Anyone introducing AI in a company today faces a confusing market. Almost every tool now has an AI button, and pricing models change every quarter. For a company with 50 employees, the core still comes down to three building blocks: one assistant for everyone, one automation platform for recurring work, and clear rules on which data may go where.
Building block 1: the assistant
The obvious choice is the ecosystem you already work in. List prices in October 2026, net, per person per month:
| Tool | Price | Storage in the EU |
|---|---|---|
| Microsoft 365 Copilot Business (up to 300 people) | 21 USDP, promotion from 18 USD | check the Trust Center |
| ChatGPT Business | 20 USD annual, 25 USD monthlyP | no, Enterprise and Edu only |
| Claude Team | 20 USD annual, 25 USD monthlyP | per third-party analyses only via AWS Bedrock or Google Vertex |
| Google Workspace with Gemini | Business Standard 14 USDP, Plus 22 USD | data regions in Enterprise only |
Microsoft also offers Copilot Chat at no extra charge in eligible plans. For many teams that is a good start before buying full licences.
For 50 people at 20 to 25 USD, the assistant budget comes to roughly 1,000 to 1,250 USD a month.
Building block 2: the automation platform
| Platform | Entry price | Billing |
|---|---|---|
| Zapier | Professional from 19.99 USDP, Team from 69 USD | per task |
| Make | Core 12 USDP, Pro 21 USD, Teams 38 USD | per credit |
| n8n Cloud | Starter 20 EURP, Pro 50 EUR (annual) | per execution |
| n8n self-hosted | Community Edition free | you run it |
How to choose a platform is covered in our comparison of automation tools.
Building block 3: the data rules
Without data rules, every licence becomes a risk. Define four data classes and write down which tools are allowed for each. A one-page traffic-light scheme is enough to start.
The workflow
- 01StartExisting ecosystem: Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace?
- 02SystemDefine data classes: public, internal, confidential, strictly confidential
- 03CheckEU storage mandatory?yes: enterprise tier, EU hosting via a cloud provider or self-hosted n8n
- 04SystemCheck the licence: data processing, no training on inputs, SSO, retention
- 05PersonPilot with 10 to 20 people
- 06ResultChoose the automation platform by data sovereignty and team skills
Limits and risks
- Prices: List prices, promotions and bundles change quickly. All figures are list prices excluding tax as of October 2026. Check with the vendor before buying.
- Shadow AI: Without an official option, people use private accounts. A fast, good standard prevents that better than a ban.
- Licence sprawl: One assistant for everyone; additional tools only with a reason.
- Data residency: Some statements on EU storage come from third-party analyses. Get the commitment confirmed in your contract.
How to start
- List which AI tools are already in use, including private accounts.
- Define the four data classes and give every tool a traffic light.
- Buy licences for a pilot team of 10 to 20 people.
- After six weeks, decide on rollout based on measured usage.
Sources
- PMicrosoft: Microsoft 365 Copilot Plans and Pricing (accessed October 2026)
- POpenAI: ChatGPT Business Pricing (accessed October 2026)
- POpenAI: Introducing data residency in Europe
- PAnthropic: Claude Pricing (accessed October 2026)
- MHeuking: Anthropic Claude in the Enterprise, data protection and compliance
- PGoogle Workspace Pricing (accessed October 2026)
- PZapier Pricing
- PMake Pricing
- Pn8n Pricing