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ChatGPT vs Claude vs Gemini: My Honest Comparison

Dave

October 14, 2025

Over the last year or so, I have been experimenting with the different AI systems. I did this kind of out of curiosity, but mainly due to the industry shift towards this new technology. So after playing quite a bit with the current popular AI systems on the market, and I’ve come to some pros and cons for each one.

These are the systems that I spend some time in:

  • ChatGPT
  • Claude.ai
  • Google Gemini
  • Microsoft Copilot

Things I did for each one:

  • Downloaded the app, if they have one.
  • I “taught” them about myself to help them learn my tone and personality
  • Had them help me workout some complex processes and coding
  • Used them as a “search engine” instead of the conventional search engines

With all this said, let’s break down what I’ve learned of these systems, the good and the bad.

ChatGPT (OpenAI): A.K.A The Trendy One

First on the list is the ever-popular, ChatGPT. This AI is popular for a reason: it’s easy to use and the name is becoming the “speech” for normal people (the non-tech people) when referencing AI. It’s like one of those trendy restaurants everyone recommends—it’s for sure popular hotspot and has great food, but may not be the best fit for every occasion.

The Pros:

  • Massive knowledge base and versatility
    I’ve thrown everything at ChatGPT. I’ve used it to debug Python code and to figure out why my dang JavaScript just doesn’t want to work. Need to know the top websites that have the best bread recipes? It finds them easily. Buying a car? Type what you are looking for, and a bit about who you are, and it will produce a list that will fit almost exactly what you need. In my opinion, this feature is what makes it the “Swiss Army knife” of AI.
  • Strong coding capabilities
    When I’m working on development projects, ChatGPT’s code generation and debugging are top tier. It understands syntax across multiple programming languages and can explain why something works or may not work as intended, which is invaluable especially when learning a new programming language (like I am currently with Python). It also give great ideas or learning opportunities to help build your portfolio.
  • Web browsing
    I’ve already mentioned this, but having the ability to search the web in real-time and integrate with other tools makes it incredibly powerful for research. I’ve used it to analyze how the current housing market is trending, researched WordPress page builders to figure out what is the best one to use (it’s Bricks Builder by the way), and used it to help a couple of friends with their job searching.

The Cons:

  • Can be confidently wrong
    This is my one of my biggest frustrations ChatGPT. Sometimes it delivers information with such confidence that you’d never question it, even though you should. I’ve caught it fabricating statistics and citations that don’t exist. So, a word of caution, if using ChatGPT, double check everything.
  • It is a bit wordy in the responses
    ChatGPT has a tendency to be unnecessarily wordy. Ask it a simple question and you’ll often get three or four paragraphs when first two sentences are all you needed. It loves, and I mean LOVES to restate things, add stipulations, and include unnecessary disclaimers that bloat the response…for some reason I still don’t understand. This is how you can usually tell when someone uses ChatGPT. If you are going to use the information from ChatGPT, at least read and rewrite it a bit.
  • The free is limited
    The free version throttles you pretty aggressively during peak times. If you’re doing quite a bit of work, you’ll quickly find yourself staring at “GPT-4 is at capacity” messages, which can halt productivity (depending on the project). The only way to get around this quickly is by buying one of the premium versions.

Claude (Anthropic): The Thoughtful Analyst

Developed by the research company Anthropic, Claude can understand and generate responses in a human-like (almost conversational) text guided by a “set of ethical principles.” I’ll be transparent here upfront—Claude is currently my preferred AI, so I may be a bit biased. That said, I’ve found some unique advantages and disadvantages Claude has when comparing the other systems.

The Pros:

  • Exceptional at the long-form
    When I need to process or maintain context throughout a multi-hour or multi-day conversation, Claude excels. The conversation system is substantially larger than most competitors, which means it basically can hold an entire novel in its working memory. It’s like having a real sit-down conversation with someone you can bounce ideas off of and can still reference everything from 20 minutes prior.
  • More nuanced and careful responses
    While playing with Claude, I’ve noticed that it tends to acknowledge uncertainty more readily and provides a more balanced perspective to the questions asked. When I ask controversial or complex questions, I get thoughtful analysis rather than oversimplified or bloated answers, with a bit more accurate citations (you should still double check).
  • Strong creative writing capabilities
    For content creation, storytelling, and editing, Claude has consistently impressed me. It understands tone, style, and narrative structure in ways that feel more natural and less formulaic than other systems. I had it help me build a Dungeons and Dragons campaign. I told it the theme, style, and the current placement of the story (with a bit of history of the world that it was set in). The response I got back in return was more detailed than I could imagine, with compelling descriptions that was in the way of how I would actually describe it.

The Cons:

  • Sometimes overly cautious
    The flip side of being careful is sometimes being too careful. I’ve had instances where Claude refuses to engage with topics that are clearly benign, which can be frustrating when you’re just trying to discuss hypotheticals or write fictional situations (like in a D&D campaign).
  • Less well-known means fewer integrations
    While ChatGPT has plugins for everything under the sun, Claude’s ecosystem is still in development. If you are looking for specific third-party integrations for Claude, you might be out of luck. This is unfortunate as it limits the use across platforms.
  • No native image generation
    Unlike some competitors, Claude can’t generate images. If you need images or video, you’ll need to use a different AI system, which breaks your workflow.

Google Gemini: The Ecosystem Player

Gemini is Google’s entry into the AI wars, and it’s got that classic Google advantage—deep integration with everything Google. If you have it connected to your Google account, it can read and analyze everything within your Google Drive.

The Pros:

  • Seamless Google Workspace integration
    If you live in Gmail, Docs, and Sheets like I do every so often, then Gemini’s ability to pull information directly from your Google account is very useful. I can ask it to summarize emails, create documents, and analyze spreadsheets without copy-pasting anything, assuming that they are in Google drive.
  • Multimodal capabilities
    Gemini can process images, audio, and video alongside text, which opens up interesting use cases. I’ve used it to analyze charts in screenshots and extract information from photos, which has saved considerable time especially when someone just sends me screenshots of the spreadsheet instead of the actual spreadsheet…sigh.
  • Free access, for the most part
    Though Google is being aggressive with pricing, they are still offering strong capabilities in their free tier. This AI is honestly the best option for casual users, as I haven’t found a reason to upgrade to the paid versions yet.

The Cons:

  • Requires Google ecosystem investment
    What makes it a great AI system is also it’s Achilles heal. Gemini’s only really shines if you’re deeply embedded in Google’s world. To truly leverage its integration capabilities, you need to be storing documents in Google Drive, using Gmail to send emails, and relying completely on Google Workspace. If you use anything else like Dropbox and Outlook, or you are one of those who prefers to still store your files locally on your computer, you lose most of what makes Gemini powerful.
  • Privacy concerns
    This is obvious—it’s Google. If you’re concerned in general about how your data is being used by Google normally, then Gemini might not be your first choice. The integration that makes it powerful also means your queries are deeply connected to your Google identity. This can also sway the responses to your queries, but this is more hear-say and speculation.
  • Less personality and engagement
    This might be a bit subjective as I am a creative, but I find Gemini’s responses somewhat blah and corporate compared to ChatGPT or Claude. For creative tasks or conversations where you want engagement, it feels more robotic.

Microsoft Copilot: The Windows Native

Copilot is Microsoft’s AI assistant, built directly into Windows 11 and their productivity suite. This is what I’m currently supposed to use in my 9 to 5 job (though I still end up pulling from the others mentioned above). I’m not a big fan of this one because of the limitations similar to that of Gemini, but without the power of Google backing it up.

The Pros:

  • Native Windows integration
    For Windows users, having AI built directly into the operating system is convenient. I can invoke Copilot with a keyboard shortcut while working on anything, which streamlines workflow significantly.
  • Powered by GPT-4
    Under the hood, Copilot uses OpenAI’s technology, so you’re getting GPT-4 capabilities with Microsoft’s integration layer on top.
  • Free access to premium models
    Similar to Gemini, Microsoft is offering access to powerful models without charging, which is great for users who want quality AI without monthly subscriptions.

The Cons:

  • Limited to Microsoft ecosystem
    The tight integration is both blessing and curse. If you’re on Mac or Linux, or if you don’t use Microsoft products heavily, much of Copilot’s value proposition evaporates to a system seldom used. This is my issue with my job as I use a Mac for everything that I do.
  • Less customizable
    I’ve found Copilot more rigid than standalone AI chat interfaces. You get what Microsoft gives you, with less room to adjust behavior or explore advanced features. Its also hard to teach my tone and style.
  • Can feel intrusive
    Having AI constantly accessible in your OS is great until it’s not. This is similar to the Google Drive access, but a bit more as I usually have more personal (and private) information on my PC than I do any cloud service, so having an AI able to scan the OS at any time gives me the red flags feelings that I do try to avoid.

TL;DR: Which Should You Choose?

Here’s my honest take:

ChatGPT is the top choice for everyday use. It’s versatile, widely supported, and handles the broadest range of tasks competently. If you’re only going to pick one AI system, start here.

Claude is the best choice if you’re processing long documents or if you need something to sound human. The larger context window and thoughtful responses make a tangible difference for complex projects. Also, as a side note, it is currently my go-to AI system.

For those crazy Google users, Gemini makes sense purely for the integration benefits. If you’re already invested in the Google ecosystem and want AI that can access your Gmail, Drive, and Calendar seamlessly, the convenience factor is real.

For Windows users, Copilot delivers solid performance without additional setup due to the simplicity and it being built-in to the Windows OS. Not revolutionary, just more convenient when compared to the others.

In the end…

The AI landscape is ever changing. What’s popular and up-to-date today might be outdated or obsolete in six months. Try the free tiers of several systems, see what fits your workflow, and stay flexible. The best AI tool is the one that solves your specific problem—not just the one with the most hype.