AI Free Tier Comparison — Enterprise 300

Dimension	Claude Sonnet 4.5 (Free)	ChatGPT GPT-5.3 (Free)	Gemini 2.5 Flash (Free)	Copilot Chat E3/E5 Bundled
Message Limit	DynamicRolling 5-hr window; no fixed daily quota.	10 / 5 hrsFalls back to GPT-5.3 Mini after cap.	100-250/dayAPI: 5-10 RPM. Consumer app more generous.	Not publishedPriority to licensed paid users during high demand.
Model QualityFree tier vs. flagship	Same modelFree users get Sonnet 4.5 -- same as paid. No degraded fallback.	PartialGPT-5.3 free, falls back to Mini. No reasoning model access.	PartialFlash 2.5 free; Gemini 3 Pro requires paid.	Copilot ChatFull web-grounded chat. No M365 app integration.
Data PrivacyTraining / tenant boundaries	Data may trainFree conversations may be used for training. Opt-out available. No BAA.	Data may trainFree tier data may improve models. No enterprise controls.	Data may trainConsumer free: data used for product improvement.	Commercial Data Protection E3/E5Prompts NOT used to train models. Data stays within tenant boundary.
Uptime SLA	None	None	None	Best-effortLicensed users get priority. No formal SLA on bundled chat.

Capability	Claude Free	ChatGPT Free	Gemini Free	Copilot Chat (E3/E5)
Content and Reasoning
Long-form writing / analysis	Excellent	Good	Good	Good
Context WindowFree tier	200K tokens	128K tokens	1M tokens Largest	~32KWeb-grounded; no long document upload.
Advanced Reasoning	LimitedExtended thinking = Pro+ only	Not availableThinking requires Plus+	LimitedThinking features paid-only	ModerateGood for structured tasks
Coding assistance	StrongNo agentic Claude Code (paid only)	GoodCodex agent = paid only	Good	ModerateNo GitHub Copilot integration
Multimodal and File Handling
Image input (vision)	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
File / document upload	YesPDFs, text, code files	LimitedStricter rate limits on free	LimitedComplex docs may hit limits	NoWeb-only chat; paid Copilot M365 supports upload
Image generation	No	LimitedDALL-E, 2-3 images/day on free	YesUp to 100 images/day via Gemini app	YesImage Creator via Designer included with E3/E5
Web search / grounding	YesIncluded on free tier	YesLive web search on free	YesGrounded in Google Search	Yes (primary)Web-grounded by default via Bing
Productivity and Workflow Integration
Microsoft 365 integrationWord, Excel, Outlook, Teams	None	None	NoneRequires paid Workspace Gemini license	No (paid add-on)In-app M365 Copilot requires $18-30/user/mo add-on
Projects / workspacesPersistent context	YesProjects available on free as of Feb 2026	LimitedShared projects = Business+; memory limited on free	LimitedNo persistent workspace on free	LimitedNo cross-session memory in chat
Memory / personalization	YesPersistent memory across sessions on free	LimitedMemory available but limited; no team memory	No	LimitedNo cross-session memory in bundled Chat
Security and Compliance (Critical for Enterprise)
Data used for training	Yes (opt-out)	Yes (opt-out)	Yes (opt-out)	No Key AdvantagePrompts stay within tenant boundary per Microsoft's contractual commitment
Tenant data isolation	No	No	No	YesTied to your M365 tenant; enterprise compliance commitments apply
Admin / policy controls	None	None	None	PartialM365 admin can enable/disable Copilot Chat via tenant settings
Compliance certificationsSOC 2, HIPAA, GDPR	Free tier: None	Free tier: None	Free tier: None	Inherited from M365SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR. HIPAA BAA for eligible E5 customers.
DLP / sensitivity labels	No	No	No	Partial (E5 only)Purview DLP can restrict data into paid Copilot. Basic chat has no DLP.
Cost Structure (For Your 300-400 User Org)
Free tier cost	$0	$0	$0	Already paidBundled in existing E3/E5. No incremental cost.
Paid upgrade (per user/mo)	$20 Pro / $30 TeamTeam plan: 5-seat min, better for org use	$20 Plus / $30 BusinessBusiness plan for teams; includes admin controls	$20-30 Google One AI / Workspace Gemini	+$18-30/user/mo add-onTo unlock in-app M365 Copilot. At 300 users = $65K-108K/yr

Claude Free

Best free-tier writing quality and nuanced analysis
200K context window; Projects now free (Feb 2026)
Persistent memory on free tier
Strongest for cybersecurity advisory content drafting
No data governance controls -- individual accounts only
Best fit: Individual power users; content creation

Enterprise Risk

High -- no org controls, data may train models

ChatGPT Free

Only 10 GPT-5.3 messages / 5 hrs -- very limited
Fallback to weaker GPT-5.3 Mini after cap
Good ecosystem (GPT Store, DALL-E)
No advanced reasoning on free (Thinking = paid)
Best fit: Occasional web research and quick tasks

Enterprise Risk

High -- most restrictive free tier for daily use

Gemini Free

Massive 1M-token context window -- unique advantage
Best for large document ingestion and long-context tasks
Generous image generation (100/day via app)
No Workspace integration without paid license
Best fit: Large document analysis, research synthesis

Enterprise Risk

High -- no org controls; limit stability uncertain

Copilot Chat (E3/E5)

Only option with commercial data protection built-in
Prompts/responses stay within your tenant boundary
Already included -- zero additional cost
No M365 app integration (Word, Excel, Teams) -- costs extra
Best fit: Safe daily web-grounded chat for all 300-400 users

Enterprise Risk

Lowest of the four -- data stays in your tenant

* Sources: Anthropic support docs, OpenAI Help Center (Mar 2026), Google AI Studio docs, Microsoft Learn Copilot licensing docs. Data changes frequently -- verify limits before policy decisions. Copilot pricing: E3 ~$36/user/mo, E5 ~$57/user/mo; Copilot add-on $18/user/mo (annual). Prices increasing July 2026 per Microsoft announcement.

* "Free tier" for Claude/ChatGPT/Gemini = consumer public free accounts with no enterprise data protection, admin controls, or compliance commitments. Use of these platforms with client or confidential data warrants a formal acceptable use / BYOAI policy.

AI Free Tier Capability Comparison