Using ChatGPT for business: guide for teams and SMEs (2026)
Which ChatGPT plan suits your business, how to get the most time savings, and what you need to sort out for GDPR.
- ChatGPT Plus ($20/month, indicative) is suitable for individual use. ChatGPT Teams ($25/user/month, indicative) is the better choice for teams of two or more: a data processing agreement (DPA) is available and your input is not used for model training.
- The five business use cases that save the most time are: writing emails and proposals, summarising meetings, analysing data via file upload, drafting customer communications, and generating code or formulas.
- EU AI Act Article 4 (in force 2 February 2025) also applies to ChatGPT users: role-specific training and an AI register are the minimum compliance baseline.
Using ChatGPT for business: which plan and where to start?
For individual business use, ChatGPT Plus ($20/month, indicative) is sufficient. Teams of two or more users choose ChatGPT Teams ($25/user/month, indicative): this provides a data processing agreement (DPA) for GDPR compliance and guarantees your input is not used for model training. Large organisations with single sign-on (SSO) requirements and extensive security needs choose ChatGPT Enterprise (price on request from OpenAI). The five most valuable business use cases are: writing emails and proposals, summarising meetings, analysing data, drafting customer communications, and generating code or formulas. All three plans support these use cases; the differences lie in data governance, GDPR compliance, and team features.
ChatGPT Plus, Teams and Enterprise: what are the differences?
OpenAI offers three plans for business use. Which plan fits best depends on the number of users, your GDPR requirements, and the level of security you need.
ChatGPT Plus ($20 per month): for individual users
ChatGPT Plus is the entry plan for individual business use. By default, OpenAI uses your input for model training unless you turn this off via Settings > Privacy. A data processing agreement (DPA) is not available for Plus users. Choose Plus if you are a freelancer or individual employee using ChatGPT for non-sensitive tasks such as drafting, summarising and brainstorming, and you do not enter client personal data.
ChatGPT Teams ($25 per user per month): for teams
ChatGPT Teams is designed for teams of at least two users. Your data is not used for model training and a data processing agreement (DPA) is available for GDPR compliance. You get a shared workspace with custom GPTs, an admin console for user management, and a longer context window for longer documents. ChatGPT Teams is the recommended choice for businesses that process business input involving client data or confidential business information.
ChatGPT Enterprise: for large organisations
ChatGPT Enterprise offers an unlimited context window, SOC 2 Type II certification, single sign-on (SSO), domain verification, and a usage analytics dashboard. Pricing is on request via the OpenAI sales team. ChatGPT Enterprise is typically suited to larger organisations, those with strict compliance requirements (such as healthcare, finance, or legal), or those deploying AI at scale with centralised access control.
Business use cases for ChatGPT that save the most time
ChatGPT delivers the most time savings on tasks that are repetitive and require consistent text quality. Below are the five use cases SME users mention most often.
Writing emails and proposals
Give ChatGPT context (client, service, tone, relevant details) and let it produce a draft. That delivers a usable text in seconds rather than minutes. Always review before sending: ChatGPT can fill in plausible-sounding but incorrect details. It is a drafter, not a final editor.
Summarising meetings
Paste a transcript or rough notes into ChatGPT and ask for a summary with action points per person. ChatGPT Teams has a larger context window for longer meetings. Never use client personal data for this purpose without a DPA and GDPR legal basis.
Analysing data via file upload
ChatGPT Plus and above support uploading CSV and Excel files. Ask questions about your data in plain language: 'Which client generated the most revenue this quarter?' or 'Create a chart of monthly revenue by region.' This does not replace a BI tool for large datasets, but is useful for quick analyses of limited scope.
Drafting customer communications and FAQs
Have ChatGPT answer frequently asked customer questions based on your product information, website copy, or manuals. This delivers consistent responses for customer service, FAQ pages, or email campaigns. Always verify that the content aligns with your own policies and offering.
Generating code and formulas
ChatGPT writes Excel and Google Sheets formulas based on a plain-language description. It also generates simple scripts (Python, JavaScript) for automation tasks. No coding knowledge is required to use the output, but having a technical colleague or developer review the output is recommended for production use.
ChatGPT and GDPR: what do you need to sort out?
Three rules apply for GDPR-safe business use of ChatGPT. Rule one: use ChatGPT Teams or Enterprise if you process client personal data or confidential business information. Only these plans have a data processing agreement (DPA) available and OpenAI guarantees your data is not used for model training. This guarantee does not apply to ChatGPT Plus. Rule two: never enter client personal data (name plus email, national ID numbers, financial, medical) in ChatGPT Plus, even with the training option turned off, because no DPA is available. Rule three: EU AI Act Article 4 (in force 2 February 2025) requires every business using ChatGPT commercially to provide role-specific training to employees on the use, limitations, and risks of the tools they use, and to document this in an AI register. This is the minimum compliance baseline for any SME deploying AI.
Frequently asked questions about using ChatGPT for business
What is the difference between ChatGPT Plus and ChatGPT Teams?
Can I enter client data into ChatGPT?
How much does ChatGPT Teams cost per month?
Do I need to comply with the EU AI Act if I use ChatGPT for business?
Is ChatGPT Enterprise better than Teams for an SME?
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