TRAINING DECISIONS
Buying ChatGPT, Copilot, Claude or Gemini for your staff in Hong Kong: what a company can actually buy (2026)
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Short answer: A Hong Kong company can buy business seats for Microsoft 365 Copilot and for Gemini in Google Workspace. ChatGPT Business and Claude Team are not officially offered in Hong Kong: neither OpenAI nor Anthropic lists Hong Kong as a supported region, and OpenAI warns that use from places not on its list can get an account blocked. So for most Hong Kong teams the real choice is Copilot or Gemini, and it follows whether you already run on Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace.
By Sam Wong (黃力桐), corporate AI trainer in Hong Kong.
| Tool | Business plan | List price per user per month | Team size | How you pay | Offered in Hong Kong? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Microsoft 365 Copilot | Microsoft 365 Copilot Business (add-on) | From US$18, paid yearly (shown as a reduced price; originally US$21) | Up to 300 users, annual commitment | Annual subscription | Yes |
| Microsoft 365 with Copilot | Business Standard with Copilot · Business Premium with Copilot | US$23.50 · US$32, paid yearly | Up to 300 users | Annual subscription | Yes |
| Gemini | Google Workspace Business Standard or Plus (Gemini across the apps); Business Starter (limited Gemini) | Not shown on Google's Hong Kong pricing page when I checked | Business plans up to 300 users; Enterprise no limit | Billed monthly; a one-year commitment saves 16% | Yes |
| ChatGPT | ChatGPT Business · ChatGPT Enterprise | Business: US$20 yearly or US$25 monthly · Enterprise: custom | Business from 2 users | Business by credit card · Enterprise by invoice through sales | No. Hong Kong is not on OpenAI's list |
| Claude | Claude Team (Standard or Premium seats) · Claude Enterprise | Team Standard: US$20 yearly or US$25 monthly · Premium: US$100 or US$125 · Enterprise: US$20 per seat yearly plus usage, 20-seat minimum | Team: 2 to 150 | Team by card · Enterprise by invoice through sales | No. Hong Kong is not on Anthropic's list |
Prices are the vendors' US list prices, read on their official pages on 7 Nov 2026. Ask for a Hong Kong quote before you budget. Hong Kong availability for Copilot and Gemini is from my check of which AI tools work in Hong Kong (23 Oct 2026); for ChatGPT and Claude it is from the vendors' own lists, read on 7 Nov 2026.
HR and IT teams ask me this before almost every training: we want to pay for AI for our staff, so which one, and how do we buy it? The answer in Hong Kong is shorter than people expect.
Start from what you already pay for
If the company runs on Microsoft 365, start with Copilot. Many staff already have Copilot Chat included with their Microsoft 365 licence. Signed in with a work account, it comes with Microsoft's enterprise data protection. The paid add-on is what draws on your emails, files and meetings. Count who has which before you buy more. I explain how in Microsoft Copilot training for Hong Kong companies.
If the company runs on Google Workspace, or has nothing yet, start with Gemini. It is included in Workspace plans, so the question is which plan, not whether to add a new vendor.
Microsoft 365 Copilot: how a company buys it
- Under 300 users: Microsoft 365 Copilot Business is an add-on with an annual commitment. It sits on top of Microsoft 365 Business Basic, Business Standard, Business Premium, Apps for business or Teams Essentials.
- Bundles: Microsoft also sells Business Standard and Business Premium with Copilot included, at US$23.50 and US$32 per user per month, paid yearly.
- Larger companies: Copilot is an add-on to eligible enterprise plans such as E3 and E5, or included in Microsoft 365 E7. Ask Microsoft or your Microsoft partner for the price.
- Data: Microsoft says prompts and responses stay within the Microsoft 365 service boundary and are not used to train the underlying models.
Ask your Microsoft partner for a Hong Kong dollar quote and the invoice terms.
Gemini in Google Workspace
- Business Starter has limited Gemini: in Gmail, not in Docs.
- Business Standard and Plus have Gemini across the Workspace apps.
- Starter, Standard and Plus are for up to 300 users. Enterprise has no limit and goes through Google's sales team.
- Plans are billed monthly. A one-year commitment saves 16%.
- Data: Google says Workspace data is not used to train generative AI models outside your domain without permission.
ChatGPT and Claude: why you can't simply buy seats for Hong Kong staff
On paper both have good business plans. ChatGPT Business offers SSO, central billing and no training on business data by default. Claude Team offers the same kind of controls.
But Hong Kong is not on OpenAI's list of supported countries, and not on Anthropic's list of supported regions. OpenAI's own page says that using its services from outside the listed countries "may result in your account being blocked or suspended". Anthropic's usage policy bars access that breaks its supported-regions policy.
That is the vendors' choice, not a Hong Kong government ban. For a company it means one thing: don't build a team's daily work on an account that can be switched off. If your staff want OpenAI's GPT models at work, Microsoft 365 Copilot is the approved route here.
Before you buy: five questions for HR and IT
- Who will use it every week? Buy for them first. Seats nobody opens are the most common waste I see.
- Which tool can staff use on Monday? Pick one company tool, so training and support stay simple.
- Which data may go in? Write a red, yellow and green rule. Mine is in staff AI data rules for Hong Kong companies.
- Work accounts only. Company data goes into the company account, under IT's admin settings, never into a personal account.
- Who checks it is working? Measure work done, such as reports and minutes finished, not logins.
Seats first, then training
Buying seats is the easy part. The training should happen on the tool your staff will actually be allowed to use, on their own work. That is how I run corporate AI training in Hong Kong.
Tell me your team size, which tools you are deciding between, and one task your people repeat every week: corporate AI training enquiry.
FAQ
Can a Hong Kong company buy ChatGPT Business or ChatGPT Enterprise?
Not officially. Hong Kong is not on OpenAI's list of supported countries, and OpenAI warns that access from outside that list can lead to a blocked or suspended account. Companies can reach OpenAI's GPT models through Microsoft 365 Copilot.
Can a Hong Kong company buy Claude Team?
Not officially. Hong Kong is not on Anthropic's list of supported regions.
How much does Microsoft 365 Copilot cost for a small company?
Microsoft's US page lists Microsoft 365 Copilot Business from US$18 per user per month, paid yearly, shown as a reduced price from US$21, for companies with up to 300 users. Ask Microsoft or your partner for a Hong Kong dollar quote.
Is Gemini included in Google Workspace?
Yes. Business Standard and Plus include Gemini across the apps; Business Starter includes a limited version.
Will the vendor train its AI on our company data?
Microsoft says Copilot prompts and responses are not used to train its models, and Google says Workspace data is not used to train models outside your domain without permission. Still decide which data may go in before anyone uses it.
Sources
Read on 7 Nov 2026:
- OpenAI: ChatGPT supported countries · ChatGPT Business pricing
- Anthropic: supported countries and regions · usage policy · Claude pricing
- Microsoft: Copilot for business pricing · Copilot licence options · Copilot overview
- Google: Workspace pricing (Hong Kong) · Gemini in Workspace privacy hub · Gemini app locations
Sam Wong (黃力桐) is a Hong Kong AI adoption trainer who has trained 11,000+ people.