ChatGPT vs Google Gemini
ChatGPT is openAI's AI chat assistant for writing, research, images, voice and coding. Google Gemini is google's AI assistant app, with paid Google AI plans for higher limits. Here is how they compare on price, free plan, platforms and the jobs each does best, from each vendor's own pages.
| ChatGPT | Google Gemini | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | OpenAI's AI chat assistant for writing, research, images, voice and coding | Google's AI assistant app, with paid Google AI plans for higher limits |
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Cheapest paid plan | $8/mo (Go) | $4.99/mo (Google AI Plus) |
| Free trial | None stated | None stated |
| Platforms | Web, iOS, Android, macOS | Web, Android, iOS, API |
| Integrations (vendor's figure) | Not stated | Not stated |
| Open source | No | No |
| Made by | OpenAI |
Choose ChatGPT if…
- You want a desktop app (macOS).
- The job is drafting and editing emails, reports and posts.
- The job is researching a topic with web search and deep research.
Choose Google Gemini if…
- Price matters: its cheapest paid plan is $4.99/mo against $8/mo.
- You need an API to build on.
- The job is researching a topic with Deep Research.
- The job is drafting emails and documents inside Gmail and Docs.
Still weighing it up?
If neither is quite right, ChatGPT and Google Gemini are also compared with their other rivals: ChatGPT vs Claude, Claude vs Google Gemini and ChatGPT vs Perplexity.
To see them doing real work, read Which AI Visibility Tool Should You Actually Pay For? Pricing and Engine Coverage Compared and Automate the Boring Half of Your Job Hunt (Resume Tailoring, ATS, Tracking).
What ChatGPT does
- Web search inside chat
- Deep research reports
- Image generation and voice chats
- File uploads and data analysis
- Projects, scheduled tasks and custom GPTs on paid plans
- Codex coding agent included in every plan
Watch out for
- Free and Go have limited uploads, image generation, voice, deep research and Codex access
- The Go plan may include ads
- Business plans start at 2 users; Enterprise and Edu pricing requires contacting sales
What Google Gemini does
- Deep Research reports
- Image creation and editing; video generation on paid plans
- Canvas and custom Gems
- Gemini in Gmail, Docs and other Google apps on paid plans
- Google cloud storage bundled with each plan
- Developer API with free and pay-per-use tiers
Watch out for
- Gemini in Gmail, Docs and other Google apps needs a paid plan, is for ages 18+ and is in select languages
- Video generation is not in the Free plan
- The Free plan has limited access to the Pro model
Questions
Is ChatGPT or Google Gemini cheaper?
On published entry prices, Google Gemini is cheaper: $8/mo (Go) for ChatGPT against $4.99/mo (Google AI Plus) for Google Gemini. What each plan includes differs, so compare the limits too.
Do ChatGPT and Google Gemini have free plans?
Both do. ChatGPT: Unlimited text chats with GPT-5.6 Luna (subject to abuse guardrails); limited uploads, image generation, voice chats, deep research, memory and Codex access. Google Gemini: Flash model with limited access to the Pro model; image creation, Deep Research, Gemini Live, Canvas and Gems; 15 GB storage.