Ella vs ChatGPT and Copilot for ESG Reporting (2026)
ChatGPT and Copilot are good at drafting and summarising, but they only work with what you give them. Ella is ESG software built as an AI agent: it collects data from colleagues, chases missing replies, applies the right emission factors and keeps the source behind every number. Many teams use both.
Last updated 30 October 2026 · By Tom Wilford, Founder, Ella
Get startedCan ChatGPT or Copilot do ESG reporting?
Ella vs ChatGPT and Copilot at a glance
| ChatGPT or Copilot | Ella | |
|---|---|---|
| Best at | Drafting, summarising and explaining | Collecting, calculating and reporting ESG data end to end |
| Getting the data | You find it and paste or upload it | Ella sends collect links to data owners and chases missing replies |
| Emission factors | Whatever you supply or it recalls | Current factors such as the UK government DESNZ set, applied by activity period |
| Audit trail | Lives in your chat history | Every number linked to the bill, reply or document it came from |
| Frameworks | General knowledge of any framework | Built workflows for SECR, CDP, CSRD, VSME, EcoVadis and B Corp |
| Expert check | None built in | Ella's sustainability team backs every customer |
Where a general assistant falls short for ESG
How to use both together
Which should you choose?
| If you need | Use |
|---|---|
| A quick draft policy or a plain-English explanation | ChatGPT or Copilot |
| Data collected from colleagues and suppliers every quarter | Ella |
| A carbon footprint, SECR summary or CDP response you can defend in an audit | Ella |
| An EcoVadis gap analysis with drafted fixes | Ella |
How we wrote this comparison
How Ella helps
ESG reporting software
CSRD, VSME and customer ESG requests, with the data collected and cleaned for you.
Carbon accounting software
Scope 1, 2 and 3, SECR, CDP and reduction plans, built from your real bills and invoices.
ESG RFP automation
Answer customer ESG questionnaires and RFPs from one evidenced data set.
Related resources
Best ESG Software in 2026: 11 Platforms Compared
The best ESG software depends on who is asking you for data. Workiva and Sweep suit enterprises filing CSRD or ISSB reports. Watershed and Persefoni suit carbon-heavy enterprises. Ella suits sustainability teams handling EcoVadis, CDP, SECR and customer requests: AI-native ESG software that collects, cleans and reports your data for you.
ESG data collection software: how to collect ESG data without chasing spreadsheets
ESG data collection software gathers the energy, emissions, workforce and governance data a sustainability report needs from the people and systems that hold it. Good tools request data from named owners, chase them, read invoices and bills, pull from integrations, and keep a source on every number so the final report is audit-ready.
CDP reporting explained: how scoring works and why the data is the hard part
CDP reporting means answering CDP's annual environmental questionnaire, usually because an investor or a large customer asked you to. Responses are scored from D- to A across four levels. In the 2026 cycle the scoring deadline was 16 September, and final responses close in the week commencing 26 October.
Best carbon accounting software in 2026: an honest comparison
The best carbon accounting software in 2026 is the one that gets real activity data out of your organisation with the least chasing, then turns it into Scope 1, 2 and 3 figures you can defend to an auditor. For large UK and EU teams, compare Ella, Greenly, Persefoni, Sweep, Watershed, Plan A and Normative on data collection first.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can ChatGPT do my ESG report?
ChatGPT can draft sections and explain frameworks well. It does not collect the data from your colleagues, chase missing replies or keep the source behind each number, which is most of the work in ESG reporting.
Can Copilot calculate my carbon footprint?
Copilot can help with spreadsheet formulas and summaries, but you still need complete activity data and the correct emission factors for each year. Ella collects the data and applies current factors automatically.
Is it safe to use ChatGPT for ESG data?
Check your company's AI policy first. Whichever tool you use, keep a clear record of where each number came from, because auditors and rating agencies will ask.
What is the difference between an AI assistant and an ESG agent?
An assistant responds to prompts. An ESG agent like Ella runs the process: it sends data requests, tracks who has not replied, reads the documents that come back and builds the report.
Can I use Claude with Ella?
Yes. Ella has an MCP connector, so you can query your Ella carbon inventory from Claude and get answers based on your own activity data.
Will general AI replace ESG software?
General AI will keep getting better at drafting. The parts that are hard to replace are reliable data collection from people, current emission factors and an audit trail, which is what ESG software is built for.
Does Ella use AI?
Yes. Ella is AI-native ESG software built as an agent, with Ella's sustainability team reviewing and supporting the work.
How much does Ella cost?
Ella is priced by module (Carbon, ESG reporting, EcoVadis, B Corp) and by company size, and every module has a 14-day trial so you can test it on your own data before procurement.