In 2023, everyone was talking about ChatGPT as if it were the only AI assistant in the world. Three years on, the landscape has changed dramatically. Google has released Gemini, Anthropic has launched Claude, OpenAI has kept evolving with GPT-5.4, and players like Mistral or Meta with Llama 4 have joined the race. Each has its strengths, its weaknesses, and its preferred use cases.
At the workshop, I use these tools now and then, to double-check a diagnostic, fix up a piece of writing, hunt down some technical documentation. I'm not an academic AI expert, I'm a technician who uses them in practice, and this comparison is written from that point of view.
The three players and their DNA
Before comparing features, you need to understand where each comes from, because it explains a lot.
ChatGPT (OpenAI) is the mainstream pioneer. Launched in late 2022, it's the one that brought AI assistants to the masses. OpenAI is an American company with Microsoft as a shareholder. The current model, GPT-5.4, was released in March 2026 and brings notable improvements on coding and factual accuracy.
Claude (Anthropic) is the most serious competitor on quality. Anthropic is a startup founded by former OpenAI researchers, with a strong focus on safety and AI alignment. The Claude 4 family (Sonnet 4.6, Opus 4.6) is available in 2026 and keeps its reputation for producing more nuanced and reliable text, but Claude remains less well known to the general public than ChatGPT.
Gemini (Google / DeepMind) is Google's AI, woven into the entire Google ecosystem (Gmail, Docs, Drive, Android). Gemini 3.1 Pro is the flagship model in 2026, developed jointly by Google and DeepMind. Its main advantage is still having real-time access to the internet and being connected to your Google tools if you want.
What's available for free
This is often the first question. The good news: all three offer a genuinely usable free version.
| Assistant | Free version | Included model | Limits |
|---|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT | Yes | GPT-5 (limited access) | Daily quotas on GPT-5.4, falls back to the limited model beyond |
| Claude | Yes | Claude Haiku (with limits) | Daily message limit, no access to Sonnet/Opus |
| Gemini | Yes | Gemini Flash | Less powerful than Gemini 3.1 Pro (Advanced) |
| ChatGPT Plus | $20/month | GPT-5.4 + unlimited DALL·E | , |
| Claude Pro | $20/month | Claude Sonnet 4.6 / Opus 4.6 without limits | , |
| Gemini Advanced | Included in Google One AI Premium (€21.99/month) | Gemini 3.1 Pro | Includes 2 TB Drive |
In 2026, the free versions are more than enough for occasional use, writing an email, summarising a text, asking questions. If you use it regularly for work, the paid versions at around 20 €/month quickly pay for themselves in time saved.
Real-world use cases: who excels at what?
Writing emails and written content
Claude remains my first choice for writing. Its text is more fluid, less repetitive, and it understands tone nuances better. If you ask it to draft a formal email, a complaint letter, or a presentation, the result generally needs fewer tweaks. It also handles long texts very well, the Claude 4 family supports very large context windows, which lets it analyse an entire document in one go.
ChatGPT is still excellent here, but its writing sometimes has a slightly uniform style, you can spot the AI. Gemini is in the same bracket as ChatGPT.
For writing: Claude > ChatGPT ≈ Gemini
Summarising documents and PDFs
All three can analyse PDF files. But performance varies.
Claude excels here too thanks to its large context window. You can paste in a 50-page contract and ask for a bullet-point summary, the important clauses, or a comparison with another document. In my experience, it produces the most structured and faithful summary of the original.
ChatGPT does a good job too, especially the Plus version which handles large files better. Gemini has the advantage of being able to access your Google Drive documents directly, handy if your working life revolves around Google Workspace.
For documents: Claude > ChatGPT ≈ Gemini (with a Drive edge for Gemini)
Coding help and debugging
ChatGPT has historically been the best for code. The plugin ecosystem and the integration with GitHub Copilot make it the go-to choice for developers. It generates working code, explains errors clearly, and handles many languages well.
Claude has made huge progress and is now excellent for debugging and explanations. It has the advantage of explaining why an error happens more clearly than ChatGPT, useful when you're starting out and really want to understand.
Gemini is less capable on complex code, although it's improving.
At the workshop, I use Claude for small automation scripts and ChatGPT when I want a complete, ready-to-use code example.
For code: ChatGPT ≈ Claude > Gemini
Recent information and web search
This is where Gemini takes the decisive lead. By default, Gemini has real-time access to the internet. It can give you yesterday's match results, the current share price, or the latest news.
ChatGPT can also browse the web in its Plus version, but it's not as fluid and native as in Gemini.
Claude, on the other hand, doesn't have internet access by default. Its knowledge has a cut-off date. For anything "recent news", Gemini is clearly superior.
For current information: Gemini >> ChatGPT (with web) > Claude
Image generation
ChatGPT (with DALL·E) is the best of the three for image generation, available in the free version with limits and unlimited with ChatGPT Plus. The quality is excellent, prompt understanding is very good, and you can refine the image by chatting with the model.
Gemini can generate images via Google DeepMind tools, with good results. Claude, on the other hand, doesn't generate images : that's a clear, deliberate limit on Anthropic's part.
For images: ChatGPT (DALL·E) > Gemini > Claude (no images)
Full summary table
| Use case | ChatGPT | Claude | Gemini |
|---|---|---|---|
| Writing / text | ★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★ |
| Summarising documents | ★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★ |
| Coding help | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★ |
| Recent information | ★★★ | ★★ | ★★★★★ |
| Image generation | ★★★★★ | ✗ | ★★★★ |
| Google integration (Gmail, Drive) | ✗ | ✗ | ★★★★★ |
| Very long texts | ★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★ |
| Mobile interface | ★★★★ | ★★★★ | ★★★★★ (native on Android) |
Getting started: 5 steps to make it a habit
Many people create an account, try it once, and never go back. Here's the method I recommend to my customers to genuinely integrate these tools.
- 1Pick ONE tool to start with, I recommend Claude for writing or ChatGPT if you're curious about images. Not both at the same time.
- 2Create a free account on claude.ai or chat.openai.com. No credit card needed for the free versions.
- 3Write your first prompt about a real current need: a tricky email to draft, a document to summarise, a question you don't quite know how to phrase on Google.
- 4Refine the response through dialogue: 'it's too formal, soften the tone' or 'add a paragraph about...'. The AI is a conversation, not a search engine.
- 5Come back when you have another real need. No need to force the habit, use the tool when it's useful, not to tick a box.
Privacy and confidentiality questions
An important point often overlooked: your conversations are used to train the models unless you change the settings.
At OpenAI (ChatGPT): you can disable use of your data for training in Settings → "Data controls" → untick "Improve the model for everyone".
At Anthropic (Claude): by default, conversations from free users may contribute to model improvement. You can opt out in the privacy settings.
At Google (Gemini): same idea. Check "My Gemini activity" in your Google account.
Never share confidential information with an AI assistant, customer personal data, bank card numbers, passwords, sensitive medical information. Even with privacy settings properly configured, caution is essential.
My personal recommendation
After testing all three in various situations at the workshop, here's what I'd advise someone starting from scratch:
Start with Claude (free version) for writing and documents. It produces the most natural text and best understands nuanced requests. If you write emails, reports, letters, or analyse contracts, Claude is simply better.
Add Gemini if you live in the Google ecosystem. The integration with Gmail and Drive is genuinely useful. And for anything news-related, it's the one to use.
ChatGPT is still essential for image generation and code. DALL·E is accessible from ChatGPT and the quality is excellent. GPT-5.4 is particularly strong for code and automation scripts. For developers or anyone wanting to automate tasks, it's the most mature ecosystem.
The honest truth? There's no rule against using all three. They're all free in their base version. After a few weeks of use, you'll naturally know which suits you best for which need.
A practical tip: start at home with these tools before adopting them in a professional context. Test them on real tasks, drafting a tricky email, summarising a document, and judge the quality of the result for yourself.
And at the workshop, what's it actually used for?
I use AI now and then in my work: to diagnose specific technical faults when the symptoms are complex, to automate some repetitive tasks (file renaming, copy scripts), to draft quotes or clear explanations for customers, or to quickly verify a piece of technical information. It doesn't replace experience or a physical diagnostic, but it cuts the time spent on documentation and admin work.
One point I won't dodge: these tools use a lot of energy. The datacentres running the AI models have a real environmental footprint. That's not a reason to stop using them, but it's a reason not to use them for nothing. When it brings a real gain, it's justified. When it's reflex or aimless curiosity, the question is worth asking.
If you have questions about how to integrate these tools into your daily life or your small business, feel free to drop by the workshop, it's exactly the kind of conversation I enjoy having.
Questions about AI or your IT kit? Drop by the workshop, we'll talk about it over a proper diagnostic.
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