The AI tool landscape has exploded. Every week there’s a new product promising to transform how you work. For a Belgian SME trying to make a pragmatic choice, the noise is overwhelming.
This article cuts through it. We compare the tools that actually matter for day-to-day business work — with verified pricing, an honest take on what each tool does well (and badly), and the GDPR question that every European business needs to answer.
The tools that matter
There are dozens of AI tools, but for most Belgian SMEs, the real choice comes down to six platforms. Each has a different strength.
Claude (Anthropic)
What it does best: Long document analysis, structured writing, code generation, and — through Cowork — creating real files (Excel, PowerPoint, HTML) and executing tasks on your computer.
Pricing:
- Free: basic access
- Pro: $20/month — includes Cowork (file creation, code execution)
- Max: $100/month (5x usage) or $200/month (20x usage)
- Team: $30/user/month (min. 5 members)
Why Belgian SMEs pick it: Cowork is genuinely different from other AI tools. Instead of just generating text, it can create deliverables — actual spreadsheets with formulas, presentations, data analyses with charts. For knowledge workers who spend their day producing documents and processing data, this saves real time.
Dutch/French: Good support for both languages. Not perfect, but functional for business use.
ChatGPT (OpenAI)
What it does best: General-purpose AI assistant with the broadest feature set. Image generation (DALL-E), web browsing, code interpreter, custom GPTs.
Pricing:
- Free: basic access (now includes ads in the US)
- Plus: $20/month — GPT-5 access
- Pro: $200/month — maximum capabilities
- Team: $30/user/month
Why Belgian SMEs pick it: Largest ecosystem of plugins and custom GPTs. If you need a specific workflow (e.g., a GPT trained on your sales playbook), the GPT Store has thousands of options. The breadth of capabilities is unmatched.
Dutch/French: Excellent support for both languages.
Microsoft 365 Copilot
What it does best: AI integrated directly into Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Teams. No context switching — AI assistance right where you already work.
Pricing:
- Copilot Chat: free (limited, requires M365 subscription)
- Copilot Business: $21/user/month (on top of your M365 license)
- Copilot Enterprise: $30/user/month
Why Belgian SMEs pick it: If your company already runs on Microsoft 365, this is the lowest-friction option. Draft emails in Outlook, generate slides in PowerPoint, analyse data in Excel — all without leaving the apps you use every day.
Catch: You need an existing M365 Business Standard or Premium license. The Copilot cost comes on top.
Dutch/French: Full support through Microsoft’s existing localisation.
Google Gemini
What it does best: Deep integration with Google Workspace — Docs, Sheets, Gmail, Meet. Plus strong research capabilities.
Pricing:
- Free: Gemini 2.5 Flash, 100 AI credits/month
- AI Pro: $19.99/month — 1,000 credits
- AI Ultra: ~$42/month — 25,000 credits
- Workspace add-on: varies by plan
Why Belgian SMEs pick it: If you’re on Google Workspace instead of Microsoft 365, this is your natural choice. AI in Gmail, Docs, and Sheets without switching tools.
Dutch/French: Excellent support for both.
Mistral AI (European)
What it does best: Being European. Headquartered in Paris, building EU data centres, with a strong data sovereignty story. The models are competitive, though not yet at the level of Claude or GPT-5 for complex tasks.
Pricing:
- Le Chat Free: $0
- Le Chat Pro: $14.99/user/month
- Enterprise: custom pricing
Why Belgian SMEs pick it: If data sovereignty is your top priority — because of your industry, your clients, or your own convictions — Mistral is the strongest choice. It’s the only major AI provider that’s fully European.
Catch: The models are good but not best-in-class for every task. French support is excellent; Dutch is functional but less refined.
DeepL (European — translation & writing)
What it does best: Translation. Specifically, Dutch-French-English translation that consistently beats Google Translate and others for business-quality output.
Pricing:
- Free: limited characters
- Starter: $10.49/month
- Advanced: $34.49/month
- Ultimate: $68.99/month
Why Belgian SMEs pick it: Belgium is trilingual. If your business operates in Dutch, French, and English (and many do), DeepL is the one tool that reliably handles all three at professional quality. DeepL Write also helps with AI-assisted writing and tone adjustments.
GDPR: EU-headquartered (Cologne, Germany). Strongest data protection story for translation.
The GDPR question
Every Belgian SME needs to think about this. The short version:
Consumer/free plans of any AI tool are generally not suitable for processing personal data in a business context. If you’re pasting client names, contract details, or employee information into a free ChatGPT or Claude account, you’re likely not GDPR-compliant.
For business use with personal data, you need a paid business or enterprise plan that includes a Data Processing Agreement (DPA).
Here’s how the main tools rank on GDPR positioning, from strongest to weakest:
- Mistral AI — EU-headquartered, EU data centres planned
- DeepL — EU-headquartered (Germany)
- Microsoft Copilot (Business/Enterprise) — EU Data Boundary supported, extensive certifications
- Google Gemini (Workspace) — strong when used via enterprise Workspace
- Notion AI (Business/Enterprise) — SOC 2 + ISO 27001, zero-retention with LLM providers
- Claude (Team/Enterprise) — EU infrastructure available, but EU-only processing not fully guaranteed
- ChatGPT (Business/Enterprise) — DPA available, but US-based
- Perplexity (Enterprise) — self-declared compliance, not independently audited
Practical advice: for most Belgian SMEs, Microsoft Copilot or Google Gemini (via your existing Workspace subscription) offer the best balance of capability and compliance. If you’re handling sensitive data and want maximum sovereignty, look at Mistral.
Which tool for which job?
Don’t pick one tool for everything. Most businesses benefit from two or three:
| Task | Best tool |
|---|---|
| Document creation (contracts, proposals, reports) | Claude Cowork or Microsoft Copilot |
| Email & calendar | Microsoft Copilot or Google Gemini (whichever suite you use) |
| Data analysis & spreadsheets | Claude Cowork (for one-off analyses) or Microsoft Copilot (for Excel integration) |
| Translation (NL/FR/EN) | DeepL |
| Research & fact-finding | Perplexity or ChatGPT with web browsing |
| Presentations | Claude Cowork (creates .pptx) or Microsoft Copilot (in PowerPoint) |
| Team knowledge base | Notion AI |
| EU data sovereignty | Mistral AI |
What we recommend
If you’re a Belgian SME that’s just getting started with AI:
- Start with what you already have. If you’re on Microsoft 365, try Copilot. If you’re on Google Workspace, try Gemini. The friction is lowest.
- Add Claude Pro for heavy lifting. When you need to create complex documents, analyse data, or build something custom, Cowork fills a gap that the productivity suite AIs don’t cover.
- Use DeepL for translation. Don’t rely on general-purpose AI for Dutch-French-English translation. DeepL is simply better at it.
- Get your GDPR house in order. Use business plans, sign DPAs, and brief your team on what they can and cannot paste into AI tools.
The landscape will keep shifting. But the fundamentals won’t: pick tools that fit your workflow, take GDPR seriously, and start with real tasks rather than hypothetical use cases.
What’s next?
- Want to see what Claude Cowork can actually do? Read 10 things Cowork can do that you don’t expect
- New to Cowork? Start with our beginner’s guide
- Looking for an AI-powered tool to track public tenders across Europe? Check out TenderWolf — built by DataWoods