Best AI tools 2026: the most used AI and what each one is for in your business

Every week there is a new AI that “changes everything”, and it is easy to end up paying for five subscriptions nobody uses. Here we sort the most used AI tools of 2026 by task: what each does well, what it costs (prices as of October 2026, which change often) and an example from a business in Andorra.

Which AI tools are used most in 2026?

The most comparable figure is the web traffic measured by Similarweb. In September 2026, ChatGPT took 56.4% of visits to generative AI websites worldwide, Gemini 25% and Claude 9.6%. DeepSeek, Grok, Copilot and Perplexity were each below 4%.

The picture has shifted fast: in June 2025 ChatGPT had around 76% and Gemini was under 9%. Note this only counts the web, not apps or the AI built into WhatsApp, Office or Google. What the companies themselves report:

• ChatGPT: 900 million weekly users and 50 million paying subscribers (OpenAI, February 2026).
• Gemini: over 1 billion monthly users (Sundar Pichai, August 2026).

General assistants: ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and the rest

They draft emails, summarise documents, translate between Catalan, Spanish, French and English, analyse a spreadsheet or turn your notes into a quote. Prices as of October 2026:

• ChatGPT (OpenAI): the broadest feature set (voice, images, search, agents) and the best known. Free with limits; Go, €8/month; Plus, €23/month (eurozone prices). Example: a sports shop in Pas de la Casa writes its product pages in four languages.
• Claude (Anthropic): strong at long-form writing, analysing lengthy documents and coding. Free with limits; Pro, $20/month ($17 billed annually); Team, from $20 per user. Example: a firm in Andorra la Vella summarises a 40-page tender.
• Gemini (Google): the best fit with Gmail, Drive and Google Search, and strong on images and video. Free; Google AI Plus, €4.99/month; AI Pro, €21.99/month (with Gemini in Gmail and Docs and 5 TB). Example: a hotel in Canillo summarises the month's reviews and drafts the replies.
• Microsoft Copilot: an app with a free tier and, above all, the AI inside Word, Excel, Outlook and Teams (see below). Example: an accountancy firm summarises a client's email thread before calling them.
• Meta AI: free inside WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook. Handy for quick ideas on your phone, never with customer data.
• Grok (xAI): linked to X, with real-time search, images and video. Free with limits; SuperGrok, $30/month. In January 2026 the European Commission opened an investigation into fake sexualised images created with Grok.
• Mistral Vibe (formerly Le Chat): the option from a European (French) company, with connectors for Google Workspace, Outlook and Slack. Free; Pro, $14.99/month plus tax.
• DeepSeek: free and capable, but its privacy policy says it stores data in China, and in 2025 the Italian regulator ordered it to limit its processing. Keep business information out of it.

If you are torn between the two most popular for your team, we compare them in depth in Claude or ChatGPT for business.

AI search and the AI in your suite: Microsoft 365, Google Workspace and Gemini Notebook

For research with cited sources, two options stand out. And if you already pay for Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace, check what is included before buying anything:

• Perplexity: answers with links to the pages each fact comes from; useful for researching suppliers, regulations or competitors. Free with basic searches; Pro, $20/month. Example: an estate agency in Escaldes gathers housing market news with its sources.
• Google AI Mode: the AI tab in Google Search, free and available in Andorra in Catalan, Spanish and French. It passed 1 billion users in the second quarter of 2026, according to Google.
• Copilot in Microsoft 365: Copilot Chat comes at no extra cost with eligible business plans. The Copilot Business add-on, which works inside Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and Teams, costs €18.20 per user/month billed annually or €21.84 monthly, excluding VAT (on offer until 31 December 2026). Example: a shop asks Excel for sales by season.
• Gemini in Google Workspace: from Business Starter ($7 per user/month) you get Gemini in Gmail and the Gemini app; in Docs, Sheets and Meet, from Business Standard ($14).
• Gemini Notebook (formerly NotebookLM): upload your documents and it answers only from them, with citations, and creates audio summaries. There is a free version. Example: a gym uploads its rules, prices and procedures, and reception can check any question instantly.

AI for images, video and voice: the most used in 2026

For images, the practical move is to start with the one built into your assistant; specialist tools pay off if you produce a lot:

• ChatGPT Images: version 2.5 (September 2026) keeps faces and products from your reference photos and edits only the area you mark. Example: a patisserie tries seasonal backgrounds for a photo of its best-seller.
• Nano Banana (Gemini): Google's image generator and editor; the free plan includes limited access to Nano Banana Pro.
• Midjourney: the go-to for artistic-style images; from $10/month, no free trial (Pro or Mega required if your revenue exceeds $1 million a year).
• Canva and Adobe Firefly: AI inside the design tool. Canva Free gives up to 20 AI uses (Pro, €110/year); Firefly has free daily use and Standard for €11.17/month, with in-house models Adobe describes as safe for commercial use.
• Veo and Flow (Google): generate video clips from text or images; video generation is included from Google AI Plus. Example: a ski school makes a short clip for its ads.
• HeyGen: avatar videos and video translation into many languages. Free for up to 3 one-minute videos a month, watermarked; Creator, $29/month.
• ElevenLabs: realistic voices, dubbing and voice cloning. Free for about 10 minutes a month without a commercial licence; Starter, $6/month, with a commercial licence. Example: a hotel records the voice-over for its welcome video in four languages.

Everything moves fast: in March 2026 OpenAI announced it was shutting down its Sora video app. Do not depend on a single tool, and keep your original files.

Coding, building websites and apps without code, and automating with agents

You can now build a working prototype just by describing it. But a prototype is not a live website: security, SEO, languages and maintenance still need someone who knows the job.

• Lovable: describe the website or app and it builds it. Free with 5 credits a day; Pro from $25/month. Example: an estate agency tests a property valuation form before commissioning it.
• For developers: Claude Code is included in Claude Pro, Codex in ChatGPT, and GitHub Copilot has a free plan and Pro at $10/month.
• n8n, Make and Zapier: connect your apps and add AI steps. n8n is free self-hosted or from €20/month in the cloud (billed annually); Make has a free plan with 1,000 credits a month, and Zapier is free for up to 100 tasks, with Professional from $19.99/month.
• Agents: ChatGPT Work (July 2026), Claude Cowork (on paid plans) and Copilot work for hours with your files and apps, and ask for your approval before important steps.

You will find 8 examples with their savings in our guide to AI automation for businesses, and which platform to choose in n8n vs Make vs Zapier.

Which AI to use for each task

A practical summary with entry prices as of October 2026. Always start with the free version or what you already pay for:

How to choose without paying for 6 subscriptions

Our rule: one tool per real need, not per new launch. A paid assistant costs around €20-26 per person a month: five people with three tools each are already past €300 a month.

• Check what you already pay for. Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace already include AI: switch it on and try it first.
• Pick one main assistant for the whole team, on a business plan if customer data is involved: OpenAI, for example, does not train on ChatGPT Business data by default.
• Test for two weeks with real tasks (the same emails, the same spreadsheet) on the free versions before paying.
• Add a specialist tool only if it is used every week: images, video or automation.
• Review licences every quarter and cancel the ones nobody opens.

Training your team pays off more than another licence: according to Eurostat, 71% of European companies that considered AI but did not adopt it cite a lack of expertise. That is why we run in-company AI workshops built around your sector.

AI risks for businesses: privacy, hallucinations and image rights

Using AI without rules is what is risky. The three risks we see most often:

• Privacy: in Andorra, Law 29/2021 on the protection of personal data (Llei 29/2021 qualificada de protecció de dades personals) applies. Do not paste customer, patient or employee data into personal accounts. On free versions your chats may be used for training: Gemini does so by default unless you turn off activity; in Claude you choose.
• Hallucinations: AI can confidently make up a figure, a law or a quote. OpenAI puts this down to training that rewards guessing over admitting uncertainty. Always check prices, deadlines, regulations and anything you publish or sign.
• Image rights: do not generate images or voices of real people without their consent, and do not imitate other brands. Read each tool's commercial use terms and, for sensitive pieces, choose options that cover it, such as Firefly's own models.

Write a one-page AI policy: which tools are allowed, which data must never go in, and who reviews what gets published.

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Kim Capel

Founder of Visualtec (2005). AI, automation and SEO consultant with 20+ years in digital marketing.