ChatGPT vs. Gemini vs. Copilot: Which is the best AI chatbot?

AI chatbots are everywhere these days, and it’s no surprise why—they’re clever, handy, and always ready to assist. To learn more about how AI is transforming e-commerce, see our article on How to Use AI to Build A Shopify Store. With the AI market booming (think $407 billion by 2027, according to Forbes), the options keep growing. 

Today, we’re pitting three big players against each other: ChatGPT, Gemini, and Copilot. Which one’s the best? Let’s break it down with a friendly chat about their features, strengths, and quirks to help you pick your perfect AI sidekick.

What are AI chatbots?

AI chatbots are computer programs powered by LLMs (also known as large language models) that can understand natural language, respond to queries, generate content, and help with various tasks through conversation. Unlike traditional chatbots that follow rigid scripts, modern AI chatbots can understand context, learn from interactions, and generate human-like responses. For a list of top AI chatbots specifically designed for e-commerce, check out Top best AI chatbots for your eCommerce store.

These tools have evolved from simple text-based assistants to sophisticated systems that can:

• Generate creative content (articles, stories, emails)
• Write and debug code
• Analyze data
• Create images
• Answer complex questions with nuanced responses
• Maintain conversational context over extended interactions

Let's examine how the three leading chatbots compare in these capabilities.

Brief comparison of ChatGPT, Gemini, and Copilot chatbots

To give you an accurate analysis, I made a test with these three chatbots with the same question:

“I have 10 apples today; I ate three apples last week. How many apples do I have left?”

And here is how they perform

• ChatGPT (free): Succeeded

• Microsoft Copilot: Succeeded

• Google Gemini: Succeeded

I made a quick comparison of three chatbots. Let’s check it out:

You should choose ChatGPT if…

You want to access LLM in both free and premium tiers.

ChatGPT offers both free and paid options. The free tier now includes GPT-4o (a multimodal model that handles text, images, and voice), which is a significant upgrade from the previous GPT-3.5. If you're willing to pay for ChatGPT Plus ($20/month), you'll get early access to new features, higher usage limits, and additional capabilities.

I've found ChatGPT's interface to be the cleanest and most intuitive of the three platforms. The company continues to add features that were previously exclusive to Plus subscribers, including web browsing, custom GPTs, and data analysis.

You want the most mature AI chatbot experience.

As the first widely adopted AI chatbot, ChatGPT has had more time to refine its user experience and fix issues. The platform feels polished and reliable, with fewer quirks than its competitors.

In my testing, ChatGPT's premium tier consistently provided the most balanced performance across different types of queries. While the “o4 model” in the free version still occasionally struggles with complex questions or math problems,

… the introduction of GPT-4o has significantly improved its capabilities.

What I like most about ChatGPT is its versatility - it rarely fails completely on any task, making it a solid all-around choice.

You value versatility and all-around performance.

ChatGPT-4o is incredibly versatile. It's good for writing, coding, brainstorming, analyzing data, and even making images – it rarely misses the mark. Plus, recent upgrades mean it thinks better, solves problems more effectively, and follows instructions really well, making it a strong choice for everything from school to creative projects.

Its accuracy rate is among the highest for large language models, with recent benchmarks showing ChatGPT-4o achieving an 88.7% accuracy rate-just behind the very latest models from competitors, like LIama. Gemini, Claude, etc.

You want advanced features and ethical improvements.

OpenAI has prioritized ethical use and transparency, with: 

• Bias mitigation, 
• Improved source attribution,
• And more responsible handling of sensitive topics

Newer features like memory with search, enhanced personalization, and agentic task execution (where ChatGPT can independently use its tools to solve complex problems) set it apart in both intelligence and usefulness.

You should choose Microsoft Copilot if…

You want truly free access to advanced AI features.

Microsoft Copilot now provides merchants like us unlimited free access to some of its most powerful AI capabilities, including “Think Deeper” for complex reasoning and advanced Voice Chat features that competitors like ChatGPT still keep behind a paywall. With Copilot, you get the benefits of OpenAI’s latest models (such as the o1 reasoning model) at no cost, as long as you’re logged in with a Microsoft account. There are no longer daily usage limits for these features, making Copilot a standout for users who want robust AI without a subscription fee.

You’re looking for strong visual and creative tools-without paying extra.

Copilot’s image generation, powered by DALL-E 3, is free to use and instantly generates images. 

Meanwhile, ChatGPT nowadays allows generating images, but slower (within 2 to 3 minutes or even longer) and can generate up to 15 images per day.

This is a significant advantage over ChatGPT, which restricts image creation to paying subscribers. Copilot also excels at delivering visual information: when you ask about topics like animals, places, or historical events, it can provide photos, concise facts, and scannable summaries, making information easier to digest.

You’re invested in the Microsoft ecosystem.

If you use Microsoft 365 apps like Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, or Teams, Copilot is seamlessly integrated into your workflow. It can assist you in drafting documents, analyzing data, summarizing meetings, and even automating tasks within these apps. The latest updates have made Copilot a core part of Windows 11 and Windows 10, accessible with a simple keyboard shortcut and fully integrated into the desktop environment. This tight integration means Copilot can leverage your emails, files, and meetings to provide context-aware assistance, boosting productivity and streamlining your digital life.

You want a versatile assistant for research, coding, and productivity.

Copilot isn’t just about chat- it can summarize long documents, generate code, analyze data, and even help with presentations. Its “Business Chat” feature can pull insights from your emails, calendar, and documents, making Copilot ideal for professionals needing to stay organized and informed. Developers also benefit from Copilot’s integration with GitHub for AI-powered coding suggestions.

You appreciate customization and evolving features.

Microsoft continues to expand Copilot’s capabilities, such as the new “Copilot Vision” (which lets the AI see and discuss what’s on your screen) and research tools that synthesize information from multiple sources. You can also choose from multiple conversation styles- Creative, Balanced, or Precise- depending on whether you want more detailed or concise responses.

A few things to keep in mind:

• While Copilot’s accuracy is generally high, the quality of answers can sometimes depend on the conversation style you select. Interestingly, the Creative mode often provides more accurate and nuanced answers than the Precise mode, which is more concise but sometimes less thorough.
• Some advanced productivity features, especially in enterprise settings, may require a paid Microsoft 365 subscription, but the core AI chat and creative tools remain free for all users.

You should choose Google Gemini if…

You want the latest, fastest AI with generous limits and cutting-edge features.

Gemini has rapidly evolved in 2025, now powered by the Gemini 2.5 Pro (I/O edition) and soon the even more advanced Gemini Ultra model. 

Image credit: Google

The new models deliver state-of-the-art reasoning, coding, and multimodal understanding, consistently topping industry benchmarks for both general knowledge and specialized tasks like web development and video comprehension. Gemini Advanced users enjoy a massive 1 million token context window-enough to handle 1,500 pages of text or 30,000 lines of code in a single session. This is ideal for deep research, large document analysis, and extended conversations, with much higher usage limits than most competitors.

You want seamless, built-in integration with Google services.

Gemini is now natively integrated across Google Workspace Business and Enterprise plans at no extra cost, making its AI features available directly inside Gmail, Docs, Sheets, Slides, Drive, Meet, and more. This means you can draft emails, summarize documents, analyze spreadsheets, and generate images or tables- all without leaving your favorite Google apps. Gemini’s side panel supports 25 languages and lets you collaborate with AI as a thought partner, productivity booster, and creative assistant. For Google Workspace users, this is a game-changer in workflow efficiency.

You want a visually organized, context-aware assistant.

Gemini excels at presenting information in clear, visually organized formats- whether you’re planning a trip, summarizing research, or analyzing data.

Its integration with Google Maps, for example, now delivers AI-powered recommendations and contextual data directly inside the Maps app, helping you discover places and plan activities with tailored suggestions. 

The platform’s “Deep Research” and “Canvas” features let you synthesize complex information and collaborate on projects, while “Gems” allow you to build custom AI agents for specific tasks.

You value advanced coding, research, and multimodal capabilities.

Gemini 2.5 Pro is a leader in coding, with improved code generation, editing, and transformation-especially for building web apps and handling large codebases. Its reasoning abilities make it ideal for math, science, and technical research, and it can process and analyze not just documents but also audio, images, and video at a high level. 

As you can see, Gemini can fulfill most of the activities about coding, media, and analytics. Meanwhile, its counterparts just implement some of them with lower productivity

For developers and researchers, Gemini’s API and integration with Google AI Studio and Vertex AI offer powerful tools for building and deploying advanced AI solutions.

You want a more personalized, evolving AI experience.

Google is actively working to make Gemini a more personalized assistant, with upcoming features expected to deepen app connections, enable more on-device tasks, and introduce agentic capabilities that can perform tasks online on your behalf. Gemini Advanced already lets you reference past chats, set custom preferences, and use advanced chat settings for tailored responses.

Conclusion

To determine which the "best" AI chatbot is, it ultimately bases on your specific needs, preferences, and how you plan to use it:

• ChatGPT offers the most polished experience and balanced performance across different tasks. It's an excellent all-rounder, especially with GPT-4o now available to free users. If you're willing to pay for Plus, you'll get the most capable AI assistant of the three.
• Microsoft Copilot provides impressive value with free access to GPT-4 capabilities and image generation. Its visual presentation and integration with Microsoft products make it particularly useful for Windows and Office users.
• Google Gemini excels in providing faster, less restricted conversations with comprehensive answers. Its integration with Google services and strong performance on factual queries make it ideal for research and information gathering.

As these platforms continue to evolve rapidly, the competitive landscape may shift. Each company is constantly adding new features and improving its models, so what's true today may change tomorrow.

My recommendation? Try all three for yourself - they're free to access in their basic forms, and your personal experience with them might differ based on the specific tasks you need help with. If you're looking to enhance your Shopify store with AI-powered customer service, explore our recommendations in Best Shopify AI Chatbots. I keep all three bookmarked and choose between them depending on what I'm working on.

What's your experience been with these AI chatbots? I'd love to hear which one you prefer in the comments below!