Tools at a Glance
ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, and Microsoft Copilot — what makes each one different?
There are now many AI tools available and the lines between them are blurring. But each has distinct strengths, origins, and design philosophies. The following overview will help you choose the right tool for the task.
ChatGPT
Made by OpenAI. The most widely used AI tool globally. Excellent general-purpose assistant with image generation and web search. A free tier is available; Plus costs $20 per month.
Gemini
Made by Google. Deeply integrated with Google Workspace — it can read your Gmail, Drive, and Calendar. Best if your team relies heavily on Google products.
Claude
Made by Anthropic. Particularly strong at long-document analysis, nuanced writing, and following complex instructions. Known for careful, detailed responses.
Microsoft Copilot
Made by Microsoft, powered by OpenAI. Lives inside Teams, Outlook, Word, and Excel. Best for searching your organisation's Microsoft 365 data.
Choosing the right tool for the task
Select a tool below to see its best use cases for teachers specifically.
ChatGPT — best for
- General writing, drafting, brainstorming, and ideation.
- Generating images with DALL-E (Plus plan).
- Searching the web for current information when web search is enabled.
- Creating custom GPTs to automate specific workflows.
- Teams and Enterprise plans with data privacy protections for organisations.
At Brickfield: A good starting point for any team member new to AI. The free tier is capable for everyday tasks.
Gemini — best for
- Teams using Google Workspace — Gmail, Drive, Meet, and Calendar.
- Searching across your emails and documents using natural language.
- In-document assistance in Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides.
- Research with Google Search integration built in.
At Brickfield: If the team uses Google Workspace significantly, Gemini could be powerful for finding information across shared Drives and email threads.
Claude — best for
- Reading and analysing long documents — contracts, reports, research papers.
- Writing that requires nuance, care, and following detailed multi-step instructions.
- Complex technical writing and documentation.
- Developer tasks including code generation, debugging, and architecture discussion.
- Tasks requiring careful handling of sensitive or nuanced content.
At Brickfield: Currently the primary tool for Gavin and the CTO. Particularly suited to the technical depth required in accessibility documentation. Claude Projects align well with how Brickfield operates.
Microsoft Copilot — best for
- Searching across your organisation's SharePoint, OneDrive, and Teams data.
- Summarising meeting recordings and generating action items from Teams calls.
- Drafting emails and documents with awareness of prior Microsoft 365 context.
- Excel data analysis and PowerPoint slide creation.
At Brickfield: The most likely choice for customer success and sales teams once Microsoft 365 Copilot is licensed. It can surface customer conversation history, SharePoint files, and meeting notes in one place.
You do not have to pick just one
Different tools have different strengths. Many people use Copilot for internal Microsoft 365 data, Claude or ChatGPT for deep writing and analysis, and a third tool for specific tasks. This is normal and practical.
Which tool for which Brickfield task?
The following table maps the tasks most common as a teacher to the tool best suited for each. Ratings reflect each tool's current strengths — all four can handle all tasks, but some are meaningfully better for specific work.
| Task | ChatGPT | Claude | Gemini | Copilot |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drafting parent and carer emails | Excellent | Excellent | Good | Good |
| Summarising lesson observations | Excellent | Excellent | Good | Excellent |
| Reviewing curriculum documents | Good | Excellent | Good | Good |
| Writing lesson plans and schemes of work | Excellent | Excellent | Good | Good |
| Creating quiz questions and assessments | Excellent | Excellent | Good | Good |
| Writing differentiated resources | Good | Excellent | Good | Good |
| Writing subject explanations and starters | Excellent | Excellent | Good | Good |
| Searching school policy documents | Not applicable | Not applicable | Not applicable | Excellent |
| Turning rough notes into lesson plans | Excellent | Excellent | Good | Excellent |
| Research and current information | Good | Good | Excellent | Good |
Note: "Excellent" and "Good" reflect current relative strengths, not hard limits. All four tools are capable across all these tasks. For M365 document search, Copilot is the only tool with access to your organisation's internal data.