ChatGPT vs Claude vs Gemini: which to pick for each task
Claude vs ChatGPT vs Gemini, settled task by task. Gemini is the cheapest way in, ChatGPT includes Codex on its free plan, and Claude offers up to 1M tokens of context on every plan.
Behind most Claude vs ChatGPT vs Gemini searches sits one question: which of the three to pay for. There is no single winner, so this page answers by task. The header pairs ChatGPT against Claude and Gemini together, because that is how the question usually arrives; every table below gives each assistant its own column. All facts come from OpenAI, Anthropic and Google pages checked in October 2026.
Pick by task
| If you need | Pick | The fact behind it |
|---|---|---|
| The cheapest paid plan | Gemini | Google AI Plus is $4.99/month. ChatGPT Go is $8. Claude Pro is $17 annual or $20 monthly. |
| A coding agent at no cost | ChatGPT | Codex is included, with limited usage, on ChatGPT Free and Go. |
| A terminal coding agent tied to a chat plan | Claude or ChatGPT | Claude Code comes with Claude Pro and up; Codex with every ChatGPT plan. |
| Long documents on a free plan | Claude | Claude lists up to 1M tokens on every plan, by model. Gemini lists 32K tokens without a paid plan, ChatGPT 27K on Free. |
| Long documents on a paid plan | Claude or Gemini | Gemini lists 1M tokens on Google AI Pro and Ultra. Claude lists up to 1M on Pro and Max. |
| Images in chat | ChatGPT or Gemini | Both create images. Claude's models output text only. |
| Video generation | Gemini | Google lists video generation from Google AI Plus up. |
| Help inside Gmail, Docs and Drive | Gemini | Gemini works directly in Google apps from Google AI Plus. |
| Help inside Microsoft Office | ChatGPT or Claude | ChatGPT has Word, Excel and PowerPoint add-ins, limited on Free and Go. Claude for Microsoft 365 and for Outlook start at Pro. |
| Cloud storage in the bundle | Gemini | 400 GB on Plus, 5 TB on Pro, from 20 TB on Ultra. |
| The cheapest small API model | ChatGPT (OpenAI API) | GPT-6 Luna: $0.10 input, $0.50 output per million tokens. |
For a closer look at any pair, see ChatGPT vs Claude, ChatGPT vs Gemini or Claude vs Gemini.
Feature table
| Feature (Oct 2026) | ChatGPT | Claude | Gemini |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Cheapest paid plan | Go, $8/month | Pro, $17 annual or $20 monthly | Google AI Plus, $4.99/month |
| Models in the app | GPT-5.6 Luna on Free and Go; GPT-6 Astra, GPT-6.1 Sol, GPT-6 Luna from Plus | Sonnet, Haiku; Opus from Pro; Fable via credits | 3.6 Flash; varying access to 3.1 Pro on Free, more on paid plans |
| Context window in the app | 27K free, up to 256K Go and Plus, up to 400K Pro | Up to 1M on every plan, by model | 32K free, 128K Plus, 1M Pro and Ultra |
| Image creation | Yes | No | Yes, on Free |
| Video generation | Not on ChatGPT's plan page | No | From Google AI Plus |
| Voice | Yes, limited on Free | Voice mode, all plans | Gemini Live, on Free |
| Deep research | Limited on Free, expanded on Plus | Research, from Pro | Deep Research, on Free |
| Coding agent | Codex (CLI, IDE, cloud, app) | Claude Code (terminal, IDE, desktop, web) | Jules, higher limits on Pro; Google Antigravity agent model |
| Office suite | Word, Excel and PowerPoint add-ins; Gmail, Calendar and Drive plugins | Microsoft 365, Outlook, Chrome from Pro | Gemini in Google apps from Plus |
| Cloud storage in the plan | Not listed | Not listed | 15 GB free, 400 GB Plus, 5 TB Pro, 20 TB+ Ultra |
Which is better for writing, coding, research and images
Writing
None of the three vendors publishes a writing score we could quote, so we will not rank them. What differs is where drafts live. Gemini writes inside Google Docs and Gmail on paid plans. Claude has Projects and, on Pro, Claude Design, Slides and Docs. ChatGPT has Projects and custom GPTs. Run the first prompt below in all three and keep the draft that needs the fewest edits.
Coding
ChatGPT's Codex and Anthropic's Claude Code are full agents that read a repository, edit files and run commands. Codex is on every ChatGPT plan, including Free. Claude Code starts at Claude Pro. Google's plan page lists Jules, an asynchronous coding agent, with higher limits on Google AI Pro, and rate limits for the agent model in Google Antigravity. See Claude Code vs Codex and our AI coding tools list.
Research
Gemini includes Deep Research on the free plan. ChatGPT lists expanded deep research on Plus. Claude's Research feature starts at Pro. For reading long sources, Claude gives the largest context on low tiers; Gemini matches it at 1M tokens once you pay for Google AI Pro.
Images and video
ChatGPT and Gemini both make images. Gemini adds video generation from the $4.99 Plus plan, and Google's plan page includes limited access to Nano Banana Pro even on the free plan. Claude reads images but does not make them. For image prompts, see Nano Banana prompts and AI image prompts.
Students and teams
Students should check Google first. In its August 19, 2026 release notes, Google announced a year of Google AI Pro free for eligible college students in the US, and Google AI Plus in more than 140 other countries. For work accounts, OpenAI lists ChatGPT Business at $20 per user per month billed annually or $25 monthly. Anthropic lists Claude Team Standard seats at the same $20 and $25, with Premium seats at $100 annual or $125 monthly for five times the usage. Google's business plans were not on the consumer plan page we checked, so they are not compared here. Both OpenAI and Anthropic say business data is not used for training by default on their team plans.
Same prompt in all three
We do not show outputs, because they change with each model update and with your account. Copy each prompt, fill the blanks, and run it in ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini on the same day.
I want you to act as a copywriter. Write a product description for [product] aimed at [audience]. Keep it to [number] words, use plain English, and end with one line that tells the reader what to do next. Then give me two shorter variants for [channel, e.g. an Instagram caption].
I want you to act as a study planner. I have [number] weeks to prepare for [exam or skill]. I can study [hours] per day. Build a week-by-week plan with one measurable goal per week and a short self-test at the end of each week.
Compare the three answers on accuracy, length discipline and how much you would change before using them. Prompts written for one model usually work in the others; our ChatGPT prompts, Claude prompts and Gemini prompts pages collect more.
Pricing side by side
| Tier | ChatGPT | Claude | Gemini (Google AI) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Entry | Go, $8/month | None | Plus, $4.99/month |
| Standard | Plus, $20/month | Pro, $20 monthly or $17/month annual | Pro, $19.99/month |
| Heavy use | Pro, $100, $200 or $500/month | Max, from $100/month | Ultra, from $99.99/month ($99.99 or $199.99) |
Prices are US list prices before tax. Google showed local-currency prices outside the US, so check your own region. On the API side, the middle models cost the same at OpenAI and Anthropic: GPT-6.1 Sol and Claude Sonnet 5.5 are both $2 input and $10 output per million tokens. Google lists Gemini 3.8 Flash at $0.75 input and $3.75 output through December 31, 2026, rising to $1.50 and $7.50 from January 1, 2027. OpenAI paused new sign-ups for its $200 Pro tier on September 10, 2026; the $100 and $500 tiers are open.
FAQ
Which is best overall: ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini?
None wins every row. Gemini is cheapest to start and strongest inside Google apps. ChatGPT includes Codex on its free plan and makes images. Claude offers up to 1M tokens of context on every plan and Claude Code from Pro.
Which has the biggest context window?
In the apps, Claude lists up to 1M tokens on all plans, depending on the model. Gemini lists 1M on Google AI Pro and Ultra, 128K on Plus and 32K without a plan. ChatGPT lists 27K on Free and up to 400K on Pro.
Which is best for coding?
ChatGPT and Claude both ship terminal coding agents, Codex and Claude Code. Codex is available on the free plan. Gemini's plans include Jules, an asynchronous coding agent.
Which one can make images and video?
ChatGPT and Gemini make images. Gemini lists video generation from Google AI Plus; ChatGPT's plan page does not list video. Claude does neither.
Sources
- ChatGPT pricing — OpenAI, accessed October 2026
- ChatGPT and Codex pricing — OpenAI, accessed October 2026
- What is ChatGPT Plus? — OpenAI Help Center, accessed October 2026
- Using Codex with your ChatGPT plan — OpenAI Help Center, accessed October 2026
- ChatGPT release notes — OpenAI Help Center, accessed October 2026
- API pricing — OpenAI, accessed October 2026
- Plans and pricing — Claude, accessed October 2026
- Models overview — Claude Docs, accessed October 2026
- Gemini subscriptions and plans — Google, accessed October 2026
- Gemini Apps limits and upgrades — Google Help, accessed October 2026
- Gemini Apps release notes — Google, accessed October 2026
- Gemini API pricing — Google AI for Developers, accessed October 2026