AI accounts explained
The same product name can mean four different things. Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini and Copilot each come as a personal app, a company workspace, a developer platform and an agent on your computer. They look alike, but they differ in who controls them, what they can reach, and whether your data trains the model. Here's how to tell them apart.
In short: every vendor sells four kinds of AI product: a personal app, a company workspace, a developer platform and an agent on your computer. Business, enterprise and API plans don't train on your data; personal plans may, unless the person turns it off.
By Jon Rose, Founder & Managing Partner, IOmergent. Vendor facts as of October 2026, from the same content as our free AI Hardening Check. Spot something out of date? Tell us.
Every vendor sells the same four kinds of product. Knowing which kind you're using tells you who controls it and what it can reach.
| Kind | Examples | Who controls it | What it can reach |
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal app | Claude Free, Pro and Max; ChatGPT Free to Pro; Gemini; Microsoft Copilot | The person | Their chats and uploads, plus any apps they connect |
| Company workspace | Claude Team and Enterprise; ChatGPT Business and Enterprise; Gemini in Google Workspace; Microsoft 365 Copilot | Your admins | Company chats, and the company data admins allow (connectors, files, email) |
| Developer platform | Claude Console; OpenAI Platform; Google AI Studio and Vertex AI; Azure OpenAI | Your developers | Whatever your apps send it, through API keys |
| Agent on your computer | Claude Code; Codex; Cursor; GitHub Copilot; Gemini CLI; Claude Desktop | Each person's settings files, unless IT enforces them | Your files, your terminal, and any tools you connect |
One person's Claude account.
A company Claude workspace for 2 to 150 seats.
Team plus SCIM, domain capture (which retires staff's personal accounts), audit logs and custom retention.
For building apps on Claude. Separate from claude.ai, with its own members, API keys and spend limits.
Claude's coding agent in the terminal, the IDE and the desktop app.
The Claude chat app on your computer, with extensions and Cowork.
One person's ChatGPT: Free, Go, Plus or Pro.
A company ChatGPT workspace, paid per seat. Formerly ChatGPT Team.
Business plus SCIM, custom roles, custom retention, IP allowlisting and compliance logs.
For building apps on OpenAI models. Billed separately from ChatGPT.
OpenAI's coding agent: CLI, IDE extension, desktop app and cloud tasks.
ChatGPT on your computer.
The Gemini app signed in with a personal Google account.
The Gemini app and Gemini in Gmail, Docs and Drive for your company's domain.
For building with Gemini models: AI Studio for quick API keys, Vertex AI on Google Cloud.
Google's coding agent in the terminal and the IDE.
Copilot with a personal Microsoft account, including in home Office apps.
Copilot in your company's Microsoft 365: Copilot Chat for everyone, and licensed Copilot in Word, Outlook and Teams.
Where your staff build Copilot agents.
OpenAI and other models inside your Azure subscription.
Copilot on a personal GitHub account.
Copilot managed by your GitHub organization.
Copilot's agent on your computer.
The Cursor editor and agent on a personal plan.
Cursor managed by your company.
The free AI Hardening Check finds the AI agents on your machine and walks your admin settings, in your own AI assistant. Or talk to a CISO about the full picture.
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