AI in practice

ChatGPT vs Claude: Which AI Fits Your Business?

By Artur Neumann. Updated October 21, 2026.

I run my business in Germany. Monetary examples use euros unless another currency is stated.

I pay for both ChatGPT and Claude, each with the premium subscription, costing around 200 euros per month. I need both because I use them for different tasks. Claude writes my texts. ChatGPT researches for me, and with Codex, it builds my technology.

In this article, I’ll show you which tool I use for what and why. And which one you should choose if you only want one. I’m including a link to an article on how to effectively use ChatGPT in your daily work: ChatGPT for Entrepreneurs. This article focuses solely on making the decision.

The Short Answer

There isn’t a single best tool for everything. Each AI has its own style, its own tone, and its own strengths. The task at hand determines the best choice. Here’s how I divide my work today:

If you’re starting from scratch, you don’t need two subscriptions. Choose one and work with it. Which one you choose is secondary at the beginning. I’ll explain more about that at the end.

How I Came to Use Two Subscriptions

In early 2026, Claude was my primary tool. When it came to a digital assistant, Claude was my first choice. I didn’t have a ChatGPT subscription at the time; I didn’t need one.

In February, that changed. With Claude, I had the highest-tier plan. If you reach that plan’s limit, you’re charged per unit of usage. So, I decided to try Codex. Codex is the counterpart to Anthropic’s Claude Code, but from OpenAI. It’s included in ChatGPT’s subscription plans.

A few months prior, I found Codex to be slow and subpar. This time, I was surprised. On the first evening, I had Codex check my server. It found security vulnerabilities and many areas that could be optimized. Once, Codex discovered a configuration file that had inadvertently reactivated a blocked user. Claude hadn’t noticed that.

Since then, I’ve been using both. Having two subscriptions offers an additional benefit: I can run two tasks simultaneously.

Texts and Customer Communication: Claude

My opinion on this hasn’t changed in months. Claude writes better texts. They sound more human, and the overall style is more pleasant. When it comes to writing, there’s little that I find better. I use Claude for newsletters, proposals, responses to customers, and sales pages.

A second reason: Claude understands me. In the web version, it has access to my entire history, and it uses that information. So, the tool knows who I am. For webinars, I also provide Claude with several text files about myself, containing my story and success stories. As a result, the output sounds like me, and not like a machine.

ChatGPT also writes good texts, provided you give it enough context. I show you how to do that in ChatGPT for Entrepreneurs. However, for texts that should sound like you, Claude remains my first choice.

Research and Quick Questions: ChatGPT

When I want to research something, I usually open ChatGPT. Often on my phone when I’m on the go. For in-depth research, ChatGPT has a “Deep Research” function. Claude can also search the web, which is included in all Claude plans. I’m used to using ChatGPT for research.

In addition, there’s image generation. ChatGPT generates images directly within the chat. I also use that for technical tasks, more on that shortly.

Automation and Software Without a Programmer: Codex

Today, I build websites, automate processes, and create custom software using AI. For that, you need a tool that works on your computer or server. Anthropic calls it Claude Code, while OpenAI calls it Codex. Claude Code is included in the Pro plan and above. Codex is available in a limited capacity in ChatGPT Free, and more extensively in the Plus plan.

Since spring, I’ve mostly used Codex for technical tasks. The reason: I have to explain less. I tell it what I want, and Codex gathers the necessary information itself. That saves a lot of time, especially on my server with many projects. With Claude Code, I often had to provide more guidance.

One process I often use: I have ChatGPT generate an image of a design that I like. Then, Codex programs the website based on that design. Within the Codex app, it then checks the result itself.

Claude Code has other strengths. Websites look visually better when created with it. At a live seminar on October 11, 2026, I built a website with Claude Code in front of the participants. You can find instructions on how to set up Claude Code in Claude Code in German.

Both desktop apps can now click and operate programs on the computer. One of my products uses that feature. The customer uploads a folder to ChatGPT or Claude. The AI interviews the customer and then sets up everything on their computer. That works with both tools.

My perspective since spring 2026: Building software is now solved. You can build any software you need. The bottleneck is no longer how to do something. The bottleneck is what you should do.

Long Documents: Claude Has More Space

Contracts, book manuscripts and webinar transcripts. For lengthy documents, the context window is crucial. This refers to the amount of text an AI can process simultaneously during a conversation. It’s measured in tokens, which are small units of text.

According to the providers’ pricing pages (as of October 13, 2026):

• Claude: Up to 1 million tokens, depending on the model. According to Anthropic, this applies to all individual plans.
• ChatGPT Plus and Business: 256,000 tokens in reasoning mode. OpenAI estimates that approximately 320 pages of text can be inputted.
• ChatGPT Pro: 400,000 tokens, according to OpenAI, equivalent to roughly 680 pages.

For very long documents, On paper, Claude offers almost four times the capacity of ChatGPT Plus. For typical documents, both options are sufficient.

One thing applies to all tools: if a chat becomes too long, the AI may forget what was discussed earlier. Therefore, it’s best to store your knowledge in text files rather than dumping everything into a chat. Then, you can provide the AI with only the files it needs for the specific task.

Team and Data Privacy: The Plan Matters

Data privacy is less about the tool itself and more about the plan you choose. There are three key points to consider.

Individual Plans. With ChatGPT’s individual plans, OpenAI may use your content to train its models. You can opt out: adjust your settings, manage your data controls, and disable the “Improve the model for everyone” option. Even after doing so, if you give a response a thumbs up or down, OpenAI may use the entire conversation for training purposes. This is stated in OpenAI’s Help Center. With Claude Free, Pro, and Max, you decide whether Anthropic can use your data for training. If you allow it, Anthropic will store your data for up to five years. Otherwise, it will be retained for 30 days. This is outlined in Anthropic’s updated consumer terms.

Team Plans. ChatGPT Business and Claude Team do not, by default, use your content to train their models. Both options are available for teams of two or more people. Additionally, they offer centralized billing, administration, and single sign-on, so team members can sign in through one identity system.

Data Location. ChatGPT Enterprise supports data residency in ten regions, including the EU. Data residency means your data is stored within that region. Anthropic offers services in Europe through the AWS Bedrock and Google Cloud Vertex platforms, as stated on their regional compliance page. The same page does not specify regions for the standard Claude plans.

My approach is pragmatic: avoid using customer data in personal accounts. As soon as employees are involved or customer data is used, opt for a team plan. For more details, see the data privacy section of ChatGPT for Business. Consult with your data privacy advisor for any legal questions.

Pricing

According to German pricing pages (as of October 13, 2026):

Anthropic lists its prices without taxes. OpenAI does not provide this information on its pricing page. According to OpenAI, the “Go” plan may include advertising. Always verify the prices before subscribing, as providers often change them: ChatGPT pricing and Claude pricing.

If You Only Choose One

For those starting from scratch, there’s no need to subscribe to two major platforms initially. Begin with one tool. Whether you choose Claude or ChatGPT is less important at the start. What matters is that you use it for real-world tasks.

• You write a lot, such as newsletters, proposals, and customer emails: Choose Claude Pro.
• You want to automate and build software: Choose ChatGPT Plus with Codex.
• You work with employees or customer data: Choose the team plan for whichever tool you prefer.

A second subscription is only worthwhile once you reach a limitation. For example, when your usage allowance is insufficient or when a tool struggles with a particular task. AI tools are simply means to an end. Those who constantly chase the latest model often build a lot and achieve little. Only look for a better tool when you have a genuine bottleneck.

You can find an overview of all my tools on the page AI Tools for Freelancers. All articles on the topic are available on the page AI in Business.