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Gemini app vs ChatGPT: Which AI chat app gives you more for the money?

Facts checked Oct 22, 2026. Every number links to its source.

Summary

Derived from sourced facts, not from builder opinions

No published test compares the two apps. As models, Gemini 4 Argon (Google AI Pro and up) ranks first in Arena text votes (1526) and GPT-6 Astra (ChatGPT Plus and up) ranks 73rd (1442).
Google AI Pro costs $19.99 and includes Gemini 4 Argon, 5 TB of storage and Gemini in Gmail and Docs. ChatGPT Plus costs $20 and includes GPT-6 Astra and Codex.
The cheapest paid plans are Google AI Plus at $4.99 and ChatGPT Go at $8.
As models run through the API by Vals AI, GPT-6 Astra scored 59.60% on Terminal-Bench 4.0 and Gemini 4 Argon 57.58%, a small gap.

Choose Gemini app if

You want Gemini 4 Argon, which Google AI Pro includes.
You use Gmail, Docs and Drive and want storage in the same plan.
You want the cheapest paid plan ($4.99 Google AI Plus).
You want the model that ranks first in Arena text votes and above GPT-6 Astra on the Vals Index (Gemini 4 Argon).

Choose ChatGPT if

You want a coding agent (Codex) included on every plan.
You want published usage estimates for agent work in ChatGPT Work and Codex.
You want GPT-6 Astra, which ChatGPT Plus and higher plans include.

Gemini app

ChatGPT

Follow both to get an email when either one changes its price, limits or behavior.

Plans

Gemini app plans

Free: Free
Google AI Plus: $4.99/month
Google AI Pro: $19.99/month
Google AI Ultra: $99.99/month

ChatGPT plans

Free: Free
Go: $8/month
Plus: $20/month
Pro: $100/month
Business: $25/month

Subscription agents are priced per seat with usage limits, so this compares plans rather than dividing a subscription by a guessed number of tasks.

Side by side

	Gemini app	ChatGPT
Maker	Google	OpenAI
Plans	Free $0 · Google AI Plus $4.99 · Google AI Pro $19.99 · Google AI Ultra $99.99 (5x Pro) or $199.99 (20x Pro) · Gemini Enterprise Business from $21/seat	Free $0 · Go $8 · Plus $20 · Pro $100, $200 or $500 · Business $25/user monthly ($20 annual, 2+ users) · Enterprise and Edu by sales
Usage limits	Compute-based limits that refresh every 5 hours until a weekly cap · Plus 2x Free, Pro 4x Free, Ultra 5x or 20x Pro · AI credits extend limits · paid users fall back to Flash-Lite at the limit	Not published
Models in the app	Free: Flash-Lite · Plus: Flash · Pro and Ultra: Gemini 4 Argon, the Pro model (3.1 Pro) and Flash	GPT-6 Sol and GPT-6 Luna replaced GPT-5.6 in ChatGPT on 2026-10-07 for free and paid plans · Codex and ChatGPT Work still run the September versions of GPT-6 Sol and Luna
Gemini 4 Argon in the app	Rolling out to Google AI Pro and Ultra since 2026-10-13	Not published
Context window	32K tokens without a plan · 128K on Plus · 1M on Pro and Ultra	Not published
Bundle	Pro includes 5 TB of Google storage, Gemini in Gmail and Docs, Jules, entry Antigravity limits and YouTube Premium Lite	Not published
GPT-6 Astra access	Not published	Plus, Pro, Business and Enterprise plans
Agent and coding	Not published	ChatGPT Work and Codex are included in every plan, on Free and Go with GPT-6 Luna in the desktop app, subject to rollout
Work and Codex usage limits	Not published	Published only for ChatGPT Work and Codex, which share one allowance, not for regular chat: on Plus about 15-160 local messages per 5 hours with GPT-6.1 Sol and 5-45 with GPT-6 Astra · Pro has no five-hour limit · weekly limits may apply

Scores appear side by side only when both were published for the same test. Settings differ between sources, so small gaps can reverse under another harness.

Updates

Gemini app

Breaking changeSep 30, 2026

Gemini app adds skills, which will replace Gems

Google rolled out skills, reusable instruction sets, in Gemini chat and said skills will soon replace Gems, with existing Gems migrated automatically when Gems go away.

Who is affected:: Gemini app users who rely on custom Gems.
What to do:: Review your Gems and the help center guidance on moving them to skills.

ChatGPT

19 recorded incidents in the last 90 days.

Default changeOct 28, 2026

GPT-6 Luna in ChatGPT updated on October 28 with more concise replies

OpenAI updated GPT-6 Luna in ChatGPT, which launched there on October 7. The updated model gives more concise responses and reduces overly agreeable language.

After

GPT-6 Luna (October 28)

Plan changeOct 28, 2026

ChatGPT Pro and Business add up to $500 a month in free API credits

Eligible ChatGPT Pro and Business subscribers can claim up to $500 per month in free API credits as a subscription benefit. The benefit is activated from ChatGPT or the API Platform by linking an API organization you own.

After

Up to $500 per month in free API credits

Who is affected:: ChatGPT Pro and Business subscribers who also use the API.
What to do:: Link an API organization you own in ChatGPT or the API Platform to claim the credits.

SuccessorOct 15, 2026

GPT-Live-1.1 and GPT-Live-1.1 Quip replace GPT-Live-1 as ChatGPT voice models

GPT-Live-1.1 succeeds GPT-Live-1 and GPT-Live-1.1 Quip succeeds GPT-Live-1 mini. GPT-Live-1.1 is the default voice model for Plus and higher plans, including in Codex and dots, and GPT-Live-1.1 Quip is the default for everyone else.

Before

GPT-Live-1 and GPT-Live-1 mini

After

GPT-Live-1.1 and GPT-Live-1.1 Quip

Switching checklist

Export your ChatGPT data under Settings, Data controls, Export data. The link arrives by email within 7 days and expires 24 hours after it arrives.
In Gemini, open Settings and help, then under Import chats click Add and upload the .zip. Gemini takes up to 5 GB a file and five files a day.
Wait for processing, which can take up to a day. If an import is cut short, delete it and import again.
Bring your memory: copy Gemini's prompt from Import memory to Gemini, ask ChatGPT, and paste the answer back.
Know that imported chats are saved in Gemini Apps Activity and can be used to train Google's models.
Copy your ChatGPT custom instructions into Settings and help, Personal Intelligence, Instructions for Gemini (personal accounts only).
Rebuild your custom GPTs as Gems in the Gemini web app. From November 2026 Gems move to skills.
Check which model your plan includes: Gemini 4 Argon needs Google AI Pro.

FAQ

Is Gemini better than ChatGPT?

No published test compares the two apps. As models, Gemini 4 Argon ranks first in Arena text votes and GPT-6 Astra 73rd. On the Vals Index, Argon scored 69.24% and Astra 65.02%.

How much does Gemini cost compared with ChatGPT?

Gemini: Free, AI Plus $4.99, AI Pro $19.99 and AI Ultra from $99.99. ChatGPT: Free, Go $8, Plus $20 and Pro from $100.

Does free Gemini include Gemini 4 Argon?

No. Argon is rolling out to Google AI Pro and Ultra subscribers. The free plan uses Flash-Lite.

What are Gemini's usage limits?

Limits refresh every 5 hours until a weekly cap. AI Plus gets 2x the free limit, AI Pro 4x, and Ultra 5x or 20x AI Pro.

Can I import my ChatGPT chats into Gemini?

Yes. Export your ChatGPT data, then upload the .zip under Import chats in Gemini's settings. Gemini takes up to 5 GB a file and five files a day.

What does Google AI Pro include?

Gemini 4 Argon, 4x the free usage, a 1M token context and 5 TB of storage, for $19.99 a month.

How big is Gemini's context window?

1M tokens on Google AI Pro and Ultra, 128K on AI Plus and 32K without a plan.

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Sources and method

Prices, specs and limits come from each maker's own pages. Benchmark scores come from independent benchmark publishers and the makers' announcements, with the setting each was measured in. Changes come from changelogs, deprecation pages and status pages. The summary is written from these facts only.