Topic: AI7 min read
The answer? Any of them: Claude, ChatGPT, and Gemini are all capable and their features are comparable. This guide walks you through the details, the key components I’ve learned, and how to decide which AI platform is best for you.
AI platforms are in news, advertisements, and social media feeds daily with their newest updates and fastest, most intelligent models. So which one should you choose?
Let me make it simple for you: they’re all good. And for the purposes of grant writing and prospecting, they will all do the job well. I have personally used ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini to write grants, and they have all performed similarly and offer similar features.
I have found the main decider for nonprofit professionals is usually focused around which AI company is perceived to be the most ethical. In my experience, most nonprofit organizations I’ve spoken to have landed on Claude. Whether they are the most ethical or not is open to public debate but, for now, they do seem to be the most transparent with their pursuits.
As with everything, I recommend you decide for yourself based on your personal review of each platform’s security policies and costs. As mentioned, they are all capable platforms and you can’t go wrong with any that you choose.
AI Nonprofit Pricing
Nonprofit Discounts: If you do go with Claude or ChatGPT, they offer a nonprofit discount for team accounts: $8 per month, per user, with a 2 user minimum. Team accounts also get more usage than Pro accounts. So for two individuals, you’ll spend $192 annually for Claude or ChatGPT. Gemini requires a larger package deal with their workspace in order to take advantage of any discounts.
The information above is as of August 2026. Pricing and features change quickly with AI, so I recommend verifying before taking my word for it.
Enterprise accounts for nonprofits: Claude and ChatGPT also offer discounted nonprofit enterprise plans. To get started with these plans, you’ll have to reach out to a sales representative to discuss your options. Enterprise is usually reserved for very large nonprofits with substantial budgets. Why choose enterprise over teams? Usually, it is tied to enhanced security features and more robust administrative account controls. The AI features themselves are comparable to teams accounts.
Michael’s noteFor most nonprofits, a team account is best. The organization I currently work for utilizes a Claude Team plan and it has worked quite well. Team accounts offer all the features you’ll need and the ability to share your work and collaborate with others in your organization.
Since I’ve built a platform that does not have AI, my opinion on this matter is predictable. My recommendation is that you do not purchase a grant tracking platform just because it has a bundled AI writer.
The reason: standalone platforms (Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini) will perform the work better, faster, and more capably than any bundled platform could. In addition, standalone platforms can also do so much more in addition to grant related work, whereas the bundled grant tracking + AI platforms are focused on grants. As a result, you’ll most likely buy a standalone platform subscription on top of your bundled platform anyways. Save some money — for nonprofits, this is vital — stick with a standalone platform.
Michael’s noteThe nonprofit organization I currently work for has a very large and well funded grant tracking platform with AI bundled in — no one has touched this feature. This is not because it is horrible. Rather, the standalone platforms are better. Therefore, the organization has purchased a Claude Team plan and has defaulted to using this instead.
This is an intentionally short checklist. As mentioned, all AI platforms will help you with grant writing and prospecting.
I built Grantary to not include AI features, because standalone AI platforms are better than anything I could provide. Grantary has been purpose-built to do one thing very well: track all details pertaining to your grants. Use Grantary to house all information about your grants; use Claude, ChatGPT, or Gemini for grant writing and prospecting.
Yes and no. Free versions do not enable the use of Projects, CustomGPTs, or Gems, which are the features that I recommend most for effectively and efficiently writing grants. More details can be found on the How to Use AI for Grant Writing page.
If you purchased a paid account, this is typically turned off by default in your settings. Free versions will typically train their platforms on the data that you provide.
In theory, yes. Although, I recommend getting separate accounts per person. If you’re a nonprofit, you can get a discount on a Team account through both Claude and ChatGPT. This discount results in a cost of $8 per user (as of August 2026). By having separate accounts you can customize the platform to your specific needs. People use technology in different ways so sharing one account across a team might start making things a bit messy.
In my experience, Gemini (Google Workspace) works well but Copilot (Microsoft 365) is the least advanced and capable model. If you’re currently using Google Workspace or Microsoft 365, you can definitely reach out to your sales/account representative and ask about using their AI platform and get a quote. If you are a nonprofit, verify that you are getting a nonprofit discount for both your account and your AI usage.
Yes, if you want an AI platform that does more than just write grants, I recommend purchasing a standalone platform. Your organization will more than likely need or get a standalone platform regardless of whether your grant tracking platform has one bundled in.
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I’ve built this free grant tracking resource for grant professionals who prefer using spreadsheets or who are not quite in a place to adopt a grant management tool. No sign-ups or paywalls.
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Then $600 a year for your whole organization. If your current setup is working, there’s no rush. It’ll be here when you need it.
