For a small NZ firm with staff, put everyone on ChatGPT Business (the plan formerly called Team), not on personal Plus accounts. Business is USD 25 a user a month billed monthly, or USD 20 billed annually, and it gives you one shared workspace, admin controls and a default of no training on your inputs, which Plus does not. A sole trader can reasonably stay on Plus with training switched off. Enterprise is for much bigger organisations. I am Balu at Kove (kove.nz), and the next step is a free 30-minute call or the AI consultant page if you want the plan, the client-data rule and the training sorted together.
What is each plan, in plain terms?
The deciding factors are rarely the model or the message limits. They are three questions: is what you type used for training, can you see and control who is using it, and how many seats do you need.
- Plus is a personal subscription. One person, one login, billed to whoever signs up, usually on a personal card. Training on your inputs is on by default and has to be switched off by hand in Data Controls.
- Business (formerly Team) is the small-firm plan: a shared workspace, an admin console, and OpenAI's default of not using your inputs and outputs for training. Two-seat minimum.
- Enterprise is the large-organisation plan, with single sign-on, audit and contract features. I could not confirm a published list price, so treat it as a quote from OpenAI sales.
On the name: OpenAI renamed ChatGPT Team to ChatGPT Business in August 2025. Plenty of people, and plenty of search results, still say Team. It is the same plan.
How do the three compare?
OpenAI prices in US dollars and I have not converted them. Business prices are as I recorded them in October 2026; check OpenAI's pricing page before you buy, because it has moved twice this year.
| Plus | Business (formerly Team) | Enterprise | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Personal subscription, billed per person (check OpenAI for the current figure) | USD 25 a user a month billed monthly, USD 20 billed annually, two-seat minimum | Quoted by OpenAI sales |
| Who it suits | A sole trader or one person trying it out | Firms of 2 to about 100 who want everyone on one managed plan | Large organisations with security and procurement requirements |
| Inputs used for training | On by default; you can switch it off in Data Controls | Not by default, per OpenAI's policy page | Not by default, per OpenAI's policy page |
| Admin controls | None. Each person manages their own account | Shared workspace and an admin console to add and remove people | The fullest set, including single sign-on |
The training line comes from OpenAI's policy page, which says that with Business, Enterprise, Edu and the API it does not use your inputs and outputs to train its models by default (the wording I checked on 8 September 2026, covered in the ChatGPT for tradies post).
What goes wrong when staff use personal Plus accounts for client work?
Nothing dramatic, which is exactly the problem. It just quietly stops being your firm's business.
- You cannot see it. There is no admin console, so you do not know who uses ChatGPT, for what, or whether they switched training off.
- The history leaves with the person. A quote template, a letter that worked, a client summary: all of it sits in a personal account that walks out the door when they do.
- The training setting is theirs. The default is on. One staff member who never opened Data Controls is enough.
- It is on a personal card. Reimbursed expenses, no single invoice, no idea what the firm spends.
The fix is a rule more than a plan: one workspace the firm owns, and a short written line on what may be pasted. Business gives you the workspace. The rule is still yours to write.
Which plan for a firm of 1, 5 and 15 people?
One person. Plus is fine. Switch training off in Data Controls, leave client names, addresses and dollar figures out of what you paste, and describe the job instead of the customer. If you want the same terms as a firm, Business takes a minimum of two seats, so it only fits once you have a second user.
Five people. Business. At USD 20 a user a month billed annually that is USD 100 a month for the lot, which is less than one lost afternoon a month. You get one workspace and one invoice, and you can remove a leaver the same day. Write the one-page rule on client data before the first login goes out.
Fifteen people. Still Business, with a trial of the high-use seats first. Fifteen at USD 20 a user is USD 300 a month at the annual rate. Enterprise only enters the conversation if a client contract or your insurer demands single sign-on or audit features, and that is a question to put to OpenAI sales, not a default.
In every case, put the people doing the writing, summarising and thinking-through on seats first, and watch use for a month before you buy the rest. Accountants and bookkeepers have the sharpest version of the client-data question, and AI for accountants in NZ goes through it.
How does this compare with Microsoft 365 Copilot?
Both are per-seat assistants, so they are the fair comparison. The split is where your data lives. ChatGPT Business is a general assistant for drafting and working through problems, and it is the cheaper seat. Microsoft 365 Copilot reads your own Outlook, SharePoint and Teams under your existing permissions, which is the case for it when the question is "summarise the Henderson job". The seat cost, the trial approach and the pitfalls are in is Microsoft 365 Copilot worth it for a small NZ firm, and what it can reach is in what Microsoft 365 Copilot can see in your files. For a lot of firms the answer is one of each on different seats, not one for everyone.
Questions I get about ChatGPT plans
Is ChatGPT Team the same as ChatGPT Business?
Yes. OpenAI renamed ChatGPT Team to ChatGPT Business in August 2025, which is why people still search for Team. It is the shared-workspace plan with admin controls, priced at USD 25 a user a month billed monthly or USD 20 billed annually, with a two-seat minimum (checked October 2026).
How much does ChatGPT Business cost per user?
OpenAI cut the price in April 2026 to USD 25 a user a month billed monthly, or USD 20 billed annually, with a two-seat minimum. These are US dollars, so the NZ dollar cost moves with the exchange rate and I have not converted it.
Does ChatGPT Plus use my data for training?
By default, yes. OpenAI's policy page says Business, Enterprise, Edu and the API do not use your inputs and outputs for training by default, which puts Free, Plus and Pro on the other side of that default. A Plus user can switch training off in Data Controls, but it is a personal setting that your firm cannot enforce or check.
Is ChatGPT Plus fine for a sole trader or one-person firm?
Often, yes, as long as you switch training off in Data Controls and keep client names, addresses and dollar figures out of what you paste. With no staff, there is nobody else's habits to manage. Once a second person starts using ChatGPT for work, move to Business.
Do I need ChatGPT Enterprise for a firm of 15?
Almost never. Enterprise is aimed at much larger organisations with single sign-on, audit and contract needs, and it is quoted by OpenAI sales rather than listed. For 15 people, Business gives you the shared workspace and the training default, and a written client-data rule does the rest.
Should we use ChatGPT or Microsoft 365 Copilot?
Choose by where your data lives. If the work is drafting and thinking through problems, ChatGPT Business is the cheaper seat. If the question needs your own Outlook, SharePoint and Teams to answer, that is the case for Microsoft 365 Copilot, which reads your tenant under your existing permissions.
Get the plan and the rule sorted
I build on the Microsoft stack for NZ firms and I do not resell ChatGPT or Copilot seats, so I have no horse in this race. Book a free 30-minute call, tell me who would use it and for what, and I will say which plan I would put each person on and what the client-data rules should say. If you want the tool choice, the licences and the staff rules done together, that is an AI consultant in NZ.