Gemini Advanced vs ChatGPT Plus: AI chatbot face-off

Listen long enough to the buzz about artificial intelligence, and the names ChatGPT and Gemini will stand out from the noise. The AI chatbots from OpenAI and Google are some of the biggest players in the space. However, asking both the same question may yield wildly different answers due to their use of different training datasets.

Both Google’s Gemini Advanced and ChatGPT Plus subscriptions cost around $20 every month for access to the full list of features. (Notably, ChatGPT does not have a free trial, while Gemini offers two months free). However, the two chatbots use different training datasets, which can significantly influence the responses they generate. GPT-4’s dataset was trained on approximately 570 GB of data, but this knowledge extends only through April 2023, requiring the integrated Bing browsing tool to find facts about recent events that occurred after that cutoff.

Google’s Gemini Advanced does not use a static training database; it is constantly being updated, which means the chatbot is better at answering questions about current events.

However, that’s not the only way the two platforms differ. I posed the same questions to ChatGPT Plus and Google Gemini Advanced, with topics and tasks ranging across art, politics, math, and ethics. The chatbots often churned out wildly different answers — and those responses offer a clear indication of which platform to try.

Image test: ChatGPT Plus produces more art

Gemini Advanced has paused image generation of people

First, I asked both platforms to create a watercolor image of a woman holding flowers. ChatGPT Plus delivered two different options with soft, flowing brushstrokes, which helped obliterate the details in the face and hands that image generators aren’t great at yet.

Gemini Advanced declined to produce anything. Google temporarily removed the option to generate images of people in February 2024 after complaints that it made historical depictions of the Founding Fathers inaccurate by depicting multiple races. Racism is an issue among many artificial intelligence platforms. Google explains that Gemini Advanced was programmed to represent a wide range of people but admitted that diversity-focused programming created issues when requesting images of someone of a specific demographic.

Since Gemini Advanced couldn’t create a person, I tried just asking for watercolor paintings of spring flowers. Both did a pretty good job, but Gemini Advanced produced three paintings faster than ChatGPT Plus created one option. Frustratingly, however, Gemini Advanced seemed to only produce square images, even when I specifically requested a different aspect ratio.

I next switched from paintings to graphic design and quickly realized that Gemini Advanced wouldn’t actually design anything. Instead, Gemini made a list of suggestions for how to design it, wrote the content, and even suggested software and places to hire a freelance graphic designer.

ChatGPT Plus, on the other hand, will create graphic designs but often probably shouldn’t. I asked it to create an infographic about what to wear and what not to wear to a family photo shoot. The graphics looked quite good, but much of the text was gibberish. The inability to create text in graphics is a known shortcoming for AI generators. I then asked it to remove the text entirely. While the resulting graphic was good, it included both the dos and don’ts in the graphic without differentiating which was which. I then asked it to create a postcard advertising my photography, but the results were straight out of a horror film. The faces were so wrong they looked like decaying corpses. One groom was holding the hands of two brides, one of whom had an arm coming straight out of her bosom.

ChatGPT Plus will produce more types of graphics. However, the types of images that Gemini Advanced refuses to produce are the same types that the other AI failed miserably at creating.

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Writing test: Gemini Advanced gets right to the point

ChatGPT Plus tends to be more long-winded

I asked both programs to write me a 500-word short story about a haunted house. Both followed the instructions well. However, neither came up with anything beyond the usual haunted house tropes, as AI is more a remix of ideas than a creator of something entirely new. ChatGPT Plus’s story felt clichéd and was littered with passive voice, while Gemini Advanced did a better job showing the details rather than offering a bland retelling of the story.

Transitioning from creative to professional writing, I then asked both platforms to write a sample cover letter for a software engineer looking for a job. Both produced a rather bland template but included spots to insert specific details. Gemini’s letter was shorter, more to the point, and followed up with tips for writing a cover letter. ChatGPT’s output was longer and redundant — I would have cut out at least a paragraph from what was generated. I then asked both programs to write a letter of resignation and a professional email, and the results were similar, with ChatGPT Plus being a bit longer (if the prompt isn’t limited to a specific word count) and Gemini Advanced​​​​​​​ getting right to the point.

While both platforms can handle mundane tasks like writing emails, I preferred Gemini Advanced’s results. The Google-owned AI was straight to the point for business writing, while the short story it generated also felt more refined, whereas ChatGPT’s felt more like a first draft.

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Advice test: Gemini Advanced answers with linked resources

But ChatGPT Plus is sometimes be less frustrating

I then asked both platforms a range of different questions. First, I asked for advice on avoiding bears during a hike. Both offered some of the same advice, but Gemini Advanced​​​​​​​ linked to sources where I could find out why exactly bear bells don’t work. ChatGPT Plus sometimes has links at the end but did not for that specific question.

I then asked them to solve one of my fifth grader’s math problems. (I hated learning fractions the first time around, and the second time isn’t any more enjoyable.) Both platforms got the correct answer, but ChatGPT Plus said simplifying 10/3 to 3 1/3 was optional, while Gemini Advanced called it an improper fraction and explained that you should simplify it. Both initially wrote the answer as a decimal until I specifically asked for an answer written as a fraction.

Gemini’s explanation of how to solve the math problem was only three steps long; ChatGPT’s was six. Just like with the writing tasks, ChatGPT Plus was unnecessarily wordy, and I thought Gemini’s shorter description was easier to follow.

I then asked questions about current events — which actually took multiple tries to find a question that both platforms would attempt to answer. Gemini Advanced​​​​​​​ wouldn’t answer questions about politics, while ChatGPT Plus didn’t know that the prime minister of Haiti had resigned. This was somewhat expected as ChatGPT is trained on older data, but it did not even attempt to use the Bing search plugin to verify if the answer was current.

I finally found a question about current events that both platforms would answe r– sort of. I asked about moon landings, looking specifically for the February 2024 landing that happened after ChatGPT’s training data was updated. ChatGPT Plus answered immediately with a number followed by an explanation, including the latest Odysseus mission. Gemini erred on the side of caution and told me that there were six crewed and multiple uncrewed landings. I asked again, and Gemini said that the question was “a bit complex to answer definitively.” I never did get a number — though I did get several links — but when I finally adjusted my question to “successful uncrewed soft landings,” the most recent February 2024 landing was included, which is what I was looking for.

3:11

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Speed test: Gemini Advanced is faster

ChatGPT Plus / GPT-4 is limited to 40 messages every 3 hours

One of the main purposes of generative AI is to handle tasks that we don’t want to deal with — such as fifth-grade math — or to accelerate more mundane processes. With the latter in mind, I submitted several prompts simultaneously to see which platform would generate a result first. Gemini Advanced consistently responded first, even creating three watercolor paintings before ChatGPT Plus had completed one. Gemini Advanced was also noticeably quicker at solving math questions.

The results are unsurprising once you delve into the data. GPT-4 is limited to 40 messages every three hours, whereas Gemini Advanced can handle up to 60 requests per minute.

One of the main purposes of generative AI is to handle tasks that we don’t want to handle — like 5th-grade math — or to speed up the more mundane processes. With the latter in mind, I sent across many of the prompts at the same time, looking to see which platform generated a result first. Gemini Advanced answered first nearly every time, including creating three watercolor paintings before ChatGPT Plus had finished with one. Gemini Advanced was also noticeably faster at answering math questions.

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Ethics test: ChatGPT Plus refuses to copy artists’ style

And Gemini Advanced won’t talk about politics

Ethics should be a key consideration when comparing different AI platforms. If you refuse to use an AI that scrapes training data from the web without the owner’s permission, then you’re still out of luck here. Both are also capable of answering questions incorrectly, so factual data should always be double-checked when working with any AI chatbot. But what about ethics and how each chatbot answers key questions?

When prompted, Gemini Advanced created a landscape painting in the style of Picasso. ChatGPT Plus, on the other hand, responded that requesting a specific artist’s style violated content policies. It then suggested creating a painting “inspired by early 20th-century art movements that emphasize geometric shapes, fragmented forms, and vibrant colors.” The result was similar to Gemini Advanced’s, but the prompt was not connected to the artist’s name. That courtesy seems to be limited to visual arts. Neither one refused when I asked them to write in the style of Stephen King.

Overall, Gemini’s approach is to disable options that aren’t quite right. It won’t respond to questions about politics and has disabled generative images of people until some diversity issues can be remedied. However, ChatGPT Plus​​​​​​​ won’t produce results in a specific visual artist’s style.

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Privacy test: ChatGPT lets you delete more data

Gemini will keep data for up to three years

Another consideration is how your data is used. Both platforms retain data for later training. Some Gemini prompts will be viewed by human staff, so users should not share personal data on the platform. Gemini Advanced can keep the data for up to three years, though it is not associated with your account that far out. In comparison, ChatGPTallows you to turn off chat history, which means you will not be able to go back to previous chats, but the company has less of your data. With this setting, ChatGPT deletes your conversations once every 30 days. Your data is still used for training, but not for the long term.

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But ChatGPT Plus does have a wealth of plugins

As part of the Google family, Gemini Advanced can be found in more than just the web browser chat window. Gemini can assist you with writing or proofreading in Gmail, as well as in apps like Google Docs. integrated into Pixel devices, though iOS users can still access the AI inside the Google app. The $20-a-month subscription also includes 2TB of cloud storage with Google One.

ChatGPT Plus doesn’t offer the same integrations, but with a longer history, it boasts a more extensive list of different custom GPTs for users to explore. In the Explore GPTs tab, you can discover anything from tutors to coding to coloring book pages. You can find custom GPTs from companies like Kayak, Canva, Khan Academy, and more. With ChatGPT web browser extensions, you can also access a range of tools that work directly inside a web browser. GPT-4 also supports the uploading of JPGs and PDFs, whereas Gemini Advanced is limited to image uploads. ChatGPT has both a web application and a dedicated app that, like Gemini, can also use voice.

Verdict: Which is AI chatbot subscription is best?

I prefer Gemini, but ChatGPT is needed for AI image generation

Google’s Gemini Advanced produced clearer, more concise written content. I preferred the written results of Gemini Advanced over ChatGPT. The Google-owned chatbot also had the fastest performance out of the two. The fact that it comes from a large tech company also gives it clear benefits like 2 TB of cloud storage included in the price and integration into Google Docs and other apps.

While I preferred the results from Gemini Advanced a majority of the time, ChatGPT Plus was capable of more tasks. It can, for example, produce graphic designs that Gemini refused. It’s worth noting, however, that the types of images Gemini won’t create are also the types of images that ChatGPT struggles to produce acceptable results with, including images of people and graphics that contain text. However, ChatGPT also allows users to delete their data every 30 days, while Google keeps it for up to three years. ChatGPT’s longer history also means that it offers a lot of different custom plug-ins that are tailored for a specific task.

Overall, Google’s Gemini Advanced is the subscription that I would pick if I wanted an AI to help type out emails or decipher math homework. ChatGPT Plus would be my choice for generating images using DALL-E, using specific plug-ins, or for greater control over what happens to your data.

FAQ

Q: What is Gemini Advanced and ChatGPT Plus?

Gemini is Google’s AI chatbot that’s integrated with Google products, and Advanced is the AI’s paid subscription tier. ChatGPT Plus, on the other hand, is a paid subscription to OpenAI’s ChatGPT. Like Advanced, it’s more powerful and has more features and capabilities.

Q: How much do Gemini Advanced and ChatGPT Plus cost each?

Here’s the current pricing information:

• Gemini Advanced: Included in the Google One AI Premium Plan at $19.99 per month. This plan also offers other Google AI benefits and increased Google One storage.
• ChatGPT Plus: Costs $20 per month. This plan offers access to DALL-E image generation and the GPT store.