The AI Barn

AI tools for UK small businesses: a starter stack with UK prices

By Rob Falconer Published Updated

How this guide works: it’s a research-based starter list, not a set of hands-on reviews. Prices come from each provider’s own page, checked 24 October 2026 (Make checked 22 October 2026). Where a provider only shows US dollars, the pounds in brackets are approximate, using the European Central Bank reference rates for 23 October 2026. VAT is shown as each provider states it. If you’re VAT-registered and buy from an overseas supplier, the reverse charge usually applies (GOV.UK, checked 24 Oct 2026).

Start with what you already pay for

Most UK small businesses already pay for Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace. Both now include AI features, so the cheapest AI “stack” is often the one you already have. Only add a separate tool when it does a job your suite can’t, and try it on the free tier first.

Before anyone on your team pastes customer details into an AI tool, read our AI and UK GDPR checklist.

1. Writing and email

  • Microsoft 365: Microsoft says Copilot Chat is available at no extra cost with eligible Microsoft 365 subscriptions. Business Standard with Copilot is listed at £18.10 per user a month, paid yearly, excluding VAT (Microsoft UK, checked 24 Oct 2026). Microsoft also notes that some AI features are billed by usage.
  • Google Workspace: Business Starter is £5.90 per user a month on an annual commitment, or £7 on the flexible plan, and includes Gemini in Gmail and the Gemini app. Business Standard is £11.80 or £14 and adds Gemini in Docs, Meet and more (Google Workspace UK, checked 24 Oct 2026). The page we checked doesn’t say whether VAT is included.
  • ChatGPT: there’s a free plan, and the UK App Store lists Go at £6.99 a month and Plus at £19.99 a month, including VAT (App Store UK, checked 24 Oct 2026). Those are personal plans. On them, your content may be used for training unless you turn that off. OpenAI says it doesn’t train on Business, Enterprise or API data by default (OpenAI Help Centre, checked 24 Oct 2026). ChatGPT Business needs at least two users; see chatgpt.com/pricing for the current price, which we didn’t confirm in pounds.

Good first job: drafting replies to common customer questions, which a person then checks before sending.

2. Meetings and notes

  • Google Meet: Workspace Business Standard and above include Gemini in Meet, which can take notes and summarise meetings, along with meeting recording (Google Workspace UK).
  • Microsoft Teams: AI recaps depend on your Copilot licence. Check Microsoft’s plan comparison for what each plan includes.
  • Otter.ai: the free Basic plan gives 300 transcription minutes a month, with meetings up to 30 minutes each. Pro is $16.99 per user a month billed monthly (≈£12.71), and is cheaper billed yearly (otter.ai/pricing, checked 24 Oct 2026).

Before you switch a notetaker on: tell everyone in the meeting that it’s being recorded and transcribed, and keep transcripts only as long as you need them.

3. Automation

  • Make: the Free plan has 1,000 credits a month. Core was $12 a month billed yearly (≈£8.97) or $16 billed monthly when we checked on 22 October 2026. Make also offers a Start-up Plan discount for eligible small firms (make.com/en/pricing; our Make review has the detail).
  • Zapier: the Free plan has 100 tasks a month for two-step Zaps. Pro starts at $19.99 a month billed yearly (≈£14.95) or $29.99 monthly, and Zapier says it can bill in pounds at the exchange rate on the day you pay (zapier.com/pricing, checked 24 Oct 2026).

Good first job: sending new enquiry-form entries to a spreadsheet and an email alert. It’s easy to test and easy to undo.

4. Video: our pick is Synthesia

For training videos, how-to guides and short explainers where nobody on the team wants to be filmed, Synthesia is the tool we’d look at first. You type a script, choose an AI presenter (or create a personal avatar), and it produces a video with a voice. It supports more than 140 languages, which helps if you have customers or staff who don’t speak English as a first language. Synthesia Ltd is a UK company based in London (synthesia.io/pricing, checked 24 Oct 2026).

  • Basic (free): 10 minutes of video a month, with a watermark. Enough to see whether it suits you.
  • Starter: $29 a month billed monthly (≈£21.69). Paying yearly is cheaper per month.
  • Pro: $89 a month billed monthly (≈£66.58), or $64 a month billed yearly (≈£47.87).
  • Prices are in US dollars, and unused credits don’t roll over to the next month.

Who it isn’t for: if you mainly need quick social clips from your own phone footage, the editors you may already have will do: Clipchamp comes with Microsoft 365 Business plans, and Google Vids with Workspace. Avatar videos also aren’t right for everything. Customers may prefer a real person for testimonials or personal messages.

Want to try it? Synthesia’s free Basic plan lets you make a short watermarked video before you pay for anything.

Try Synthesia (Ad)
Starter stack at a glance. Prices checked 24 October 2026 (Make 22 October 2026). USD prices have approximate pounds in brackets.
JobFree or already paid forFirst paid stepVAT note
Writing and emailCopilot Chat (eligible M365); ChatGPT FreeWorkspace Business Starter £5.90/user/month (annual)Google: not stated; Microsoft: ex VAT
Meetings and notesOtter Basic (300 min/month)Workspace Business Standard £11.80/user/month (annual)Not stated
AutomationMake Free; Zapier FreeMake Core $12/month yearly (≈£8.97)Not shown on pricing page
VideoSynthesia Basic (watermarked)Synthesia Starter $29/month (≈£21.69)Not stated

A sensible way to roll it out

  1. Choose one task that wastes time every week.
  2. Try it on a free tier or an AI feature you already pay for, for two weeks.
  3. Write a one-page rule for the team: what can and can’t go into AI tools, and who checks the output.
  4. Only then pay for a plan, and set a reminder before it renews.

FAQ

Do I need all four types of tool?

No. Plenty of small businesses only need the AI features in the email and documents suite they already pay for. Add tools one at a time.

Why are some prices in dollars?

Some providers only show US dollar prices on their UK pricing page. We give approximate pounds, but the amount you pay depends on the exchange rate and your card provider’s fees.

Sources

All checked 24 October 2026 unless stated. Prices change, so check before you buy.

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