Side-by-side comparison · AI Assistants & LLMs
ChatGPT vs Google Gemini vs Microsoft Copilot
Everything that matters when choosing between them, in one place: our rating, what each can do, what they cost, and the trade-offs.
Comparing 3 tools, the maximum.
At a glance
Pick it if: Anyone who wants one general-purpose assistant that handles most everyday jobs.
Pick it if: People whose work already runs on Gmail, Google Workspace or an Android phone.
Pick it if: Businesses and people who spend their day in Word, Excel, Outlook and Teams.
Overview
| Attribute | ChatGPT | Google Gemini | Microsoft Copilot |
|---|---|---|---|
| In one line | OpenAI's all-rounder: chat, images, voice, web search and agents in one app. | Google's assistant, built into Gmail, Docs, Drive and Android phones. | Microsoft's assistant, free on Windows and built into Word, Excel and Outlook. |
| Pricing model | Freemium | Freemium | Freemium |
| Starting price | $8/mo | $4.99/mo | $9.99/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Works with Claude Code | No | No | No |
Rating breakdown
Our scores out of 5. The higher bar in each row is highlighted.
| Attribute | ChatGPT | Google Gemini | Microsoft Copilot |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall rating | 4.3Winner | 4.2 | 3.6 |
| Ease of useHow quickly someone non-technical gets value from it. | 4.5 | 4.0 | 3.5 |
| FeaturesHow completely it covers the job it's built for, and how well the pieces fit together. | 5.0 | 4.5 | 4.0 |
| Output qualityHow good the results are before you fix them. | 4.0 | 4.0 | 3.5 |
| Value for moneyWhat you get for the price, including the free plan. | 4.0 | 4.0 | 3.5 |
| Speed & reliabilityHow fast it is and how often it falls over. | 4.0 | 4.5 | 3.5 |
Feature comparison
A tick means it does this today. A dash means we haven't checked.
| Attribute | ChatGPT | Google Gemini | Microsoft Copilot |
|---|---|---|---|
| Access & platform | |||
| Free plan | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile app | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop app | Yes | No | Yes |
| Browser extension | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| API access | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Teams & business | |||
| Team workspace | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Enterprise plan or SSO | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Connects to other apps | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Open source or self-hosted | No | No | No |
| AI abilities | |||
| Works with your files | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Understands images | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Makes images | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Makes video | Yes | Yes | No |
| Writes code | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Runs agents or automations | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Learns your brand or style | Yes | Yes | No |
| Works in many languages | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Capabilities score | 16/ 17 | 15/ 17 | 14/ 17 |
Pricing
Plans as listed on each vendor's site when we last checked. Confirm before you buy.
| Attribute | ChatGPT | Google Gemini | Microsoft Copilot |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plans | Free Free Trying it out and everyday questions. | Free Free Light use and seeing how it feels. | Free Free Trying Copilot chat on Windows or your phone. |
Go $8/mo Casual users who hit the free limits. | Google AI Plus $4.99/mo Casual users who want Gemini in Gmail and more storage. | Microsoft 365 Personal $9.99/mo, or $99.99/yr One person who wants Office plus some Copilot. | |
PlusOur pick $20/mo Anyone using it most days for work. | Google AI ProOur pick $19.99/mo Anyone who works in Google Workspace every day. | Microsoft 365 PremiumOur pick $19.99/mo, or $199.99/yr Sole traders and households who want the full Copilot in Office. | |
Pro From $100/mo Heavy users and people living in Codex. | Google AI Ultra From $99.99/mo Heavy creative and agent users. | Microsoft 365 Copilot (business add-on) $30/user/mo billed yearly Businesses already on a Microsoft 365 business plan. | |
Business See website Teams from 2 people up. | |||
| Which plan to pick | The free plan is now good enough to use properly, so stay on it until the image, voice or research limits annoy you. Plus is the sensible upgrade. Only look at Pro if you run Codex or deep research all day, and read the current tier details first because they keep changing. | Skip the free plan for anything serious now that it's Flash-Lite only. AI Pro is the one to buy: it's the cheapest way to get Gemini 4 Argon plus Gemini in Docs and Gmail, and the 5 TB of storage offsets a Google One bill. Ultra is for people generating video all day. | If you're a sole trader or a household already paying for Microsoft 365, Premium is the easy upgrade. For a business, the $30 add-on only makes sense for the people who live in Excel, Outlook and Teams meetings; give everyone else the free Copilot Chat and a Claude or ChatGPT seat. |
Key features
| Attribute | ChatGPT | Google Gemini | Microsoft Copilot |
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Pros and cons
| Attribute | ChatGPT | Google Gemini | Microsoft Copilot |
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Who each one is for
| Attribute | ChatGPT | Google Gemini | Microsoft Copilot |
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Questions people ask
Which is better, ChatGPT, Google Gemini or Microsoft Copilot?
ChatGPT scores highest overall in our ratings (ChatGPT 4.3/5, Google Gemini 4.2/5 and Microsoft Copilot 3.6/5). ChatGPT is best for everyday questions and brainstorming and making and editing images in the chat. Google Gemini is best for searching and summarising your Gmail and drafting in Google Docs. Microsoft Copilot is best for summarising long Outlook threads and first drafts in Word.
Which is cheaper, ChatGPT, Google Gemini or Microsoft Copilot?
ChatGPT: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $8/mo. Google Gemini: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $4.99/mo. Microsoft Copilot: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $9.99/mo.
Which is easier to use, ChatGPT, Google Gemini or Microsoft Copilot?
ChatGPT rates highest for ease of use in our scores. Anyone who wants one general-purpose assistant that handles most everyday jobs.
How we compare
Ratings are our own, from using each tool, across ease of use, features, output quality, value for money, speed & reliability.
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