How does Gemini Advanced compare with ChatGPT Plus?

Eleven days ago Google renamed its Bard chatbot to Gemini and launched a paid tier, Gemini Advanced. For the first time, the two best-known chat assistants have paid plans at nearly the same price, each giving access to its company's largest model. If you're deciding where to spend twenty dollars a month, the useful comparison isn't benchmark scores. It's what each plan includes and how each handles the tasks you actually do.

What each plan includes

Two details deserve attention. ChatGPT Plus places a cap on GPT-4 messages; OpenAI calls Plus access "standard," with higher limits on its Team plan. And Gemini Advanced is new: Google says file uploads, deeper data analysis and the Workspace integration (the features formerly sold as Duet AI, such as "Help me write") are on the way. If you subscribe for one of those, check that it has reached your account first.

Google reports that, in blind tests with outside raters, people preferred Gemini Advanced over other leading chatbots. That's Google's own measurement, so it's worth testing yourself.

A same-task test you can run

The fairest test uses your own work. Paste the same three prompts into both, in fresh chats, and compare the replies against the questions in the last column.

Task 1: an email.

Write a polite email to a client explaining that their website redesign will be delivered one week late because a supplier's photos arrived late. Offer a short call to walk through the new date. Under 150 words, warm but professional.

Task 2: research.

I'm choosing between a heat pump and a new gas furnace for a 1,500 sq ft house in a cold climate. List the main factors to compare, what to ask an installer, and which facts I should verify locally. Mark anything you're unsure about.

Task 3: a document.

Here are my rough notes from a team meeting: [paste 10–15 lines]. Turn them into a one-page summary with decisions, owners and deadlines, formatted so I can paste it into a Google Doc.

Which one fits your daily work?

If your day runs on Google, Gemini Advanced has a natural pull. Your files and mail are already there, the 2 TB of storage may replace a plan you pay for anyway, and the promised Gemini features in Gmail and Docs would bring the assistant into the tools you already have open. The two-month trial makes it cheap to find out. The current gaps are real, though: no file uploads yet, no custom assistants, and English only.

If your work involves spreadsheets, PDFs or data, ChatGPT Plus is the more complete toolkit right now. You can upload a file and have it analyzed, make images in the same chat, and build GPTs, custom versions of ChatGPT set up for a repeated job, such as one that knows your style guide. Its mobile apps also handle spoken conversations.

For many people the honest answer is to pick one, not both. Run the same-task test, look at which reply you edited least, and weigh the extras: storage and Google integration on one side, a wider set of tools on the other. Both companies are adding features quickly, so it's worth repeating the test in a few months.