In the world of large language models, it’s been dominated by ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, and Google Gemini. If you’ve heard of Anthropic, its new LLM dubbed “Claude” has been doing rounds as a potential major competitor in the space. Claude 3 Opus recently launched, and it’s managed to really, really impress. This is how it stacks up against Google Gemini Advanced in particular.
Claude 3 Opus is an LLM that outperforms GPT-4 and Gemini
If you’ve been hearing about Claude 3 Opus recently but aren’t sure what it is, we have a basic hands-on to show you what all the hubbub is about!
They both cost the same, but you get a little bit more with Google
$20 is the asking price
If you’re looking to compare this to Google, you still get a little bit more with Google’s asking price when compared to Claude 3 Opus. Claude 3 doesn’t really come with much aside from the LLM, but Google’s AI Premium plan (the plan you need to purchase to get Gemini Advanced) comes with a ton of Google Drive space among other perks. Still, it’s the closest gap between any two LLM services that Claude manages to have, but that’s entirely on Google’s end for not offering other features like plugins or a code interpreter.
If you want to buy Claude 3 Opus in Europe, you’ll also need to use a VPN. Google’s Gemini Advanced is available everywhere, which is a major plus in favor of Google. Once you’ve signed up and paid for Claude 3, though, you won’t need the VPN anymore. It’s a small hurdle really, but it’s a hurdle nonetheless.
What you get
Two different services
As it stands, Claude 3 Opus gives you a very similar experience to Google Gemini Advanced. There are no plugins, there is no code interpreter (though Anthropic might be working on it, given that it uses the word “yet” in relation to an interpreter), and they generate text at very similar speeds to each other. Where Gemini Advanced has the advantage is in its additional features, where you get Google Drive storage, more Google Photos features, and priority customer support.
However, as like-for-like services, Claude 3 Opus manages to compete strongly with Google simply because Google lacks features. ChatGPT Plus is by and large a better product because of the other stuff that it has, but Gemini doesn’t really have any of that. Plus, Claude 3 Opus can accept up to five files at a time for analysis, something that Gemini can’t do right now either.
If you’re a normal consumer who values AI integration with your services, Gemini Advanced might still be the better option. It links into your Google Suite of applications like Docs and Sheets (or it will in the future, anyway), whereas Claude 3 Opus still requires you to do things manually and then copy them over. I have high hopes for integrations in the future, but right now, none of that is really present. Finally, I would love for there to be a mobile app for Claude 3 Opus, as Gemini has one integrated into Android smartphones.
![Claude 3 logo beside the OpenAI ChatGPT logo](https://static1.xdaimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/claude-3-vs-chatgpt-plus.png)
Claude 3 Opus vs ChatGPT Plus: A challenger approaches
Claude 3 Opus and ChatGPT Plus are two subscription model LLMs, but the differences between them are quite stark.
Which is the right product for you?
Claude 3 Opus is great for the AI enthusiast
Having used both, I find that Claude 3 Opus’ answers are unrivalled right now. It’s a fantastic service that really manages to nail down proper responses with context included, whereas other LLMs typically struggle in different ways as you use them. Gemini Advanced is no exception to that, even if I find its performance to be excellent.
With that said, Google’s additional features are just so much better than what you can get with Anthropic’s offering. You get more Google Drive storage, some Google Photos features, future service integrations, and just a ton more that you won’t get elsewhere. That’s the problem with Claude 3 Opus: no matter what you use it with, it’ll be behind the rest of the established players because they have active ecosystems that people are already ingrained in. Even if Anthropic launched its own Google Suite competitor with Claude 3 Opus built-in, I’m not sure you’d pull many consumers in a substantial way.
Because of all of that, if you want to subscribe to an LLM service, then Google’s Gemini Advanced is the best of the two, though by one of the slimmest margins. It’s better for the Google features, but if you don’t use the Google features, then Claude 3 Opus is genuinely the better pick. It has better responses, looks good, and works great, which goes quite a long way. Anthropic will be playing David versus Goliath for a long time to come I reckon, but it’s entertaining to see Claude put the big players on their toes.
![Google-Gemini-AI-Icon](https://static1.xdaimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/google-gemini-ai-icon.png)
Gemini Advanced
Google’s Gemini Advanced is powered by the Ultra 1.0 AI model and comes with support for Gemini in other Google applications, too. It’s the company’s most powerful language model yet and poses significant competition to GPT-4.