ChatGPT for business, or your own AI hosted in Germany?
Your team wants to work with AI; your data protection officer wants to know where the data goes. RAGSuite is an AI chat like ChatGPT that answers from your own documents, with a source on every answer. Run in the RAGSuite Engine or on your own server.
- Your questiongoes to the provider’s serverspartly
- Processingprovider’s models and data centrepartly
- Storagehistory stays with the providerpartly
- Trainingpossible unless switched offno
Provider headquarters: USA
- Your questiongoes to your RAGSuite in Germany, or your serveryes
- Processinga model you choose, location shownyes
- Storagehistory in Germany, can be switched offyes
- Trainingno training on your datayes
Provider based in Germany
Key takeaways
- Businesses have two ways: the business plans of ChatGPT or an AI platform of their own.
- ChatGPT’s business plans do not use inputs for training by default; the provider is based in the USA (as of October 2026).
- RAGSuite answers from your documents with sources and runs in the RAGSuite Engine or on your server.
- Many companies use both, with a clear rule on which data may go where.
What does “ChatGPT for business” mean?
By “ChatGPT for business” most people mean an AI chat the whole team is allowed to use. There are two ways to get there: ChatGPT’s Business and Enterprise plans, or an AI platform of your own that works on your company’s documents and whose hosting you decide.
RAGSuite is the second way: your team asks just like in ChatGPT, but gets answers from your own knowledge, with a source to check.
Why do companies look for a ChatGPT alternative from Germany?
Shadow AI
Staff use private accounts because there is no approved tool.
Training on inputs
In consumer versions inputs can be used for training unless someone switches it off.
Jurisdiction
ChatGPT’s provider is based in the USA, even with storage in Europe.
Missing knowledge
A general chat does not know your contracts, handbooks and processes.
ChatGPT or your own AI: the comparison.
As of October 2026, based on the provider’s own information. Check the current terms before you decide.
| Criterion | ChatGPT Business | ChatGPT Enterprise | RAGSuite Engine | RAGSuite self-hosted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Training on inputs | not by default | not by default | no | no |
| Where data lives | with the provider | with the provider, region selectable incl. Europe | data centre in Germany | your servers |
| Provider based in | USA | USA | Germany | you run it |
| Language model | provider’s models | provider’s models | selectable, location shown | free choice, local too |
| Your documents | upload and connectors | upload and connectors | connectors, source on every answer | connectors, source on every answer |
| Price | per user and month | on request | plans from €39 a month | Community €0, Enterprise on request |
ChatGPT is a strong product, and for public content it can be the right choice. Once personnel, customer or business data is involved, what matters is who is in control. Sources: OpenAI, “Introducing data residency in Europe” (updated 16 Jan 2026); OpenAI, business data information.
What does ChatGPT for business cost, and your own AI?
ChatGPT Business is billed per user and month, Enterprise on request. RAGSuite Engine is billed by plan, from €39 a month, with no price per user and no price per question. The Community Edition is free if you run it yourself.
The ChatGPT alternative for business: what RAGSuite does differently.
Run in Germany
RAGSuite Engine with a data centre in Germany, or your own server, air-gapped if needed.
Model per project
Large models, EU providers or, self-hosted, local models.
Answers from your knowledge
SharePoint, Confluence, Drive, Notion, Slack, Gmail, website and upload, with sources.
Control for IT
Storage can be switched off, deletion periods, roles, teams and audit log.
What your data protection officer checks for the ChatGPT alternative.
Data location: RAGSuite Engine or your servers. Processing: in the RAGSuite Engine you sign a data processing agreement with us; self-hosted, the platform adds no new processor. Training: your data trains no model. Deletion: periods with receipts, storage can be switched off. Transparency: AI notice and source on every answer.
If you use an external language model, that provider is another processor. With a local model, self-hosted, that falls away.
From shadow AI to your own AI in four steps.
Set the rules
A short usage policy: which data may go into which tool.
Pilot with one team
7 days free in the RAGSuite Engine, with the most common questions.
Connect sources
SharePoint, Confluence or upload, only what this team may see.
Roll out
In the browser, the intranet or the mobile app; private accounts become unnecessary.
Is the quality as good as ChatGPT?
That depends on the language model, not the platform. With a large model you reach a similar answer quality. For questions about your documents RAGSuite is often more precise, because the answer is built from the passages found and names the source. Many mix: a small model for simple questions, a large one for hard ones.
Three months to the end of a quarter. Price increases above 5% allow special termination.
The notice period is three months to the end of a quarter.
Questions about ChatGPT for business.
What is the best ChatGPT alternative for business?
The best alternative is the one your company stays in control of: where it runs, which model answers and which documents it uses. RAGSuite runs in the RAGSuite Engine or on your server, works with different language models and names the source on every answer. You can try it free for 7 days.
May companies use ChatGPT under the GDPR?
That depends on the plan, the contract and the use. For the business plans the provider offers a data processing agreement, and inputs are not used for training by default. What remains is that the provider is headquartered in the USA. Clarify the use with your data protection officer. This is not legal advice.
What does ChatGPT for business cost?
ChatGPT Business is billed per user and month, Enterprise is on request; the provider lists current prices. RAGSuite Engine comes in plans from €39 a month, and the Community Edition is free. Our AI cost calculator helps you compare for your team size.
May employees use private ChatGPT accounts for work?
Your company decides that, ideally in a usage policy. Without a rule, customer data or internal documents often end up in private accounts that neither IT nor data protection can see. An approved AI of your own is the easiest way to make private accounts unnecessary. Involve the works council too.
Can we use RAGSuite alongside ChatGPT?
Yes. Many companies keep a general AI chat for public content and use RAGSuite for everything with internal or personal data. What matters is a clear rule on which data may go into which tool. RAGSuite makes that easy because the data stays in Germany or on your own server.
Which language model is behind RAGSuite?
You choose. In the RAGSuite Engine you pick from models of large providers and EU-based providers, with the location shown. Self-hosted, local models via Ollama or vLLM are added. You set the model per project and can switch it at any time without re-ingesting your sources.
Your own AI, instead of private accounts.
Try the RAGSuite Engine free for 7 days with your documents, or talk to us about replacing private AI accounts.