The short version
- Start with a ~$20/month plan (Claude Pro or ChatGPT Plus) to get a real taste. Free plans run out fast, and Claude’s Free plan doesn’t include the Code tab, where every project on this site happens. ChatGPT’s free plan includes Codex, with low limits.
- If you do folder projects every week, like the builds in the Examples Gallery, you’ll probably need the ~$100/month tier to stop hitting usage limits.
- Business plans cost a little more per seat but carry better data terms: no training by default, admin controls, and a contract your attorney can read. Anything yellow belongs on a business plan.
- Check what you already pay for. If your county has Microsoft 365, your staff may already have Microsoft Copilot Chat at no extra cost.
Why heavy users pay for higher tiers
Every plan has usage limits: a cap on how much you can use the AI in a stretch of time. Claude, for example, has a limit that resets every 5 hours plus a weekly limit, and everything you do in Claude, Code tab sessions included, draws from the same pool. On Pro, Max, and Ultra you can also buy usage credits when you run out, billed at Anthropic’s API (developer) rates, with a monthly spending cap you set. (Anthropic)
A folder project (Claude’s Code tab, or Codex in ChatGPT) uses a lot, because the AI reads files, runs steps, checks its work, and tries again, all of which counts. Building a 25-slide training deck with speaker notes or rebuilding an election project plan can use more in 20 minutes than a week of short questions. On a $20 plan you’ll hit the wall mid-task. That’s why people doing that kind of work move up to the $100 tier. (For a plain-language explanation of what’s being counted, see Tokens, usage, and context windows.)
What you need for folder projects
Everything on this site is a folder project, where the AI works inside a folder on your computer: the Code tab in the Claude desktop app, or Codex in the ChatGPT desktop app. What you need depends on the plan:
- Claude: folder projects happen in the desktop app’s Code tab, which is Claude Code. It comes with Pro, Max, Ultra, Team, and Enterprise, not Free. (Anthropic)
- ChatGPT: folder projects happen in Codex, with a local project in the desktop app. OpenAI says Codex is included in Free, Go, Plus, Pro, Business, Edu, and Enterprise, with limited use on Free and Go. Working in a folder on your computer depends on what’s turned on for your account, and OpenAI is still rolling parts of it out. (OpenAI pricing)
So a free ChatGPT account may let you try a folder project at no cost, if local work is turned on for your account. In Claude, plan on Pro. Either way, check your training setting first and turn it off (see Will They Train on Our Data?) and keep the folder to public information.
Claude (Anthropic)
New names, same prices (late October 2026): the $100 plan is still Max, and the $200 plan that used to be called “Max 20×” is now Ultra. If your Claude app says Ultra under your name, you’re on the $200 plan. (Anthropic: What is the Ultra plan?)
| Plan | Price | Usage | Who it fits |
|---|---|---|---|
| ClaudeFreeIndividual | $0 | Lowest limits: one limit every 5 hours and one every week. No Claude Code, so no Code tab. | Trying it out with green (public) information. |
| ClaudeProIndividual | $20/month, or $17/month billed yearly | More than Free, with a limit every 5 hours and a weekly limit. Includes Claude Code (the Code tab), Claude in Chrome, and Claude for Excel, PowerPoint, and Word. Need a little more? Buy usage credits at API rates, with a monthly cap you set. | One person doing regular green work. A first taste of Claude Code. |
| ClaudeMaxIndividual | $100/month, monthly only | 5× Pro usage, every 5 hours and every week. The tier heavy Claude Code users end up on. (The old $200 "Max 20×" is now called Ultra.) | One power user building files, decks, and reports with Claude Code every week. |
| ClaudeUltra (formerly Max 20×)Individual | $200/month, monthly only | 10× Pro usage every week. No 5-hour limit once Anthropic verifies the account, which it does on its own from account and payment history. | Rarely needed for election-office work. Try Max first. |
| ClaudeTeam (Standard seat)Business | $25/seat/month, or $20/seat/month billed yearly (2–150 seats) | 1.25× Pro per session. Includes Claude Code. | A small office (2+ people) that wants to use internal (yellow) information. |
| ClaudeTeam (Premium seat)Business | $125/seat/month, or $100/seat/month billed yearly | 5× a Standard seat (6.25× Pro per session). Mix Premium and Standard seats on one plan. | The one or two staff who do heavy Claude Code work on a business plan. |
| ClaudeEnterpriseEnterprise | $20/seat/month (yearly) plus usage at API rates; 20-seat minimum when you buy online (50 through sales) | Pay for what you use beyond the seat. | Large offices or county-wide deployments with procurement support. |
Checked November 7, 2026 against the vendor's own pages: Claude pricing · Is my data used for model training? (consumer) · What is the Pro plan? · Usage credits · What is the Max plan? · What is the Ultra plan? · What is the Team plan? · Is my data used for model training? (commercial) · Enterprise seats · What is the Enterprise plan?
ChatGPT (OpenAI)
| Plan | Price | Usage | Who it fits |
|---|---|---|---|
| ChatGPTFreeIndividual | $0 | Limited use, limited Codex and Work, limited image creation (images may not work in Codex on Free). | Trying it out with green (public) information. |
| ChatGPTGoIndividual | $8/month (may include ads) | More than Free. | Personal use. The ads make it a poor fit for office work. |
| ChatGPTPlusIndividual | $20/month (monthly only) | Expanded use, Codex, ChatGPT Work, better image creation. | One person doing regular green work. A first taste of Codex. |
| ChatGPTProIndividual | $100 (Pro 100), $200 (Pro 200), or $500 (Pro 500, adds Ultrafast); monthly billing only | Highest individual limits; Pro 200 and Pro 500 have more usage than Pro 100. | One power user doing heavy Codex or Work tasks. |
| ChatGPTBusiness (Standard seat)Business | $25/user/month, or $20/user/month billed yearly (2 to 200 seats for workspaces created since Aug. 24, 2026) | Includes Codex and Work. Premium seats ($125, or $100 yearly) get 5× usage. | A small office (2+ people) that wants to use internal (yellow) information. |
| ChatGPTEnterpriseEnterprise | Custom (contact sales) | Custom. | Large offices or county-wide deployments. Ask about OpenAI's government offer (below). |
Checked September 26, 2026 against the vendor's own pages: ChatGPT pricing · Data controls FAQ · About ChatGPT Pro tiers · ChatGPT Business FAQ · Enterprise privacy
Microsoft Copilot
| Plan | Price | Usage | Who it fits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Microsoft Copilot ChatCopilot Chat (with a work account)Included | No extra cost with an eligible Microsoft 365 license (including G3 and G5) | Standard access. Works with what you paste or upload; limited use of your mailbox and files. | Everyone in an office that already has Microsoft 365. Often the easiest place to start. |
| Microsoft CopilotMicrosoft Copilot add-on (price page still says Microsoft 365 Copilot)Business | $30/user/month paid yearly ($31.50 paid monthly). Government price not published. Microsoft's licensing page lists it for GCC, GCC High and DoD with plans including G3 and G5; its price page says the sovereign-cloud timeline is still being set, so confirm with your reseller. | Priority access. Works across your email, files, meetings, and chats. | Staff who live in Outlook, Teams, and Word, after your IT staff clean up file sharing permissions. |
| Microsoft CopilotCopilot Business add-on, up to 300 users (price page: Microsoft 365 Copilot Business)Business | $21/user/month paid yearly; $18 first-year promo if bought between July 1 and Dec. 31, 2026 | Same Copilot features for smaller organizations on Microsoft 365 Business plans. | Offices on Microsoft 365 Business plans (not government G plans). |
Checked October 2, 2026 against the vendor's own pages: Copilot Chat privacy and protections · Manage Copilot Chat · Microsoft Copilot enterprise pricing · Copilot licensing (incl. GCC) · Copilot Business pricing
Many Florida counties already license Microsoft 365. If yours does, check with your IT staff which Copilot your staff can use today. See Microsoft Copilot for what the free Copilot Chat and the paid add-on each do.
Gemini (Google)
| Plan | Price | Usage | Who it fits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gemini in Google WorkspaceWorkspace Business Starter / Standard / PlusIncluded | $7 / $14 / $22 per user/month (yearly commitment). New customers may see an introductory discount on the first 3 months. | Gemini built into Gmail, Docs, Sheets, Meet, depending on plan. | Offices that run on Google Workspace instead of Microsoft 365. |
| Gemini appFree / Google AI ProIndividual | $0, or $19.99/month for Google AI Pro | Varies by plan. | Personal use and green information only. |
Checked September 26, 2026 against the vendor's own pages: Workspace pricing · Generative AI in Workspace privacy hub · Gemini Apps privacy
A sensible place to start
A 3-person office
| Who | What | About |
|---|---|---|
| Everyone | Microsoft Copilot Chat, if your Microsoft 365 license includes it. Turn it on, confirm the green shield, and use it for drafting. | $0 |
| The “AI person” (often whoever does the website or IT) | Claude Pro or ChatGPT Plus in the desktop app, training turned off, for green work. Claude Pro is the lowest Claude plan with the Code tab. | $20/month |
| If that person starts doing weekly folder projects | Move up to Claude Max or ChatGPT Pro. | $100/month |
| If you want to use yellow information (internal procedures, contracts) | A Claude Team or ChatGPT Business plan with 2 seats instead of the individual plan. | about $40–50/month for 2 seats |
That’s $20 to about $100 a month for a real, useful start.
A 40-person office
| Who | What | About |
|---|---|---|
| Everyone | Microsoft Copilot Chat (included), plus your office AI policy and a one-hour training. | $0 |
| Communications, public records, IT, and training leads (5–10 people) | Claude Team or ChatGPT Business Standard seats, so yellow work has a proper home. | $20–25 per seat per month |
| 1–2 heavy builders | Premium seats on the same Team or Business plan. | $100–125 per seat per month |
| Staff who live in Outlook, Teams, and Word | Pilot 5 Microsoft Copilot add-on licenses first, after IT cleans up file-sharing permissions. Expand only if the pilot pays off. | $30 per user per month |
At that size, bring in your county’s IT and purchasing early. Enterprise plans (Claude Enterprise, ChatGPT Enterprise) usually make sense only for county-wide deployments.
Government offers worth asking about
These are things to ask about, not endorsements. OpenAI and GSA say the OpenAI offer extends to state and local governments, but neither names Florida county elections offices or a ChatGPT plan, and Anthropic’s and Microsoft’s offers are described differently. Ask each vendor whether your office qualifies.
OpenAI (ChatGPT): OneGov 2.0
The offer takes effect October 1, 2026 (GSA: "expected to take effect") and runs through December 31, 2028. OpenAI says its $15-per-user monthly license fee is $0. GSA (the federal General Services Administration) says there is no platform fee, no minimum order, and no spend commitment, and that usage is billed at 50% off. So this is pay-for-what-you-use pricing, not a free ChatGPT seat. GSA says federal, state, local, and tribal governments can order directly from OpenAI, through resellers, or through cloud marketplaces. Neither OpenAI nor GSA names a ChatGPT plan or spells out sign-up steps for a county, so register interest with OpenAI's government team and have your attorney read the terms.
Anthropic (Claude): Claude for Government
It became generally available on September 30, 2026, and runs in a FedRAMP High authorized environment (FedRAMP is the federal security approval program for cloud services). Anthropic says there are no seat fees: agencies prepay for usage in fixed increments, with a hard cap. It is a desktop app only (no web or mobile) and includes Claude Code. Anthropic lists the Claude Code command-line version and Claude for Microsoft 365 as early access. Anthropic's product page now says it is available to U.S. federal, state, and local government agencies, with no seat minimum; ask Anthropic's public sector team about price and whether your county qualifies. Anthropic also says Claude Enterprise fits government uses that don't require FedRAMP authorization. On October 27, 2026, Anthropic announced a GSA OneGov agreement: 40% off Claude Enterprise, Claude for Government, and its API, which Anthropic says extends to state, local, tribal, and territorial governments, with no minimum spend. It names no Florida county and no sign-up steps, so have your attorney read the terms.
Anthropic: Claude for Government · General availability post · Get started with Claude for Government · Anthropic: OneGov agreement with GSA
Microsoft: Microsoft 365 G7 and Copilot in government clouds
Microsoft announced Microsoft 365 G7 on September 15, 2026. It became available to eligible GCC customers (GCC is Microsoft's Government Community Cloud) on October 1, with more purchase options from November 1. Microsoft hasn't published a price, and the announcement covers GCC only: it doesn't mention GCC High or DoD. Copilot features such as memory and Edit with Copilot arrive in phases after launch. The Copilot add-on is also listed for the government clouds, but Microsoft doesn't publish a government price. Microsoft's licensing page lists it for GCC, GCC High and DoD with plans including G3 and G5; its price page says the sovereign-cloud timeline is still being set, so confirm with your reseller or Microsoft account team.
Checked October 2, 2026 against the vendors' and GSA's own pages.
Before you buy
- Read the terms, or have your attorney read them. Individual plans come with click-through consumer terms. Business plans come with commercial terms and a data processing agreement.
- Follow your county’s purchasing rules. A credit card subscription may still need approval.
- Monthly vs. yearly: yearly billing is cheaper where it’s offered, but monthly lets you try before you commit.
- Keep the receipt with your records. Subscriptions are public expenditures.