Which AI should you use? Match the task to the plan
Last verified: — every figure checked against the official page linked next to it.
Answer quality changes with every model update, so any ranking is out of date within weeks. What changes more slowly is what each plan can do: how much text it can read, whether it makes images or video, whether it searches the web and cites sources, whether it can work with code. This guide matches common tasks to the plans that officially include what the task needs.
Key findings
- For long documents, the deciding factor is the context window: up to 1M tokens on Claude (all plans) and Gemini AI Pro and Ultra, versus 27K on ChatGPT Free and 32K on Gemini without a plan.
- Image generation is included free in ChatGPT, Gemini, Grok, Copilot and Mistral Vibe. Video generation starts with Google AI Plus ($4.99), Grok Premium ($30) and Perplexity Pro.
- Research with sources is available free in Gemini (Deep Research) and in limited form in ChatGPT Free; Claude Research starts with Pro.
Task by task
Only features listed on each provider’s plan page. If a service is not listed, its plan page does not mention the feature.
| Task | What matters | Where it’s included | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Long documents and PDFs | Context window | Claude: up to 1M on all plans · Gemini: 1M on AI Pro and Ultra · ChatGPT: 400K with reasoning on Pro, 256K on Go and Plus | |
| Images | Image generation | ChatGPT (limited on Free) · Gemini, Nano Banana 2 (all plans) · Grok Imagine · Copilot · Mistral Vibe (basic on Free) · Perplexity (asset generation) | |
| Video | Video generation | Gemini from Google AI Plus · Grok from Premium · Perplexity Pro | |
| Research with sources | Deep research reports | Gemini Deep Research (all plans) · ChatGPT (limited on Free, expanded on Plus) · Perplexity Pro · Claude Research (Pro and up) · Copilot Researcher (Microsoft 365 Premium) | |
| Code | A coding agent | Claude Code (Claude Pro and up) · Codex (ChatGPT) · Grok usage shared with Cursor | |
| Working with your apps | Connectors to email, calendar, files | Claude connectors (Free and up) · Gemini connected apps (all plans) | |
| Sensitive information | Training opt-out and private mode | All major apps let you opt out on personal plans; business plans are excluded by default at OpenAI, Perplexity, Mistral and Microsoft. See our privacy guide | |
| Everyday writing and summaries | Enough usage and a clear prompt | Any free plan. The prompt matters more than the model for emails, summaries and posts |
Prompt templates for each task
Whichever AI you pick, the result depends mostly on what you ask. These templates in our prompt library work with ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and the rest:
- Summarize a long text or PDF
- Write a cover letter
- Rewrite resume bullet points
- Draft a LinkedIn post
- Reply to a customer email
- See all prompt templates
IacuWise turns a rough idea into a complete prompt for ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini.
Frequently asked questions
Is ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini better?
It depends on the task and changes with each model release. For long documents, look at the context window (largest on Claude and on Gemini AI Pro and Ultra). For images and video, Gemini and Grok include more media tools. For research with sources, Gemini, ChatGPT and Perplexity include deep research reports.
Which AI is best for reading long PDFs?
One with a large context window. Claude lists up to 1M tokens on all plans, and Gemini lists 1M on AI Pro and Ultra. ChatGPT Free lists 27K tokens, about 12 pages.
Which AI can make videos?
Gemini from Google AI Plus ($4.99 a month), Grok from Premium ($30) and Perplexity Pro list video generation on their plan pages.
Which AI is best for coding?
Look for a coding agent: Claude Code is included from Claude Pro, Codex comes with ChatGPT, and Grok’s usage is shared with Cursor. Answer quality varies by model and task, so try your own code on two of them.
More AI references
Official sources
- Claude — Plans and pricing
- ChatGPT — Plans and pricing
- Gemini Apps Help — Limits and plan features
- xAI — Grok pricing
- Microsoft 365 Premium — compare plans
- Mistral — Pricing
- Perplexity — Pricing
- OpenAI Help — Data controls in ChatGPT
- Perplexity Help — Data collection at Perplexity
- Mistral Help — Do you use my data to train your models
- Microsoft Support — Privacy FAQ for Copilot