Why I use Gemini over ChatGPT as my AI assistant, and you should too
If you haven’t tried Google AI since the Bard days, it’s really time to give Gemini another shot. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.
The Evolution of Google AI and Gemini
OpenAI caught the tech world by surprise, including stalwarts like Apple and Google. However, those two brands responded to ChatGPT’s success in completely different ways. While the former is still trying to find its footing, Google recovered nicely, and Gemini is arguably a better chatbot for most people than ChatGPT in 2025. If you’re still using ChatGPT, I don’t blame you. Google’s start in the AI race with Bard wasn’t the best, but it has come a long way in the Gemini era. OpenAI’s 12-hour ChatGPT outage could serve as the perfect reason to give a competitor another shot, like Gemini.
The Power of Gemini Models
The wide variety of models and tools available under the Gemini umbrella is a huge reason why I stick to Google AI’s suite. There are just a few main types of Gemini models, including Gemini Nano, Gemini Flash, and Gemini Pro. It gets more nuanced than that in the nitty-gritty, when you consider offshoots like Gemini Personalization, but those three handle most of your AI needs. Gemini Nano handles on-device mobile AI tasks, Gemini Flash takes care of simple, everyday requests, and Gemini Pro is for advanced, specialized needs. They’re not just competitors to the latest ChatGPT models; they’re winners. Google currently holds the top two spots on LMArena’s leaderboard, and they’re both preview versions of Gemini 2.5 Pro. The Gemini 2.5 Pro preview model is also the champion on LMArena’s WebDev leaderboard, too.
OpenAI’s models tie for second place on the LMArena leaderboard, but can’t be found until seventh place on the WebDev rankings. The days of OpenAI models being the industry leader in every category are over, as Gemini models will beat ChatGPT models in many major benchmarks. There’s a model for every use case, whether you need an efficient model for on-device processing, a lightweight model to reduce token usage, a thinking model that shows its work, or a specialized model for specific use cases. If the expansive set of stock offerings isn’t enough, you can build Gems, which are custom AI chatbots similar to OpenAI’s custom GPTs.
Integration and Accessibility
For most people, knowing which AI model ranks higher on uber-specific benchmarks is inconsequential for their daily needs. That’s why Gemini’s integration with popular mobile operating systems is its true differentiator. With the Gemini app, you can use the service on a variety of platforms, including iOS and iPadOS. However, things really get good if you happen to use an Android phone, tablet, or a ChromeOS laptop. Gemini is replacing the Google Assistant, so the AI helper is only a button press or a voice command away at any time on the majority of Android phones. With Gemini Live, you can speak to the AI model in natural language and even share your screen or camera feed to add context. It’s not that ChatGPT can’t do these same things; it’s that they’re packaged in a much more convenient way with Gemini.
Real-World Applications and Support
The easy access makes Gemini a more helpful companion for solving real-world problems. I use Gemini Live to help figure out why my plants aren’t looking right, or what I can substitute for an ingredient in a recipe. And since Gemini tends to do a better job at providing online sources for its answers, I can quickly fact-check it in a way that I can’t while using ChatGPT.
