If you're on Google Workspace, you have Gemini access (often for free at $20/user with Business plans). You probably also want to use Claude. Here's the practical split — what each does best, when to use which, and how to wire them together without duplication.
Gemini wins: in-document drafting (Gmail compose, Docs writing while you're in the doc), Sheets formula generation, calendar/meeting summarization, "Help me write this email" quick tasks. It's in the workspace; no context switching.
Claude wins: long-form writing where output quality matters, sustained workflows across hundreds of sessions, anything customer-facing where voice and consistency matter, technical work, and any workflow needing persistent knowledge bases via Projects.
For most B2B teams the answer is "use both, for different jobs." Don't try to make one tool do the other's job badly.
Quick reply to a single email: Gemini "Help me write" inline. Faster than switching tools.
Crafting a complex client email or proposal: Open Claude. Use the Outbound Project with your voice and context loaded. Draft there, paste into Gmail. Quality is significantly higher.
Triaging your inbox by importance: Gmail's Priority Inbox + Gemini summaries are adequate. Don't over-engineer.
Synthesizing a long thread before joining it: Paste the thread into Claude with "Summarize this thread, identify open questions, suggest my next response." Gemini's thread summaries are shallower.
Default to drafting in Claude (with your Project loaded), then move to Google Docs for collaboration and review. Reason: Gemini in Docs is good for assists, weaker for drafts.
Exception: collaborative editing in Docs benefits from Gemini's inline suggestions. For docs that multiple people are editing simultaneously, Gemini's integration is meaningfully better than copying back-and-forth to Claude.
For formulas and quick analysis: Gemini in Sheets. Fast and integrated.
For narrative analysis of data: Export the Sheet, paste into Claude with "Analyze this data and write the narrative for the board update." Claude's analytical writing is significantly stronger than Gemini's.
For structured data extraction: Claude handles unstructured-to-structured well. Paste 50 customer emails, ask for a structured CSV of themes. Then paste back to Sheets.
Google Calendar + Gemini's "Help me schedule" works for simple scheduling. For complex multi-person scheduling, use a dedicated tool (Calendly, Reclaim, etc.) — not AI in calendar.
For meeting summaries, use a transcription tool (Granola, Fathom, Otter, native Google Meet transcripts) then synthesize in Claude using the structured-summary prompt. See how to use AI to summarize meetings.
Gemini for Business Workspace: $20/user/month bundled. Claude Team: $30/seat/month separate.
For most B2B teams: yes, pay for both. They're complements, not substitutes. Gemini gives you AI inside your workspace at zero context-switching cost. Claude gives you the depth and Projects feature that Workspace AI can't match.
The combined cost ($50/seat for both) is still less than the productivity value either alone produces. The combined value is meaningfully higher than the sum.
— Bill Colbert, Treetop Growth Strategy