ChatGPT vs Gemini: which is better and what they cost in 2026

Side by side

Model	Vendor	Type	Context window	API price per 1M tokens (input / output)	Open weights	Released
GPT-6 AstraOpenAI's most capable model, built for the hardest coding, agents that operate a computer and very long documents.	OpenAI	flagship	1.05M	10 / 50	no	Sep 2026
GPT-6.1 SolOpenAI's balanced model, close to GPT-6 Astra in quality at a fifth of the price. A solid pick for business apps.	OpenAI	balanced	1.05M	2 / 10	no	Sep 2026
GPT-6 LunaOpenAI's cheapest model, made for high volumes of simple tasks, sorting text and low-cost chatbots.	OpenAI	small	1.05M	0.1 / 0.5	no	Sep 2026
Gemini 4 ArgonGoogle's most capable publicly available model, out in October 2026. Built for demanding analytical work where accuracy matters and made-up answers are costly.	Google	flagship	1.05M	2 / 10	no	Oct 2026
Gemini 3.8 FlashGoogle's fast, lower-cost model for everyday work, coding and document analysis. You can try it in the API for free.	Google	balanced	1.05M	0.75 / 3.75	no	Sep 2026
Gemini 3.5 Flash-LiteA very fast, low-cost Google model for large volumes of simple tasks, such as pulling data out of documents.	Google	fast and cheap	1.05M	0.3 / 2.5	no	Jul 2026

The main differences at a glance

Overall performance: on the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index v5.0, GPT-6 Astra ranks 4th of 52 models with 57 points and Gemini 4 Argon ranks 13th with 50.
Accuracy: on the AA-Omniscience test, Gemini 4 Argon makes things up in 15% of cases, GPT-6 Astra at maximum reasoning in 51%.
Documents: Google AI Pro has a 1 million token window in the app. ChatGPT Plus has 54,000 tokens, or 256,000 when thinking.
Integration: Gemini works right inside Gmail and Google Docs. ChatGPT has Codex for coding and ChatGPT Work.
Free plan: ChatGPT Free has no fixed cap on regular text messages. Without a subscription, Gemini sends most questions to its smallest model, Flash-Lite, with a 32,000 token window.

What the subscriptions cost

ChatGPT: Free, Go at $8, Plus at $20 and Pro from $100 a month.
Gemini: free without a plan, Google AI Plus at $4.99, Google AI Pro at $19.99 and Ultra at $99.99 or $199.99 a month.
Google AI Pro also includes 5 TB of storage for Drive and Gmail, Plus includes 400 GB.
Companies: ChatGPT Business costs $25 per user a month ($20 billed annually). Gemini comes with Google Workspace: Business Starter at €6.80 before VAT has it in Gmail and chat, Business Standard at €13.60 before VAT also in Docs, Sheets and Meet.

For plan details, see ChatGPT pricing and Gemini pricing.

Accuracy and professional work

Gemini 4 Argon is built for work where facts matter. On the Vals Index v2.1, which tests finance, legal, tax and coding tasks, it ranks first of 43 models with 68.9%. On AA-Omniscience it had the lowest rate of made-up answers (15%) among all models scoring at least 45 on the Artificial Analysis index. It also ranks first for text in the public votes on arena.ai.

GPT-6 Astra is stronger on the overall Artificial Analysis index and scores 96.0% on the GPQA Diamond science test according to OpenAI. For contracts, numbers and facts, check every answer whichever model you use.

Coding and the API

OpenAI’s coding tool is Codex, which you get in limited form on Free and expanded on Plus. Google has Google Antigravity, where AI Pro gives base agent limits and Ultra the highest. The companies haven’t published results from the same coding test for both models. GPT-6 Astra scores 57.9% on Terminal-Bench 4.0 according to OpenAI. According to The Batch, Gemini 4 Argon trails Anthropic’s newest models at agentic coding.

In the API, Google is cheaper for now. Gemini 4 Argon costs $2 for input and $10 for output per million tokens, and the price doubles from December 2026. GPT-6 Astra costs $10 and $50. You can try Gemini 3.8 Flash and Flash-Lite on the free API tier. Argon is slow to start, though: it takes about 45 seconds in the API before the first part of the answer arrives.

Long documents, images and video

For long documents in the app, Gemini has the edge. Google AI Pro has a 1 million token window, Google AI Plus 128,000. ChatGPT Plus has 54,000 tokens, or 256,000 when thinking, and Pro has 128,000 and 400,000. In the API both families have a window of about 1 million tokens, but with GPT-6 input above 272,000 tokens costs more.

Both apps create images, even on the free plan, with limits. In the API, Gemini models understand video and audio as well as text, images and PDFs. GPT-6 models handle text and images.

Privacy and business use

ChatGPT: OpenAI may use Free conversations for training unless you turn it off. On Business, company data is not used for training by default. Enterprise and the API offer EU data processing, with a 10% surcharge in the API.
Gemini: in Google Workspace, company data is not used for training. Under its terms, Google doesn’t train on Gemini API data from users in the EEA, even on the free tier. On Gemini Enterprise Agent Platform, data can stay in the EU. Personal accounts follow different rules, which you can check in your Google account settings.

For a company already on Google Workspace, Gemini is the simplest route: no new tool and no extra account. ChatGPT Business, on the other hand, connects to both Google Workspace and Microsoft 365.

What Gemini 4 Carbon will bring

On 28 October 2026 Google announced Gemini 4 Carbon, which according to Google scores 59 on the Artificial Analysis index and would outrank every ChatGPT model. For now, though, only selected cyber defenders have access, and Google has not given a date for everyone else. We will update this comparison once it is available.

Verdict

If you want the strongest available model on the independent index, Codex for coding or the cheap Go plan at $8, pick ChatGPT. If you work with long documents, facts and numbers, or already live in Gmail and Google Docs, Gemini with Google AI Pro gives you more: a 1 million token window, fewer made-up answers in tests and 5 TB of storage. Companies on Google Workspace already have Gemini included. For everyday writing the difference depends on the task, so try both for free. See also Claude vs ChatGPT and Claude vs Gemini.

FAQ

Is Gemini better than ChatGPT?

In some ways yes, in others no. GPT-6 Astra scores 57 on the Artificial Analysis index and Gemini 4 Argon 50. But Argon ranks first on the Vals Index v2.1 with finance and legal tasks, and it makes things up less often in tests. For everyday writing, try both for free on your own texts.

Which is cheaper, ChatGPT Plus or Google AI Pro?

They’re close: Google AI Pro costs $19.99 a month and ChatGPT Plus $20, but AI Pro adds 5 TB of storage. The cheapest paid plans are Google AI Plus at $4.99 and ChatGPT Go at $8.

Which is better for long documents?

Gemini, in the app. Google AI Pro has a 1 million token window, ChatGPT Plus 54,000 tokens, or 256,000 when thinking. The free versions of both have small windows, with Gemini at 32,000 tokens.

Which is better for a company?

If your company uses Google Workspace, Gemini is already included, from €6.80 per user before VAT. Gemini in Docs and Sheets starts with Business Standard at €13.60 before VAT. ChatGPT Business costs $25 per user and suits you if you want one tool connected to both Google Workspace and Microsoft 365.

Sources

Prices and models change often. The data comes from official vendor pricing pages and documentation, and every page shows when it was last checked. Before a larger purchase, confirm the price with the vendor.