Hello, I'm Artem and I've been using all three of those most popular AI models for a long time. If you are not on a cutoff island, you surely know how fat AI has come. We now have multiple models that lead the way, and it may be difficult to understand, which one to use and when. So it may be useful and insteresting to compare.

Among those top AI models today are OpenAI ChatGPT with their OpenAI o3 and
long awaited GPT-5 from OpenAI, Gemini 2.5 from Google, and Claude 4/4.1 from Anthropic. This detailed guide will explore their functionality, performance and cost. I also dive into some security features, and how to compare all those models independently.

TL;DR and my quick verdict

What will we explore in the article? Step by step: functionality, performance, then, cost and security. How to compare AI models by yourself. And multi-AI model use with Writingmate, which is all-in-one AI tool that lets you use all of those models for much better price. So, let's start! But first, here is a short tl;dr for those with less time to read it all ;)

• If you want the smoothest all‑round assistant for everyday use: ChatGPT (OpenAI) — many model flavors and broad tool support.

• If you need the strongest “reasoning/code + long context” combo for research or heavy engineering: Gemini 2.5 (Google) and Anthropic’s Opus/Sonnet families are the leaders in different areas — Gemini shines on benchmarks and long‑context, Claude focuses on safe, steady agentic workflows.

• Short wording for SEO: claude vs chatgpt vs gemini — who to pick? (We’ll fix titles/tags below so search engines like that phrase.)

Features and Capabilities

Let

ChatGPT by OpenAI

ChatGPT is probably the most known AI model (and chatbot). Designed by OpenAI, it can be used for many purposes, from writing articles to answering questions and aiding in coding. The latest version, GPT-5 (GPT-4o is not now available by default), was much improved in contextual understanding, it (generally) gives you more coherent responses. There is also GPT-5 Mini with a reduced price and a set of cool features.

Example Uses:

• Content Creation: ChatGPT can help writers by generating ideas, drafting articles, or even writing complete essays, that said, it is easy to know when it was not human writing the text.

• Coding Assistance: Developers can use ChatGPT to fix bugs in the code, generate code snippets, or to troubleshoot problems.

• Customer Service: Businesses can automate responses to customer inquiries, providing quick and accurate support.

How Powerful is GPT-5? Is GPT-5 a Bad Model to Use?

I’ve been spending time with GPT-5 lately… and honestly, I have mixed feelings about it.

• On paper, it’s supposed to be the most advanced OpenAI model yet, but in real use it doesn’t always feel like the huge leap forward people were hyping.

• For example, I still can’t upload files directly the way I’d expect, which is frustrating when you’re trying to get real work done (I even wrote more about that here: Can’t upload files to ChatGPT).

And while GPT-5 seems to be quite smart with reasoning and longer context windows, the limits around how much you can push it at once are still a thing. If you’re running into that problem, I covered some GPT limit solutions too.

GPT-5 is powerful, probably one of those decent LLMs for everyday users right now. Don’t get me totally wrong. Sometimes, though, I feel like OpenAI is holding it back just enough that it never feels as free or fluid as Claude or Gemini. In any case, all of those models, as well as legacy OpenAI models like 4o and o3-mini, are available right inside writingmate.ai all-in-one AI tool as of 2025.

Gemini by Google

Gemini version 2.5 by Google works best for real-time conversation. It gives rapid responses and maintains the context of long conversations. And that just makes it perfect for customer service chatbots and for wider API use. It is also able to make videos with Gemini Pro (and soon - with Writingmate) through Veo3 video generation model.

Example Uses Include:

• Customer Support: Companies use Gemini for multiple years, it helps them work over hundreds of customer inquiries and resolve issues instantly. Some users find it useful, some users hate those AI assistants… But, either way, Gemini changed customer support forever and I have some respect to it just for that.

• Interactive Applications: Gemini can help financial advisors who need interactivity on the spot, with some live assistance and advice.

• Personal Assistants: Gemini can manage schedules, also set reminders, and perform tasks that require some answers on a larger scale.

Claude by Anthropic

Claude 4 Sonnet, asides from being quite a capable model, also focuses on safe and ethical AI usage. It is designed to avoid harmful or biased responses. This is why Claude became quite a standard for educational and sensitive applications, even though many schools and universities ban Claude. Writingmate helps to use new Claude 4 without those bans and with much less limits, in any country and with a lot of document, research and studies oriented features.

Example Uses of Claude 4 Sonnet in 2025:

• Educational Tools: Claude can help students with their studies to make texts that will be safe and appropriate.

• Mental Health Support: Claude can provide mental health advice while carefully avoiding triggers or harmful suggestions.

• Ethical Chatbots: Use Claude for coding or for tasks where safety and ethics are in top priority. I would say law or healthcare are also things that Claude works well with.

Timeline of changes

I have gathered information of recent updates and changes to those AI that we use most often. May be useful to you as well.

Performance

In this section, I will review some benchmarks and information on actual perfomance of those modes. I have analyzed this and want to share some insights.

ChatGPT

ChatGPT is known for generally rounded performance. It was extensively trained on diverse data, and this is how we got our GPT-5 model and previous recent generations.
ChatGPT can work with a wide range of queries accurately. Besides GPT-5, the GPT-5 Mini version is a lighter, faster model ideal for applications that require quick responses. And now there is also OpenAI's new o1 model that is great for calculations, math & tasks like vibe coding, which also works well on o-3-mini that was built-in before, but now is available mostly just through tools like writingmate.ai.

Example Performance:

• Newsrooms: Journalists can use ChatGPT (f.e. GPT-5 or 4o) to draft articles quickly. That makes their job more productive, less monotonous… but also gives some challenges to overcome, including with privacy and generic style of writing that GPT often has even in its latest release.

• Coding: Developers benefit from its fast and accurate coding suggestions, especially with something like ChatGPT o1 model or Gemini 2.

• Customer Service: Automates and enhances customer interactions with precise and quick responses.

Gemini

Gemini 2.5 (available in Pro or Flash versions) is great when it comes to real-time communication. It is being made by Google (earlier naming the model Bard), and there are also Pro and Flash versions available. It is good at maintaining conversation context over extended periods of time. This may give a significant advantage in customer support and advisory roles, but also on day-to-day level. Who wants to constantly remind that chatbot all the details you "fed" it before? Better to remember everything and to generate based on that.

Example Performance:

• Financial Advising: Assists in giving accurate and timely advice when having client conversations.

• Customer Interaction: Handles multiple customer queries simultaneously with minimal response time.

• Live Assistance: Suitable for applications requiring continuous and dynamic interaction.

Claude 4 and previous Anthropic Models

Claude 4 Sonnet may not be the fastest as of now (in my experience), but its focus on ethical responses and on consistent quality is unparalleled. It makes any interaction safe and balanced. In my opinion, Claude is probably an easiest model to avoid any harmful content. Keep in mind that there are also several versions of this model avaliable, for example, Claude Sonnet 4 or 3.7 Sonnet.

Example performance for three industries:

• Mental Health Chatbots: Provides safe and supportive responses for users seeking mental health advice.

• Educational Platforms: Ensures educational content is free from harmful biases.

• Legal Assistance: Offers reliable and ethical advice, avoiding any controversial statements.

Free vs Paid

Let me now show you some insights on pricing. What I have found may surprise you and save you quite a budget.

ChatGPT

The pricing for ChatGPT ranges widely, from free versions with limited features to the advanced GPT-4o with a premium price tag. The cost reflects the model's extensive capabilities and high performance.

Pricing examples as of now:

• Free Edition: Limited features, suitable for casual users or small-scale applications.

• Premium Packages: Higher prices justified by advanced features, suitable for businesses needing high performance and versatility. You can see the recent list of plus and team features below.

• Here is how ChatGPT pricing looks like in 2025. For a smaller amount you can use GPT-5, Claude-4 and 100+ other models with no API keys needed on your side, all through writingmate.ai that is a newest GPT alternative that… just does more, cheaper.

Gemini

Gemini 2.5 Pro offers multiple subscription plans catering to different needs, from small businesses to large enterprises. The competitive pricing is balanced considering its advanced conversational features.

Pricing Examples:

• Basic Plan: Affordable for small businesses looking for efficient customer service solutions.

• Pro or Enterprise Plan: More expensive, suitable for large organizations requiring extensive use of the model.

Claude

Claude 4 Sonnet is priced higher due to its emphasis on ethical and safe AI use. Its cost may seem steep, but it provides peace of mind for users prioritizing responsible AI.

Pricing Examples:

• Premium Pricing: Justified by the assurance of ethical interactions, suitable for organizations where safety is a critical concern.

• Educational Discounts: Potential discounts for educational institutions focusing on safe AI interactions.

Here is Claude 4 Pricing as of Summer 2025.

Security

Security is one more important parameter to compare in AI models, and here are some nuances to all three models.

ChatGPT

ChatGPT emphasizes data security because it has one of the best protocols to protect user privacy, and quite a lot of options in the settings. To me, it is not always sufficient, so I would say that you better follow best practices from this video:

Security features of this chatbot include data encryption, it (mostly) protects user data from any unauthorized access. There is some user anonymity to GPTT: it makes sure user interactions are private and secure, and some compliance with regulations as well.

Gemini

Gemini 2.5 does, as it claims, have some advanced encryption methods and they seem to be consistent with Google’s security standards.

Is this reliable enough? Will it keep your sensitive information safe? I will let you decide on that, but personally did not have problems with Gemini and most of Google's services.

Security Features here include:

• Advanced Encryption: Protects sensitive data, f.e. medical or financial information.

• Dual Authentication: Adds one more layer of security for user accounts and ties well with Google infrastructure if you use one.

• Regular Security Audits: Hints at a "continuous improvement of security protocols".

Claude

Claude is a bit different. Anthropic has always said that that it is committed to ethical AI use. They seem to have some inbuilt safety features that prevent misuse better, and ensure secure interactions on many levels.

Security Features:

• Harm Prevention Algorithms: Prevents the generation of harmful or biased responses.

• Ethical Guidelines: Ensures all interactions adhere to ethical standards.

• Regular Updates: Frequent updates to address potential security vulnerabilities.

How to Compare AI Models by Yourself

Recently I've noticed that more people are interested to compare, users all over the world search for "Comparison of ChatGPT and Claude" in the US or for GPT Gemini 比较 in China. If you wish to compare these AI models yourself, follow these steps on Writingmate:

Step-by-Step Guide:

1. Log in to Writingmate and purchase a subscription.

2. Open the left menu and select the Split Screen option.

3. Choose any two models to run side-by-side comparisons.

For a helpful video guide, watch this YouTube tutorial.

Exploring Writingmate allows you to compare different aspects like response quality, speed, cost, and overall performance hands-on. Let's say you need to compare Gemini 2.5 Pro and GPT4, or that same Gemini 2.5 Flash with Claude 比较 Sonnet 4. Writingmate AI model comparison helps yo make more informed decisions based on your specific needs. Here is a brief video tutorial on how to compare models side by side on this web platform:

Things to Compare:

• Response Quality: Evaluate the accuracy and relevance of responses.

• Speed: Measure the time taken to generate responses.

• User Experience: Assess the ease of interaction and overall experience.

• Cost Efficiency: Compare the features offered concerning their cost.

Practical Example: Imagine you're running a small business and want to choose the best AI model for customer support. Using Writingmate, you could directly compare ChatGPT and Gemini by generating responses to typical customer queries. Then just evaluate which model provides quicker, more accurate responses, and that way you then select the best fit for your business or for a very exact task.

Multi-AI Model Use with Writingmate

Writingmate gives access to dozens of AI models in a single web app. That includes GPT-4o, GPT-4o Mini, OpenAI's o1, Claude, Gemini 2, and much, much more. Users can pay once for access to all these professional models, making it a cost-effective solution. And, did not mention that you can try it for free, now you can.

One outstanding feature of Writingmate is the Split Screen Model Comparison. It lets you to test two AI models simultaneously, at the same time. This feature is particularly helpful to see their actual performance, response quality, and speed side-by-side. Why should you believe benchmarks from the company, now you can see how it works yourself, then compare it for specific things that you do.

How to Use Split Screen Model Comparison:

1. Log in to Writingmate and ensure your subscription is active. You can try for free, some advanced features are available for 9 dollars or for 19 dollars. No API keys needed, beginner-friendly.

2. Select the Split Screen option from the left menu.

3. Choose the two models you wish to compare.

This feature allows users to determine which AI model best fits their needs, whether for educational support, customer service, or content creation.

Examples of Multi-AI Model Use:

1. Educational Platforms: Schools can use Claude 4 to ensure student safety and ChatGPT to generate content and manage educational materials.

2. Customer Service: Companies can use Gemini for real-time customer support and ChatGPT for creating knowledge bases and automatic report generation.

3. Content Creation: Media outlets can use ChatGPT for writing articles & Gemini to interact with readers or to gather feedback.

In addition to comparing models, Writingmate allows you to use the combined strengths of different, multiple AI models for various applications of yours. For instance, a multimedia content creator could use ChatGPT for scriptwriting and Claude to ensure the script is ethical and unbiased. In the same tim Gemini talks to yur audience in real-time for feedback and live sessions.

Conclusion

Each AI model, ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude, are different and each model has its own personality, best use cases and top capabilities. ChatGPT 4o works well for most everyday tasks, to me it's like the Swiss Army knife of AI. Gemini Two shines in live conversations, which is why customer service teams love it. Claude Sonnet plays it safe with responses, perfect when you need something reliable for work stuff. Then you've got models like o1 and DeepSeek that do specific things really well, but that's a rabbit hole for another day.

Want to see how these models do stack up best? I recommend to visit ChatbotArena. It's this cool site where you can test two models head-to-head without knowing which is which. They also have solid leaderboards that show what's actually winning right now.

Here's the thing - Arena and Writingmate solve different problems. Arena is great for comparing models and seeing who's on top. WritingMate is what you use when you just want to get work done with access to all the good models in one place.

I hope this full guide will indeed help you make an informed choice. For those looking to use multiple AI models at the same time, Writingmate is both cost-effective (at 9 dollars per month) and effective solution and it lets you use various top-tier AI models under one single subscription.

See you in the next article!