An honest, no-hype comparison of the three biggest AI tools — what each one is best at, and which tab to open first.
The number one question I get from people who are just starting out with AI: "Which one should I use?" And the honest answer is that they're all good — but they're not all good at the same things. Knowing the difference will save you a lot of frustration.
Here's the practical breakdown. No specs, no benchmarks — just what they actually feel like to use and when to reach for each one.
If you need to pick one right now:
But honestly? Sign up for all three. They're all free. Use them for a week and you'll have a clear preference. Here's what to expect from each.
ChatGPT has been around the longest and has the largest user base by far. It's the reason most people heard about AI in the first place, and it's still the best at being a generalist — it can do a little of everything reasonably well.
The free version (GPT-4o) is genuinely capable for most everyday tasks. The paid version ($20/month) adds memory, image generation, more context, and priority access during peak times.
What makes it stand out: it's great at following multi-step instructions, breaking down complex tasks, writing code, and handling structured outputs like tables and lists. It also has the largest ecosystem of custom GPTs (specialized versions built for specific tasks).
Claude is the one people fall in love with once they try it. Where ChatGPT feels like a capable assistant, Claude feels more like a thoughtful collaborator. The writing is noticeably better — more natural, less robotic, and much easier to customize to match your actual voice.
It's especially strong with long documents — you can paste an entire contract, report, or manuscript and ask it questions or request edits without it losing the thread. Its context window (how much it can hold in memory at once) is significantly larger than the competition.
The free tier has daily usage limits. Claude Pro ($20/month) gives you much more usage and access to the most capable model.
Gemini is Google's AI, and its biggest advantage is exactly what you'd expect: it's deeply connected to everything Google. If you use Gmail, Google Docs, Google Drive, Google Calendar, or YouTube, Gemini can actually access and work with your real data — not just a blank conversation window.
This is huge for business owners. You can ask it to summarize your emails, draft a response from your Gmail, pull data from a Google Sheet, or search through your Drive. No other tool does this as seamlessly.
Gemini Advanced ($20/month as part of Google One) unlocks the most capable model and deeper Google Workspace integration.
| Task | Best Choice |
|---|---|
| First time using AI | ChatGPT |
| Writing emails, blog posts, sales copy | Claude |
| Summarizing a long document | Claude |
| Researching a topic | ChatGPT or Gemini |
| Working with Gmail or Google Docs | Gemini |
| Generating images | ChatGPT |
| Writing code or technical tasks | ChatGPT |
| Matching your personal writing voice | Claude |
| Real-time web browsing | Gemini or ChatGPT (paid) |
| Handling a sensitive topic | Claude |
These tools are more similar than they are different — and they're all improving faster than anyone can keep up with. The one that's "best" today might not be best in six months. What matters is getting started.
Start with ChatGPT because it has the gentlest learning curve and the best introductory experience. Once you're comfortable — usually within a week — try Claude for anything involving writing. And if you're a Google power user, explore Gemini in Google Docs or Gmail and you might not look back.
Go deeper
The Everyday AI Guide covers the Big Three, how to prompt, 20 things to try today, and what to watch out for — all in plain language, no jargon. It's the starting point we wish existed when we were figuring this out.
Read the Everyday AI Guide →Also available: Profit Accelerator Playbook · AI Agent Guide