Personal plans also differ from business ones, so read what happens to what you type before staff use their own accounts for work.

06Are AI work agents worth it for a small team?

AI work agents are worth trying for a small team that spends hours each week on documents, decks and reports, as long as you start with a few recurring tasks and measure the time saved. The cost is modest next to a salary, but it adds up across seats.

We calculated a year of list prices for a five-person team, using the cheapest business plan that includes each agent’s multi-step features. Prices were checked on September 28, 2026; usage-based extras, such as Copilot Cowork and extra Claude usage, are not included.

Microsoft’s $18 price is a first-year discount on yearly subscriptions, offered from July 1 to December 31, 2026; the list price is $21. Microsoft does not mark the $23.50 bundle as a promotion. Google’s $14 needs a one-year commitment; without one, Business Standard is $16.80, or $1,008 a year for five. Sources: Google, Microsoft, Anthropic, OpenAI, Google Cloud.

The cheapest line is not automatically the best buy. If your team already pays for Microsoft 365 or Workspace, the agent in that suite adds the least cost and the least friction. Our list of 15 jobs to hand off is a good source of first tasks.

Run a fair trial before you commit. Give two agents the same real task and compare the results side by side:

From the files in [folder or drive], build a one-page summary of last month's sales by region, and a three-slide deck for Monday's team meeting.
Use our template in [file]. Flag any number you could not reconcile, and list every file you used.
Do not send, share or delete anything. Ask me before any step that leaves this folder.

Write down how long each version took you to check and fix. That number, not the demo, tells you which agent fits. Then put the rules in writing with our AI use policy template, so everyone knows which tool and which data are allowed.

07FAQ

Read next: the best AI agents by job, or desktop AI agents that can work across your whole computer.