The best AI tools on the market today seem to have made the jump from science fiction to everyday life effortless. Two of the best-known are ChatGPT and Gemini. In fact, the launch of ChatGPT at the back end of 2022 could be viewed as a watershed moment for AI, with the Large Language Model (LLM) bringing AI into the mainstream.
In the wake of ChatGPT’s release, numerous other AI tools have entered the market, from AI video editors to AI image generators and more. One of those tools is Google’s Gemini AI platform, released in 2023 as a direct response to OpenAI’s ChatGPT. As such, it makes sense to compare the two AI solutions and that’s exactly what we do here. So, keep reading if you want to find out how ChatGPT and Gemini compare in terms of the setup, user experience, and more.
Getting started
First of all, there are a few differences in how users initially interact with ChatGPT and Gemini. For example, ChatGPT is accessible through its own website and offers a basic free service, as well as a more advanced paid options, like ChatGPT Plus for $20 a month or ChatGPT Pro for $200. Similarly, Gemini is freely available from its website, with its Advanced service requiring payment. Both LLMs were trained on data up to a certain point in time and use web searches to find more up to date information.
Getting started with ChatGPT involves you either visiting chat.com or installing the Windows, Mac or mobile app, which requires sign up. You then enter your text, image, or audio prompt on the ChatGPT home page, before you receive a response. You can then edit your original prompt, regenerate the response, like or dislike it, and share it.
For Gemini users, getting started is extremely quick. There is a privacy policy to agree to, but after that, you are free to enter any prompt you like. You can also use the Gemini app on mobile. As with most other AI tools, Gemini does provide a disclaimer reminding users that “Gemini can make mistakes, including about people, so double-check it.” It also accepts visual prompts, so you can upload images, alongside textual prompts and Gemini will spit out a response.
User experience
Although ChatGPT is usually viewed as the undisputed leader among the various AI models out there today, Gemini may actually have the edge in terms of user experience. This is primarily because of Gemini’s tight integration with other solutions within the Google ecosystem, such as Gmail, Google Docs, and others. This gives users more practical uses for their AI-generated content. For example, they could use it to significantly boost productivity if they have a large number of emails to send.
This isn’t to say that the user experience on offer from ChatGPT is bad. ChatGPT also takes integration seriously, boasting an API that allows developers to incorporate OpenAI LLMs into third-party software. It's only real integration with with Apple Intelligence, as part of Siri, but you can of course copy and paste text or code it has generated into other applications.
Both apps have a voice mode (called ChatGPT Advanced Voice mode and Gemini Live), so you can talk to them conversationally, as if they were a human being. ChatGPT has the edge here as its voice mode can also use your camera to see (on mobile) and you can ask it questions about it's looking at.
When it comes to image generation, both ChatGPT and Gemini are evenly matched. ChatGPT comes with DALL-E 3 for image generation and Gemini has Imagen 3, both of which are capable of producing incredible AI-generated images and amongst the best AI image generators.
In terms of features, ChatGPT certainly has the edge. It has a Canvas feature for opening up a second window, a Projects feature for organizing your interactions and a search feature that works like a conversational search engine. In contrast, Gemini is looking a little underpowered these days.
Data storage and privacy
Both ChatGPT and Gemini store user data, so if you are especially concerned about your online privacy, it might be best to use a different AI tool. There are many privacy-focused alternatives out there, including many of the AI Writer tools on the market.
Where ChatGPT is concerned, all user prompts and queries are stored and even if they are subsequently deleted from the platform’s archive by the user, they may still be used to train its LLM. However, ChatGPT does state that the user ultimately owns all inputs and outputs.
Looking at Gemini, conversations are stored in a user's Google account for 18 months, although this can be changed to three or 36 months in the individual’s activity settings. Google states that the collected data will be used to provide improved or more personalised services - but, ultimately, this might just be a way of bombarding you with more targeted ads.
ChatGPT vs Gemini: Responses compared
Perhaps the clearest way of determining which AI tools comes out on top in a contest of ChatGPT vs Gemini is by comparing their outputs. We entered two identical textual prompts into the platforms, keeping things simple and asking, “What is the meaning of Christmas?”
Gemini’s response was shorter and more to the point. It didn’t really answer the questions as much as it simply explained when Christmas was, a few traditions, and where the word, “Christmas” comes from. ChatGPT’s answer on the other hand was more detailed and, in a more nuanced response, highlighted that “the meaning of Christmas varies depending on cultural, religious, and personal perspectives.”
I suppose determining which platform had the better response, depends on what you are looking for: a factually correct answer or something more creative. Based on our test, Gemini performed better in terms of the former, but you got more back from ChatGPT.
Our verdict
Both ChatGPT and Gemini are impressive generative AI tools but ChatGPT currently has the better feature set. If you have an Android phone then you'll have Gemini baked in so there's not reason not to use it. Also, Gemini integration into Google Docs is just getting started, and will continue throughout 2025.
If you just want an AI to ask simple questions to then there's little to choose between the two, but for now the extra features that ChatGPT offers make it our preferred choice.
