It can be hard to determine which AI is the best for you with so many different options on the market. Gemini from Google and ChatGPT from OpenAI are amongst two of the most popular options, and as they advance further, it can be hard to figure out which one is best for you.

Regardless of whether you’re a seasoned artificial intelligence professional or new to the scene and just want some more information, we’re comparing two of the biggest AI companions from functionality, platforms and pricing.

What is Gemini?

Google Gemini is slowly replacing the familiar Google Assistant, the voice you may have heard as part of Google’s smart home or within your Google Pixel phone.

Gemini is an evolution of Google Assistant which can process data from multiple sources and understand the information in context allowing it to recognize images, listen to recordings, read written information and then condense it all down into an easy to digest paragraph.

Google Gemini launched back in December 2023 and then absorbed other Google products too such as Bard and Duet AI. The most recent version of Google Gemini is Gemini 2.5 Pro and is available to all users. It’s much more powerful than its predecessor as its able to actually think about the questions you ask and providing more comprehensive answers to questions.

What is ChatGPT?

ChatGPT is an AI chatbot from OpenAI allowing you to ask it a question and then generating a reply. You’re able to use it as a general chatbot, just to have a conversation with or ask it for some advice. On the other hand, you’re able to ask it to do more intense task like fix lines of code or generate images.

ChatGPT is constantly being upgraded with the new GPT-5 being released in early August 2025. GPT-5 is OpenAI’s latest AI generative model and allows for more enhanced reasoning allowing for faster and more thought out responses to complex questions. The latest iteration of GPT also provides you with stronger creation capabilities such as image generation and producing drafts.

Gemini vs ChatGPT: capabilities

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Google Gemini has more capabilities than ChatGPT thanks to Google incorporating a range of different services all within the AI itself rather than offering multiple different products. This means that you’re able to generate videos (so long as you subscribe to Google AI Pro), generate images, process information and even complete research.

While you can use Gemini like a chatbot the same way you can use ChatGPT, there are so many more features.

There’s the option to use Gemini Live, which allows you to have a conversation with the AI through your microphone in a way that feels natural, while the AI scans what’s on your screen, or even looks at what your looking at via your phone’s camera.

Gemini is able to do practically anything excluding any physical tasks, as it doesn’t have a physical body. While it can explain how you’re able to complete physical chores like folding your clothes, it can’t actually fold them… yet. Another division of Google is working on robot assistants that actually can complete these physical chores.

Gemini limits you to approximately 100 prompts per day when accessing the free tier of the software and will make you aware when you’re approaching this limit. Those who choose to upgrade to paid subscriptions can take advantage of higher prompt limits.

In comparison, ChatGPT, while a powerful artificial intelligence, is limited to just chatbot functionality. You’re able to speak to ChatGPT, ask it questions and request directions to different tasks and while it’s more than capable of spitting out an answer – it can’t actually complete a lot of these tasks for you. You can ask it what formula to use in your spreadsheets but it can’t actually create the spreadsheet for you.

ChatGPT can generate images but isn’t able to create videos like Gemini can. You get a feature rich chatbot, but in order to complete other tasks, you may be directed to OpenAI’s other products. Sora from OpenAI can be used to create videos but ChatGPT itself can’t generate them.

Those who use the free tier of ChatGPT are limited to a certain number of messages every five hours when using the primary models of the chatbot, (including GPT-5 or GPT-4o). While this isn’t limited to a specific number of messages and instead works by character input, it works out to roughly 10 messages in a five hour window and you’ll get a notification once you’ve reached this limit.

Gemini vs ChatGPT: pricing

You’re able to access basic Gemini features for free. For more advanced capabilities, you’re able to subscribe to Google AI Pro which comes in $19.99 per month and allows you take advantage of a suite of AI tools including video generation and unlimited usage. You can get your hands on a free one month trial, if you want to try before you buy and see if the AI is right for you.

ChatGPT also offers a premium tier which comes in at $20 a month. This gives you access to more advances models from OpenAI like the o1 reasoning model and the Advanced Voice Mode as well as unlimited usage.

Gemini vs ChatGPT: platforms

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You can use Google Gemini on a range of devices from your phone down to your laptop. You can head over to the Gemini website on any internet browser and use the AI in the same way you can use any AI chatbot. For those who want a more portable version of the AI, you can also access Google Gemini on your phone via the app for Android and the app for iOS.

Those with an Android phone can swap their in-built Google Assistant over to Gemini too, if you want to, in your settings. Your device has to run Android 10 or higher and have more than 2GB of RAM and Gemini even works with Samsung devices.

ChatGPT is the same, allowing you to use the AI on any internet browser on your PC or laptop as well as on your mobile phone through the ChatGPT iOS app and ChatGPT Android app. The app is practically identical to the chatbot in web browser in terms of interface.

Gemini vs ChatGPT: privacy

By default, your Gemini activity is stored in your Google account for 18 months and the length your data is stored or if its stored at all can be adjusted in your settings. Alongside this, your chats are used to train the AI, aside from Temporary chats but again this is a feature that can be turned off by switching off your Gemini Apps Activity tracking.

Similarly, ChatGPT also uses your prompts to train its AI but this can be switched off in your settings by selecting the “Do not train on my content” option. You don’t have any control over your actual data retention with ChatGPT meaning your data is stored whether you like it or not – however you can delete individual prompts from being stored in your chat history.

Gemini vs ChatGPT: which is right for you?

Overall, while Gemini does offer more features than ChatGPT, like video generation and completing online research, it’s hard to determine which AI is actually better considering they run off of different models.

Both models, Gemini 2.5 Pro and GPT-5, are high performance AI software capable of content generation and realistic thinking but which one you think is better is down to what your needs are.

Use Google Gemini if…

• You’re already invested in the Google ecosystem. Gemini integrates seamlessly into Google applications and smart home products.
• You want to complete academic style research. Gemini completes real time data scanning and can provide you with in-depth research for essays or papers.
• You want to generate videos. ChatGPT doesn’t generate videos meaning you’ll have to use Sora from OpenAI to do so, where as Gemini can generate videos itself.

Use ChatGPT if…

• You want to have a human like conversation. ChatGPT is a chatbot meaning it excels with natural conversations.
• You don’t want something integrated. ChatGPT isn’t integrated into any particular ecosystem so is perfect for more general usage.

Gemini is the winner in terms of functionality, however ChatGPT is a great option for having natural conversations without having to integrate the AI into your phone or device. Which one you opt for will be based on your needs.