ChatGPT vs. Copilot vs. Gemini: Which One to Choose?

In recent years, AI assistants like ChatGPT, Google Gemini, and Microsoft Copilot have rapidly evolved from experimental tools into everyday digital companions. These intelligent systems are being embraced by individuals and businesses alike for their ability to streamline tasks, generate content, answer questions, and even provide emotional support. Whether it’s drafting emails, coding, conducting research, or simply making sense of complex information, people turn to AI assistants for their speed, convenience, and increasingly human-like understanding of language. As these tools become more integrated into our digital lives, they are reshaping how we work, learn, and communicate.

We get inquiries from time to time from our clients on which AI assistants should they be using. We find our clients typically use the following tools:

1. ChatGPT – this is the “first kid on the block” so most early adopters will use ChatGPT
2. Microsoft 365 Copilot – Users of Microsoft 365 will use Copilot because it is embedded within the M365 and provides value beyond a stand-alone assistant.
3. Google Gemini – Users of Google’s GSuite will prefer Gemini because it is embedded in the Google ecosystem and is easy to access from Android smartphones.

The following article provides more nuanced details on the differences between these tools.

Core Functionality and Focus

• Microsoft 365 Copilot: Primarily designed as an integrated AI assistant within the Microsoft 365 suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams, etc.). Its strength lies in providing contextual assistance to enhance productivity within these specific applications.
• ChatGPT: A general-purpose conversational AI model excelling in natural language interaction across a wide range of topics. It can generate text, translate languages, write different kinds of creative content, and answer your questions in an informative way. It’s more of a standalone tool, though it can integrate with other services.
• Gemini: Developed by Google, Gemini is also a multimodal AI model that can understand and process information across different modalities like text, images, audio, video, and code. It aims to be a versatile tool for various tasks, including creative content generation, information retrieval, and integration with Google services.

Integration

• Microsoft 365 Copilot: Deeply integrated within the Microsoft 365 environment, offering seamless assistance directly within applications users are already familiar with.
• ChatGPT: More platform-agnostic as a standalone tool, though it offers plugins and integrations to connect with other services.
• Gemini: While it integrates with Google Workspace applications (like Gmail and Docs), its integration isn’t as deep or contextual as Copilot’s within the Microsoft ecosystem.

Key Features and Strengths

Microsoft 365 Copilot

• Contextual assistance: Understands the content you’re working on within Microsoft apps.
• Meeting summarization and action items: Efficiently extracts key information from Teams meetings.
• Content generation and refinement: Helps draft documents, emails, presentations, and more within Microsoft applications.
• Data analysis and visualization: Assists with identifying trends and creating charts in Excel.
• Natural language interaction: Allows users to interact using everyday language within the Microsoft environment.

ChatGPT

• Versatile conversational abilities: Excels at engaging in natural-sounding dialogues.
• Broad knowledge base: Can access and process information on a wide range of topics.
• Creative text formats: Capable of generating various creative content formats.
• Code generation and debugging: Offers assistance with programming tasks.
• Web browsing capabilities: Can access and process information from the internet (depending on the version and settings).
• Plugins and integrations: Extends its functionality by connecting to other services.
• Multimodal input and output (GPT-4o): Can understand and generate responses across text, audio, and visual inputs.

Gemini

• Multimodal capabilities: Can reason across text, images, audio, video, and code.
• Broad knowledge retrieval: Leverages Google’s vast information resources.
• Creative ideation and text formats: Can assist with brainstorming and generating different types of creative content.
• Code generation and debugging: Offers capabilities for software development tasks.
• Integration with Google Workspace: Connects with Google’s suite of productivity tools.
• Image generation: Can create images based on prompts.
• Deep Research: Can analyze numerous sources to generate comprehensive reports.

Ideal Use Cases

• Microsoft 365 Copilot: Best suited for businesses heavily invested in the Microsoft 365 ecosystem seeking to enhance the productivity of their employees within their daily workflows in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Teams.
• ChatGPT: Ideal for individuals and businesses needing a versatile AI assistant for content creation, brainstorming, research, coding assistance, and general conversational tasks across various contexts.
• Gemini: Well-suited for users and organizations that require a multimodal AI for tasks involving diverse data types, creative projects, information retrieval, and integration with Google’s services.

Summary

• If your primary focus is boosting productivity within the Microsoft 365 environment, Microsoft 365 Copilot is the most tightly integrated and contextually aware solution.
• If you need a general-purpose AI assistant with strong conversational abilities and broad knowledge for a wide array of tasks, ChatGPT is a powerful choice.
• If you require a multimodal AI that can handle various types of data and seamlessly integrate with Google services, Gemini offers a compelling set of features.

The best choice ultimately depends on your specific needs, existing infrastructure, and the primary tasks you want to accomplish with AI.