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Side-by-side comparison · AI Assistants & LLMs

Claude vs ChatGPT vs Google Gemini

Everything that matters when choosing between them, in one place: our rating, what each can do, what they cost, and the trade-offs.

Best overall

Claude

4.6

From $20/mo

ChatGPT

4.3

From $8/mo

Google Gemini

4.2

From $4.99/mo

Comparing 3 tools, the maximum.

At a glance

Claude

4.6
Best overallBest value

Pick it if: Anyone who writes, researches or makes decisions for a living, plus anyone curious about Claude Code.

ChatGPT

4.3

Pick it if: Anyone who wants one general-purpose assistant that handles most everyday jobs.

Google Gemini

4.2

Pick it if: People whose work already runs on Gmail, Google Workspace or an Android phone.

Overview

AttributeClaudeChatGPTGoogle Gemini
In one lineAnthropic's chat assistant, at its best on careful writing and long documents.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.
Pricing modelFreemiumFreemiumFreemium
Starting price$20/mo$8/mo$4.99/mo
Free plan Yes Yes Yes
Works with Claude Code Yes No No

Rating breakdown

Our scores out of 5. The higher bar in each row is highlighted.

AttributeClaudeChatGPTGoogle Gemini
Overall rating4.6Winner4.34.2
Ease of useHow quickly someone non-technical gets value from it.
4.5
4.5
4.0
FeaturesHow much it can do, and how well the pieces fit together.
4.5
5.0
4.5
Output qualityHow good the results are before you fix them.
5.0
4.0
4.0
Value for moneyWhat you get for the price, including the free plan.
4.5
4.0
4.0
Speed & reliabilityHow fast it is and how often it falls over.
4.5
4.0
4.5

Feature comparison

A tick means it does this today. A dash means we haven't checked.

AttributeClaudeChatGPTGoogle Gemini
Access & platform
Free plan Yes Yes Yes
Mobile app Yes Yes Yes
Desktop app Yes Yes No
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 No Yes Yes
Makes video No Yes Yes
Writes code Yes Yes Yes
Runs agents or automations Yes Yes Yes
Learns your brand or style Yes Yes Yes
Works in many languages Yes Yes Yes
Capabilities score14/ 1716/ 1715/ 17

Pricing

Plans as listed on each vendor's site when we last checked. Confirm before you buy.

AttributeClaudeChatGPTGoogle Gemini
Plans

Free

Free

Trying it out and light daily use.

Free

Free

Trying it out and everyday questions.

Free

Free

Light use and seeing how it feels.

ProOur pick

$20/mo, or $17/mo billed yearly

Anyone who uses it most days.

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.

Max

From $100/mo

Heavy users and people living in Claude Code.

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.

Team

From $20/seat/mo billed yearly

Businesses with 2 to 150 people.

Pro

From $100/mo

Heavy users and people living in Codex.

Google AI Ultra

From $99.99/mo

Heavy creative and agent users.

Business

See website

Teams from 2 people up.

Which plan to pickStart on Free to see if the writing suits you. Most people who stick with it move to Pro within a month; only go to Max if you hit the Pro limits every day or you're running Claude Code for hours at a time.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.

Key features

AttributeClaudeChatGPTGoogle Gemini
Standout features
  • Projects
  • Artifacts
  • Long documents
  • Web search and connectors
  • Claude Code
  • Memory
  • Image generation and editing
  • Voice mode
  • Deep research
  • Agent mode
  • Custom GPTs and connectors
  • Codex
  • Gemini in Gmail, Docs and Drive
  • Deep Research
  • Image and video making
  • Gemini Live
  • Gems
  • Gemini in Chrome

Pros and cons

AttributeClaudeChatGPTGoogle Gemini
Pros
  • Writing sounds like a person and needs the least editing of any assistant
  • Handles long documents and messy briefs without losing track
  • Projects and memory mean you stop repeating the same context
  • Artifacts turn answers into real documents, slides and small apps
  • One subscription covers Claude Code as well
  • The widest set of built-in tools of any assistant
  • Free plan now includes unlimited text chat on the main model
  • Image generation and voice mode are the best in the category
  • Huge ecosystem of custom GPTs, connectors and guides
  • One subscription covers the Codex coding agent too
  • Reads and acts on your Gmail, Docs and Drive directly
  • AI Pro bundles the top model, Workspace features and 5 TB of storage for one price
  • Deep Research is included even on the free plan
  • Fast, and the mobile and Android experience is polished
  • Video and image generation included on paid plans
Cons
  • Free and Pro usage limits can bite on a busy day
  • No video generation, and image generation is basic next to ChatGPT
  • Fewer third-party connectors and plugins than ChatGPT
  • Writing sounds generic unless you work hard on the prompt
  • Plans and limits change often, and Pro now runs to $500 a month
  • Free and Go plans may show ads
  • It's confident when it's wrong, so check facts before you publish
  • Free plan is now Flash-Lite only, so it's weaker than the free tiers of ChatGPT or Claude
  • Plan names and model access keep changing, which is confusing
  • Writing quality sits behind Claude and the answers can be padded
  • Workspace features need a personal Google account or a Workspace admin to turn them on

Who each one is for

AttributeClaudeChatGPTGoogle Gemini
Best for
  • Long-form writing and editing
  • Reading and summarising long documents
  • Thinking through a plan or decision
  • Pairing with Claude Code
  • Everyday questions and brainstorming
  • Making and editing images in the chat
  • Voice conversations on your phone
  • Quick research with web search
  • Searching and summarising your Gmail
  • Drafting in Google Docs
  • Image and video generation on paid plans
  • Hands-free help on Android
You'll find it used by
  • Writers and marketers
  • Founders
  • Consultants
  • Developers
  • Marketers
  • Small business owners
  • Students
  • Developers
  • Google Workspace teams
  • Marketers
  • Small business owners
  • Android users

How we compare

Ratings are our own, from using each tool, across ease of use, features, output quality, value for money, speed & reliability. The "Visit" buttons may use affiliate links, which never affect a score.

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