ChatGPT vs Gemini
ChatGPT has the stronger top models and more tools. Gemini is the better value, especially if you already use Gmail, Docs and Android. On the independent Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index, OpenAI's GPT-6 Astra scores 53 while Google's best listed model, Gemini 3.8 Flash, scores 41. Google's flagship Gemini 3.5 Pro, promised for June 2026, still has not launched. Gemini wins on price: $4.99 AI Plus and $19.99 AI Pro plans bundle extra cloud storage, and the free plan has no ads.
At a glance
| ChatGPT | Gemini | |
|---|---|---|
| Maker | OpenAI | |
| Top model in the app | GPT-6 Astra (Pro plan) | Gemini 3.8 Flash (Pro, Ultra); Deep Think on Ultra |
| Free plan model | GPT-5.6 Luna, unlimited text chats | Gemini 3.6 Flash; limited Gemini 3.1 Pro |
| Paid plans (US) | Go $8, Plus $20, Pro from $100 | AI Plus $4.99, AI Pro $19.99, AI Ultra $99.99 or $199.99 |
| Context window in app | 54K (Go), 256K (Plus reasoning), 400K (Pro) | 32K (free), 128K (Plus), 1M (Pro, Ultra) |
| Video generation | Not a core plan feature | Yes, from AI Plus (Gemini Omni) |
| Extras bundled | Codex, ChatGPT Work, Atlas browser | Cloud storage (400 GB on Plus), Gemini in Gmail and Docs |
| Users | 900M weekly (Feb 2026) | 1B+ monthly (Aug 2026) |
| App Store rating (US) | 4.8/5 (about 11M ratings) | 4.7/5 (about 2.3M ratings) |
Head to head
Model intelligence Winner: ChatGPT
On the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index, GPT-6 Astra scores 53 and GPT-6 Sol 48. Google's best model on the same index is Gemini 3.8 Flash at 41; Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview, still Google's newest Pro model, scores 30. Google announced Gemini 3.5 Pro on 19 May 2026 and promised it 'next month', but it had not shipped by 23 September. Until it does, OpenAI has the stronger top end.
Blind chat votes Winner: Gemini
On LMArena's text leaderboard (13 September 2026), where people vote on anonymous answers, Gemini 3.8 Flash ranked #9 (1493) and Gemini 3.1 Pro #15. The best OpenAI model listed was GPT-5.6 Sol at #18 (1483). GPT-6 had not yet been ranked, so this may change, but today people prefer Gemini's answers slightly more often.
Coding Winner: ChatGPT
ChatGPT includes Codex, OpenAI's coding agent, on every plan. OpenAI reports 57.9% on Terminal-Bench 4.0 for GPT-6 Astra and 74.1% on DeepSWE v1.1. Google says Gemini 3.8 Flash beats most larger models on DeepSWE at far lower cost, and Gemini Pro subscribers get Google Antigravity, Google's agent-first coding tool. On independent overall scores, OpenAI still leads.
Images and video Winner: Gemini
Gemini makes images with Nano Banana 2 on every plan and videos with Gemini Omni from the $4.99 AI Plus plan (18+). ChatGPT makes images on every plan, limited on Free, but video creation is not part of its standard plan list. For people who want both images and short videos in one subscription, Gemini is cheaper.
Free plan Winner: Gemini
Gemini's free plan includes Gemini 3.6 Flash, limited 3.1 Pro, image generation, Deep Research, Gemini Live voice, Canvas and Gems, with no ads. Its weak spot is a 32K-token context window, so long files get cut off. ChatGPT Free offers unlimited text chats with GPT-5.6 Luna but has shown ads to US users since January 2026.
Price and value Winner: Gemini
Google AI Plus costs $4.99 (cut from $7.99 in June 2026) and adds 400 GB of storage, video and Gemini in Gmail and Docs. AI Pro at $19.99 adds a 1M-token context window and more storage. ChatGPT Go is $8 and Plus $20 with no storage bundle. At the top, Google AI Ultra starts at $99.99, level with ChatGPT Pro's $100.
Integration with your apps Winner: Gemini
Gemini is built into Android, Chrome, Gmail, Docs, Sheets and Google Search's AI Mode, and paid plans add Daily Brief and scheduled actions. Ultra subscribers in the US get Gemini Spark, a 24/7 background agent. ChatGPT connects to Google and Microsoft apps through connectors, but it is a separate app you have to open.
Breadth of tools Winner: ChatGPT
ChatGPT packs more working tools into one app: deep research, memory, projects, scheduled tasks, agent mode, Codex, ChatGPT Work (for slides, documents and spreadsheets) and the Atlas browser. Gemini matches it on research, voice and Canvas, but its most powerful agent features (Spark, Deep Think) sit behind the $99.99+ Ultra plan.
Which should you choose?
Choose ChatGPT if…
- You want the strongest models available to consumers today
- You code, or want a coding agent included on every plan
- You want one app with research, agents, documents and a browser
- You do not rely on Gmail, Docs or Android
Choose Gemini if…
- You live in Gmail, Google Docs, Drive and Android
- You want images and short videos on a cheap plan
- You want an ad-free free plan or a $4.99 upgrade
- You also need more cloud storage and want it bundled
ChatGPT is the better assistant; Gemini is the better deal.
ChatGPT wins where quality matters most: its top models score well ahead of Google's on independent tests, and Codex, ChatGPT Work and agent mode make it the stronger tool for work. Google's missing Gemini 3.5 Pro, now more than three months late, leaves a gap at the top of its line-up.
Gemini wins on money and convenience. The $4.99 AI Plus plan and $19.99 AI Pro plan include cloud storage, video creation and Gemini inside Gmail and Docs, and the free plan has no ads. Blind voters on LMArena also rank Gemini 3.8 Flash above any GPT model listed so far.
Who should pick ChatGPT: professionals, students with heavy workloads and developers. Who should pick Gemini: Android and Google Workspace users, families who want storage plus AI, and anyone on a tight budget. Who should wait: people choosing Gemini mainly for top reasoning should check back when 3.5 Pro ships.
Plans and prices side by side
| Tier | ChatGPT | Gemini (Google AI) |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0, GPT-5.6 Luna, ads in US | $0, Gemini 3.6 Flash, 32K context, no ads |
| Budget | Go, $8 | AI Plus, $4.99 (400 GB storage, video) |
| Standard | Plus, $20 | AI Pro, $19.99 (1M context, 4x free limits) |
| Heavy use | Pro, from $100 | AI Ultra, $99.99 (5x Pro) or $199.99 (20x Pro) |
US prices as of 23 September 2026. Gemini limits reset every five hours, up to weekly caps.
Benchmarks at a glance
| Test | ChatGPT (OpenAI) | Gemini (Google) | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index | GPT-6 Astra 53; GPT-6 Sol 48 | Gemini 3.8 Flash 41; 3.1 Pro Preview 30 | Artificial Analysis |
| LMArena text rank (13 Sep 2026) | GPT-5.6 Sol #18 (1483) | Gemini 3.8 Flash #9 (1493) | LMArena |
| API price, standard model (per 1M tokens) | GPT-6 Sol $2 in / $10 out | Gemini 3.8 Flash $0.75 / $3.75 (intro, to 31 Dec 2026) | OpenAI, Google |
The two sources disagree because they measure different things: Artificial Analysis runs hard reasoning and coding tests, while LMArena measures which answer people prefer in everyday chats.
What happened to Gemini 3.5 Pro?
Google showed the Gemini 3.5 family at I/O on 19 May 2026, shipped 3.5 Flash the same day and said 3.5 Pro would follow the next month. Since then Google has released Gemini 3.6 Flash (July), 3.7 Flash and 3.8 Flash (2 September), but no new Pro model. Press reports say coding performance fell short of internal targets. Sundar Pichai has pointed investors to Gemini 4, which Google says is in pre-training. See our Gemini 3.5 Pro page for updates.
- On Gemini's free plan, split long documents into parts: the 32K-token context window is small, and anything past it is ignored.
- If you already pay for Google One storage, compare it with AI Plus at $4.99; the AI plan may cost less and include Gemini in Gmail.
- In ChatGPT, use Codex for code and ChatGPT Work for slides and spreadsheets instead of asking the main chat to paste files.
- Check which Gemini model answered: the app switches between Flash and Pro, and Pro access is limited on the free plan.
- If you want both, a common pairing is Gemini AI Plus ($4.99) for images, video and Google apps, plus ChatGPT Free for extra chat.
Jargon explained
- Context window
- How much text an AI can keep in mind at once. A 32K-token window holds roughly 24,000 words; 1M tokens holds several books.
- Flash vs Pro
- Google's naming for its models. Flash models are faster and cheaper; Pro models are larger and meant for harder problems.
- Deep Research
- A mode where the AI searches many web pages over several minutes and writes a report with sources.
- LMArena
- A public site where people vote blind between two AI answers. The votes turn into a ranking score.
Frequently asked questions
Is Gemini better than ChatGPT?
Not on raw ability right now. GPT-6 Astra scores 53 on the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index against 41 for Gemini 3.8 Flash. Gemini is better value and fits better with Google apps.
Is Gemini free?
Yes. The free plan includes Gemini 3.6 Flash, limited Gemini 3.1 Pro, image generation, Deep Research and Gemini Live, with no ads. Paid plans start at $4.99 a month.
Which is cheaper, ChatGPT Plus or Gemini AI Pro?
They are almost the same: ChatGPT Plus is $20 and Google AI Pro is $19.99. AI Pro also includes cloud storage and a 1M-token context window.
Has Gemini 3.5 Pro been released?
No. As of 23 September 2026 Google has not released Gemini 3.5 Pro, although it was announced in May. The newest Pro model is Gemini 3.1 Pro from February 2026.
Which is better for students?
Gemini offers more for less money and works inside Google Docs. ChatGPT is stronger for hard maths, coding and long research tasks. See our best AI for students ranking.
Does Gemini have ads?
Google does not list ads in the Gemini app plans. ChatGPT shows ads to free US users and may show them on Go.
Sources
Every fact on this page comes from public information. Vendor figures are labelled as vendor claims.
- ChatGPT pricing (OpenAI)
- Google AI Pro and Ultra plans (Google)
- Gemini Apps limits and upgrades (Google)
- Everything new in Google AI subscriptions from I/O 2026 (Google)
- Gemini 3.5: frontier intelligence with action (Google)
- Introducing Gemini 3.8 Flash and 3.8 Flash Cyber (Google)
- Gemini API pricing (Google)
- Google releases three new Gemini models, but no 3.5 Pro (TechCrunch)
- Gemini 3.5 Pro is late but Gemini 4 will be great, says Google CEO (InfoWorld)
- Google's Gemini app surges to 1 billion users (TechCrunch)
- GPT-6 Astra (OpenAI)
- LLM leaderboard: Intelligence Index (Artificial Analysis)
- Text Arena leaderboard (LMArena)
- Google Gemini on the App Store (Apple)
- The Google AI Ultra plan now starts at $100 a month (Engadget)