Google Gemini vs ChatGPT: Which AI Assistant Wins in 2025? – Backlinko

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Written by Leigh McKenzie
Google Gemini and ChatGPT can speed up your workflows and make many aspects of your life—both personal and professional—much easier.
But which app is better?
We ran head-to-head experiments with both AI tools to find out.
Read on to find out whether Gemini or ChatGPT is better for:
And much more.
Large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT and Google Gemini are changing the way people do business across industries. From digital marketing to finance and legal services.
And at a rate so fast that it’s nearly impossible to keep up.
Since the release of ChatGPT in November 2022, LLMs have:
At the heart of the LLM revolution is Open AI’s Chat Generative Pre-trained Transformer (ChatGPT).
Close on its heels is Google Gemini, released in December 2023.
Like ChatGPT, Google Gemini is an AI-powered Chatbot. The two programs offer similar functions and capabilities.
So which one should you use?
That depends on your needs. First, let’s look at the main differences between the two.
ChatGPT is a text-focused AI Chatbot.
You “talk” to ChatGPT via text input.
As if you were messaging a friend.
Like many messaging platforms, it has a talk-to-text option if you prefer to speak your questions instead of typing them.
Google Gemini aims to differentiate itself by leaning into multi-modal capabilities.
You can also converse with it by text.
But Google Gemini Live lets you interact with the app using real-time voice conversation. Just like you would talk to a human.
And it’s freaky good.
The free versions of ChatGPT and Google Gemini are quite similar. Here’s what is included in each of their free plans:
ChatGPT is generally better than Google Gemini for text-based tasks and research.
While Google Gemini is better for many creative tasks and image generation.
We came to these conclusions by running side-by-side comparisons on some of Google Gemini and ChatGPT’s most common use cases.
Note: Both tools are constantly evolving—and rapidly. Our experiments offer a snapshot of their performance for various tasks. But to find out which one is truly best for your needs, you’ll need to experiment with both on your own.
Both AI tools can kickstart your research (whether for content creation or other purposes) with ideas and suggestions.
But ChatGPT (even on its free plan) can access the web for up-to-date information.
For example, we asked ChatGPT to tell us the top-performing blog topics in the pet industry. And it returned a list of this year’s popular topics:
After generating a list and descriptions of popular topics, ChatGPT added source links at the end of its response:
Google Gemini, on the other hand, did not include sources.
When asked to share its sources, it explained that citations aren’t possible:
We tried again, but this time asked for sources with the original prompt.
And it gladly served up a list of source links.
The sources it gave us were very broad, though. Such as links to category pages of organizations. Instead of blog posts.
Overall, we prefer ChatGPT for research.
Why?
Because ChatGPT offers several nice perks that Google Gemini lacks:
ChatGPT and Google Gemini can instantly help you understand complex concepts on nearly any subject.
Including:
As an example, we asked both apps to help us understand climate system feedback loops.
Both generated highly-readable content that made the topic easy to understand.
But Google Gemini did an overall better job helping us understand complex concepts.
Its crystal-clear answers and skimmable formatting made it a breeze to digest the information.
But ChatGPT is also excellent at this kind of task.
It took a different approach, offering an analogy to help us understand the concept:
So, both apps are great for simplifying tough topics. And further prompting can help return the best results for your learning style.
For example, if you prefer analogies, you can include that request in your prompt. Or you can take the “explain like I’m five” approach (ELI5) for even further simplification.
Note: When we prompted ChatGPT again in a new chat, we got a similar result to the Gemini output. This further emphasizes the need to run your own experiments to find out which one you prefer.
Creating images with ChatGPT and Google Gemini can help you illustrate blog posts, webpages, social media content, and more.
Google Gemini includes image creation in its free plan.
However, the free version of ChatGPT only allows you to “test” the feature with an allowance of two images per day.
We compared image quality by prompting each with the same request:
“Generate an image of a person holding a sign that says ‘Puppy Recall Training.”
ChatGPT generated an image close to what we were looking for.
But:
It incorrectly spelled “recall” as “cecall.” (This is a common issue with ChatGPT’s images.)
Gemini refused our request.
Huh?
Generating images with people in them is currently restricted to early access Gemini Advanced subscribers.
So we tried again. But this time we asked for an image of a puppy holding the sign.
And Google Gemini knocked it out of the park.
Its AI image and the text were exactly what we asked for (with no misspellings). Although the alignment was a little off.
We like Google Gemini better for image generation because:
Many SEO pros use ChatGPT and Google Gemini to assist with their day-to-day tasks.
These (and other AI SEO tools) can help you:
We asked both apps to produce keyword suggestions for the topic “How to teach your puppy to come.”
ChatGPT’s suggestions were all relevant to the topic.
But Google Gemini took a wrong turn. It generated off-topic keywords about 40% of the time.
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Neither app produced the type of up-to-date results and data you can get from a professional SEO tool like Semrush.
But they’re still useful jumping off points for your keyword research.
Overall, we prefer ChatGPT for generating keyword ideas. Its ability to produce on-topic keywords made this one an easy choice.
Google Gemini’s writing is more compelling, clear, and engaging.
Which is exactly what we’re looking for in meta descriptions.
ChatGPT writes well. But often lacks the ability to pull readers in and compel them to engage.
ChatGPT does a better job with headlines for a couple of reasons:
Google Gemini can give you some great headline ideas. But its use of keywords often feels unnatural and redundant.
Google Gemini generated more readable alt text than ChatGPT.
But if we’re being honest:
Both apps got long-winded and included too much detail.
More refined prompts with character limits can help. But both apps often ignore these suggestions anyway.
So we’d recommend playing around with the Gemini and ChatGPT prompts and using your own expertise to craft useful alt text.
Both apps gave us great ideas on who to connect with to build backlinks to our article.
ChatGPT gave us a wider range of ideas and opportunities.
Google Gemini offered some good suggestions, too.
But from a beginner’s perspective, ChatGPT’s extra detail and guidance made its response more helpful.
To wrap up our SEO comparisons, we asked both apps to generate a backlink outreach email.
ChatGPT’s email message focused on the value the recipient would enjoy by linking to our article.
And it used an effective copywriting trick: talking about the benefits the recipient will get from the relationship. Rather than just what you’ll gain from the link.
For SEO tasks, both ChatGPT and Gemini excel in different areas.
But ChatGPT excels more often.
We prefer ChatGPT for:
And Google Gemini for:
Google Gemini and ChatGPT both shine when it comes to creative content.
They can:
We asked both apps to create a blog post outline for an article on “puppy recall training.”
ChatGPT’s outline provided more detail.
We then asked both apps to create promotional content for the article, and the results were as follows:
Overall, Google Gemini does a better job at creative text generation.
But if you’re looking for help with outlining or video scripts, consider turning to ChatGPT.
Repurposing your blog posts on other platforms can increase your marketing campaign’s efficiency. Without having to create much extra content.
To find out which tool was best at providing ideas, we shared a 600-word blog post on puppy recall training with both apps. And asked them to develop a repurposing plan for the article.
The results?
ChatGPT gave us dozens of detailed ideas. All within a well-organized plan.
Its suggestions included formats like:
Google Gemini’s response was the opposite.
It was very brief, suggesting just a few repurposing channels. And it lacked creativity and detail.
Tip: When you’re unhappy with a response, let your AI chatbot know about it. You can get better results from both apps by making corrections and asking for changes.
AI transcription can help you:
We tested Google Gemini and ChatGPT for text transcription.
And we didn’t make it easy.
We submitted a complex infographic (a complete SEO checklist) from Backlinko.
The image had a lot of small lettering, several tiers of information placed in different graphic elements, and dark coloring in a few spots.
ChatGPT transcribed the piece with much better accuracy.
ChatGPT had one mistake at the end of text. Instead “Update and Relaunch Outdated Content” ChatGPT transcribed as “Update and Improve Outdated Content.”
Google Gemini’s results had bigger problems.
And its issues went beyond simple errors.
It also:
In the image below, you can see the highlighted fields where errors occurred:
Both sets of results require proofreading.
But both apps can save you a lot of time compared to manual transcription.
In our experience, ChatGPT did a better, more accurate job transcribing text from images.
Facing a tough decision? Google Gemini and ChatGPT can help you explore new ways to look at both sides of a situation. And give you a list of points to consider before making a decision.
For example, we asked both apps for guidance on whether to expand upon our (fictional) blog content with podcasting.
Google Gemini responded with a generalized plan. And its guidance was an excellent starting point.
Its recommendations included an organized thought process. Plus a list of considerations.
All neatly presented in a list of topics and subtopics.
For example, the Investment and Resources section advised us to consider equipment, time, and hosting expenses.
ChatGPT’s response lacked full descriptions.
But it included details that might otherwise get overlooked. Such as soundproofing, audio software, and podcast storage fees.
Neither app provided enough detail to make an informed decision.
But that’s okay.
Because together, the responses formed a comprehensive starting point to guide our research.
We recommend using both apps when turning to AI for help with reasoning and decision-making.
To get a wider range of perspectives.
ChatGPT and Google Gemini can quickly transcribe, organize, and summarize your notes.
You can analyze and summarize existing files by uploading a PDF or JPEG image. Or by pasting text from other documents.
We started this comparison by asking both apps to transcribe an image of a handwritten to-do list.
Google Gemini’s interpretation was clearer and much easier to read.
But both apps did a good job turning our handwritten list into a well-organized document.
Next, we asked the apps to separate the list into two sections: personal and business.
Google Gemini’s results were better-formatted and easier to read.
Google Gemini’s version was free of errors.
But ChatGPT had one mistake. It turned the phrase “w/Lee” into “Wylee.”
(Obviously the results here will vary depending on handwriting style.)
Finally, we asked each app to estimate the amount of time needed for each task.
And then turn it into a one-day schedule.
Both apps did an amazing job estimating time frames and planning our day (minus the “Wylee” mistake from ChatGPT”).
But ChatGPT’s schedule was more efficient and had our day wrapped up by 5:30. Whereas Google Gemini had us running until 9:00 pm.
We prefer ChatGPT for building customized schedules.
However:
Google Gemini’s planning is less rushed, making it a better choice for people who prefer longer days at a more relaxed pace.
Our Google Gemini vs ChatGPT experiment shows that each app has different strengths and weaknesses.
But generally speaking:
Want to learn more about using AI chatbots in your workflows?
Here are a couple of resources to get you started:
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