What's the Difference Between ChatGPT, Claude, and Other AI Tools?

by Stephen Wu, a retired engineering manager, spent several years building AI workflows for his teams and now trying to make AI something everyone can understand and use successfully

When people talk about "AI," they're usually referring to chatbots like ChatGPT or Claude—tools where you type questions and get text responses. But there are many different AI tools, and they're not all the same. Understanding the differences helps you pick the right one for what you're doing.

The Main AI Chat Tools

Most people start with one of the major AI chatbots. These are general-purpose tools that can handle a wide range of questions and tasks.

ChatGPT (made by OpenAI) is probably the most well-known. It's conversational, handles everything from answering questions to writing code, and has been around longer than most alternatives. There's a free version and a paid version (ChatGPT Plus) that's faster and gives you access to more capable models.

Claude (made by Anthropic) is similar to ChatGPT but some people find it gives more nuanced, detailed responses. It tends to be more careful and thorough in its answers. Like ChatGPT, it has free and paid tiers.

Microsoft Copilot (formerly Bing Chat) uses OpenAI's technology but integrates with Microsoft products and can search the web for current information, which ChatGPT's free version can't do.

Google Gemini is Google's AI assistant. It integrates with Google's products and has access to recent information through Google's search.

How They're Similar

All of these AI chat tools work roughly the same way from your perspective:

You type a question or request
The AI responds with text
You can have a back-and-forth conversation
They can help with writing, explaining concepts, brainstorming, coding, and more

For most everyday tasks—like explaining a concept, drafting an email, or brainstorming ideas—any of these tools will work fine. The differences matter more as you get into specific use cases or advanced features.

How They Differ

The differences show up in specific situations:

Response style: Claude tends to give longer, more detailed responses and is often more cautious about making claims. ChatGPT tends to be more concise and conversational. Which you prefer is personal—some people find Claude thorough, others find it overly verbose.

Current information: Free ChatGPT can't search the web or tell you about recent events. Google Gemini and Microsoft Copilot can. Claude's free version also can't access current information.

File handling: Paid versions of ChatGPT and Claude let you upload documents and ask questions about them. Free versions are text-only.

Integration: If you use Microsoft products, Copilot integrates with Word, Excel, etc. If you use Google Workspace, Gemini integrates there. ChatGPT and Claude are standalone.

Conversation memory: ChatGPT remembers past conversations within the same chat. Claude treats each conversation as separate by default.

Specialized AI Tools

Beyond general chatbots, there are AI tools built for specific purposes:

Perplexity is designed specifically for research and answering questions. It searches the web and cites sources, making it useful when you need current information or want to verify what you're being told.

Grammarly uses AI specifically for writing assistance—grammar checking, tone adjustment, and style improvement.

GitHub Copilot is AI specifically for writing code. It suggests code as you type and understands programming context.

Midjourney, DALL-E, Stable Diffusion generate images from text descriptions, not text from text.

These specialized tools often do their specific job better than general chatbots, but they only do that one thing.

Which One Should You Use?

For most people just getting started, pick one of the major free options and stick with it until you understand what you need.

Start with ChatGPT if: You want the most widely-used tool with the most community resources, tutorials, and examples available online.

Start with Claude if: You want thoughtful, detailed responses and don't mind reading longer answers.

Start with Google Gemini or Microsoft Copilot if: You want to ask about current events or need integration with those company's products.

You can always try multiple tools and see which one you prefer. Many people use different tools for different tasks.

A Practical Example

Let's say you want help understanding cryptocurrency.

With any general AI (ChatGPT, Claude, etc.):

AI prompt: "Can you explain how cryptocurrency works in simple terms? I understand traditional money but don't get how digital currency can have value."

Any of them will give you a decent explanation of the concept. The wording will vary, but the core information will be similar.

Where differences appear:

Claude might give you a more detailed response with more caveats
ChatGPT might be more concise and use more analogies
Google Gemini or Perplexity could show you recent news about crypto prices or regulations
If you asked for help actually buying crypto, you'd want current information, so Gemini or Copilot would be better

Free vs. Paid Versions

All the major AI tools have free versions that work well for most uses. Paid versions typically offer:

Faster responses
More advanced models that give better answers
Ability to upload documents
Access during peak times when free users might see slowdowns

Unless you're using AI heavily every day or need specific advanced features, start with free versions.

Don't Overthink It

The differences between these tools are real but not dramatic for everyday use. Spending hours researching which AI is "best" is probably not worth your time when you could just try one and start learning.

Pick whichever is easiest to access, use it for a week, and you'll quickly figure out if it meets your needs or if you want to try something else.

The skill of using AI effectively matters much more than which specific tool you choose.