AI tools for Philippine small businesses, by job to be done
Short answer
As of 12 Oct 2026, the tools below have a published free tier or price that could be read from the vendor. They are grouped by job, from customer replies to automation. Gemini is the only one whose page showed prices in pesos. ChatGPT, ManyChat and Perplexity pages could not be read, so those are left out of the price table. No tool was tested hands-on for this page.
On this page
How the list was built
Inclusion rule. A tool is listed when its own pricing or plan page could be read on 12 Oct 2026, it matches a job a small business has, and it is available to Philippine users on the vendor’s own statement or listing where one was found.
What was tested hands-on. Nothing. Every entry is documentation-based. The editor’s notes will be added where a tool is tested, with the plan and date.
What was not. ChatGPT, ManyChat and Perplexity pages blocked this site’s reader, so their prices are not quoted. They are discussed on their own pages where relevant: ChatGPT and ManyChat.
Summary table
| Tool | Job | Free tier | Paid price, vendor currency | Approx. pesos | Bills in pesos | Last verified |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tidio | Customer replies | 50 billable conversations | Starter $24.17 a month | About PHP 1,518 | No, dollars listed | 12 Oct 2026 |
| Claude | Writing, documents, research | Yes | Pro $17 a month annual, $20 monthly | About PHP 1,068 to PHP 1,256 | No, dollars listed | 12 Oct 2026 |
| Gemini | Writing, documents, research | Yes | Google AI Plus PHP 285 a month; Pro PHP 1,100 | Listed in pesos | Yes, pesos listed | 12 Oct 2026 |
| Microsoft Copilot | Documents, sheets, meetings | Chat included with eligible Microsoft 365 | Copilot Business add-on $18 a month annual (promotion) | About PHP 1,131 | No, US page in dollars | 12 Oct 2026 |
| Otter.ai | Meeting notes | Basic, 300 minutes a month | Pro $16.99 a month monthly billing | About PHP 1,067 | No, dollars listed | 12 Oct 2026 |
| Zapier | Automation | 100 tasks a month | Professional from $19.99 a month annual | About PHP 1,256 | No, dollars listed | 12 Oct 2026 |
| n8n | Automation | Self-hosted Community Edition | Cloud Starter EUR 20 a month annual | About PHP 1,408 | No, euros listed | 12 Oct 2026 |
| Make | Automation | 1,000 credits a month | Core $9 a month for 10,000 credits | About PHP 565 | No, “$” without a code | 12 Oct 2026 |
Swipe the table sideways to see all columns.
Exchange rates: USD 1 = PHP 62.821, EUR 1 = PHP 70.397, ECB-derived, 9 Oct 2026.
Tools for replying to customers
Tidio lists Messenger, Instagram, WhatsApp and email integrations on all plans. Free has 50 billable conversations, and the first 50 Lyro AI conversations are free for life. Starter is $24.17 a month for 100 conversations, and Growth starts at $49.17. The page does not say whether those are billed monthly or annually. More platforms are on AI chatbot platforms compared.
Tools for writing and content
Claude, Gemini and Microsoft Copilot all list a free option and can draft, rewrite and summarise text. Claude Pro is $17 a month on annual billing. Gemini’s page showed Google AI Plus at PHP 285 a month and Google AI Pro at PHP 1,100. Compare them on AI chatbots compared, and check privacy settings before pasting work content.
Tools for meetings and notes
Otter.ai lists a Basic plan with 300 minutes of meeting transcription a month and a 30-minute limit per conversation. Pro is $16.99 a month on monthly billing with 1,200 minutes. The page’s annual column shows $8.33, and a footnote says a lower offer is valid only with an India-issued credit card. Microsoft Copilot lists summaries and transcription of Teams meetings, with action items, in its Microsoft 365 features.
Tools for sheets, bookkeeping support and admin
Microsoft Copilot lists Excel features for analysing data, generating insights and creating formulas, and Outlook features for drafting emails and summarising threads. Gemini lists Gemini in Gmail and Docs on its Pro plan. Accounting software was not covered on this page.
Tools for automation
Automation tools connect your apps so that one event starts another. See Zapier, n8n and the Zapier alternatives page, which includes Make. Zapier counts tasks, n8n counts executions and Make counts credits, so the cost per workflow differs. n8n vs Zapier prices three workloads on both.
Tools for research with sources
Claude lists web search on all plans and Research on Pro. Microsoft Copilot says its responses can be grounded in web data. Whether either cites sources well was not tested. Check any cited source yourself before you rely on it. Perplexity was left out because its page could not be read.
Free tools and what free covers
| Tool | What the free option lists | Where it stops |
|---|---|---|
| Tidio | 50 conversations, 10 seats | Billable conversations are capped |
| Claude | Chat, web search, file creation, memory | Usage in a rolling five-hour window |
| Gemini | Image generation, Deep Research, Gemini Live, Canvas | Limits refresh every 5 hours to a weekly cap |
| Otter.ai | 300 minutes a month, 3 imported files for life | 30 minutes per conversation |
| Zapier | 100 tasks a month | Two-step Zaps, no webhooks |
| Make | 1,000 credits a month | 2 active scenarios, 15-minute minimum interval |
| n8n | Self-hosted Community Edition | Server costs and upkeep |
Swipe the table sideways to see all columns.
Choosing among them
- Job first. Pick the one job that costs your team the most time each week.
- Then cost. Compare the unit each vendor counts, such as conversations, minutes, tasks or credits, against your monthly volume.
- Then data handling. Check whether business data is used for training on your plan, and keep customer personal data out of consumer accounts. Under the Data Privacy Act you remain accountable for data you give to a service.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best AI tools for a small business?
No ranking is claimed. The list above groups tools by job so you can shortlist two or three for your own task and test them on their free tiers.
Which AI tools are free?
Tidio, Claude, Gemini, Otter.ai, Zapier, Make and n8n’s self-hosted edition all list a free option, with the limits in the free tools table.
Which AI tools can be paid for in pesos?
Of the tools whose pages were read, only Gemini listed prices in pesos. The others list dollars or euros, and your card issuer converts.
Which AI tools help with customer replies?
Tidio lists live chat and Lyro AI conversations. ManyChat and Chatfuel are covered on other pages. Keep a person reviewing replies.
How should a business choose an AI tool?
Job first, then cost against volume, then data handling.
Disclosure
Brainnex Digital Marketing also operates AI Automation Services, an AI automation service that may build with tools listed here. This page carries no affiliate links.
Sources
All sources were read on 12 Oct 2026.
- Tidio, Pricing.
- Anthropic, Claude plans and pricing.
- Google, Gemini subscriptions.
- Microsoft, Microsoft 365 Copilot pricing.
- Microsoft Learn, What is Microsoft Copilot?.
- Otter.ai, Pricing.
- Zapier, Pricing.
- n8n, Plans and pricing.
- Make, Pricing.
- European Central Bank euro reference rates, retrieved through the Frankfurter API (api.frankfurter.dev): EUR to PHP and USD, 9 Oct 2026.