How to Choose the Right Generative AI Tool in 2025: What Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini and Others Are Really For
Work News | New Stardom
Most of us already use AI to ask quick questions, write emails, fix wording, or get help with everyday tasks. But with so many tools out there, it’s not always clear what each one actually does. Which one should you use for writing? For research? For getting organized? And which ones are worth paying for?
This guide looks at some of the most widely used generative AI tools in 2025, including ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and others, and breaks down what they’re best at, where they fall short, and what kind of work (or life admin) they’re made for.
Photo by Solen Feyissa
ChatGPT (OpenAI)
Best for general use, quick help, and everyday writing
ChatGPT (especially the paid GPT-4-turbo version) is one of the most widely used AI tools. It’s fast, flexible, and built for back-and-forth conversation. Many people use it to help draft emails, explain ideas, clean up wording, or brainstorm. It’s also built into Microsoft tools like Word and Excel.
Good for: Everyday writing, summarising, rephrasing, drafting content, internal chatbots
Weaknesses: Can sound generic; sometimes gives wrong answers ("hallucinations")
Free version? Yes (GPT-3.5); GPT-4-turbo is available in the ChatGPT Plus plan for $20/month
Claude 3 (Anthropic)
Best for long documents, careful writing, and complex reasoning
Claude 3 is Anthropic’s latest model family (Haiku, Sonnet, and Opus), launched in March 2024. Claude is known for being able to read long documents, up to 150,000 words, and respond in a way that’s clear, thoughtful, and measured. It’s less prone to erratic answers and often better at handling sensitive or complex topics.
Good for: Reviewing documents, writing position papers, deep reasoning, policy work
Weaknesses: Slower than some tools; free tier has limitations
Free version? Yes (Claude 3 Haiku); Claude 3 Opus is available via Pro plan on Claude.ai or Poe
Gemini (Google)
Best if you already use Gmail, Docs, or Google Workspace
Gemini is Google’s AI assistant, rebranded from Bard and rebuilt with new capabilities in 2024–2025. It works natively in Gmail, Docs, Sheets, and even Chrome, where it can help summarise pages or suggest content. It’s less of a chatbot and more of a built-in assistant for Google users.
Good for: Email replies, quick summaries, editing documents, scheduling, working inside Google tools
Weaknesses: Less creative or long-form than ChatGPT or Claude
Free version? Yes; Gemini Advanced (based on Gemini 1.5 Pro) is available via Google One AI Premium at $19.99/month.
Pi (Inflection AI)
Best for conversation, emotional support, and human-like interaction
Pi is designed to feel more like a companion than a tool. Created by Inflection AI (co-founded by Reid Hoffman), Pi focuses on empathy, tone, and natural flow in conversation. It doesn’t rush to give you answers, instead, it asks questions back, listens, and adapts to your tone. Some users say it feels more like texting with a thoughtful friend than chatting with a bot.
Good for: Talking through ideas, getting emotional support, self-reflection, journaling
Weaknesses: Not ideal for data-heavy tasks or document analysis
Free version? Yes, available via app or browser
Perplexity
Best for fast, source-linked research
Perplexity works like a research assistant. When you ask a question, it gives you a short, clean answer with links to the original sources. It’s ideal if you want to double-check facts or see where the information is coming from — not just read a confident AI summary.
Good for: Research, quick fact-checking, finding reports and links
Weaknesses: Not built for writing or creative work
Free version? Yes. Perplexity Pro ($20/month) includes GPT-4, Claude, and image support.
Microsoft 365 Copilot
Best for in-app help across Word, Excel, Outlook, and Teams
Copilot is Microsoft’s AI assistant, now built into Office 365 and Windows 11. It helps draft emails in Outlook, write docs in Word, analyse data in Excel, and summarise meetings in Teams. It’s practical, not flashy, more useful than creative.
Good for: Office productivity, business docs, spreadsheet help, meeting summaries
Weaknesses: Only works inside Microsoft 365; limited flexibility beyond Office apps
Free version? No. Requires Microsoft 365 Business + Copilot license ($30/month per user)
DeepSeek
Best for technical problem-solving and open-source control
DeepSeek is a fast-growing open-source model, developed in China, and gaining recognition for its math, logic, and reasoning capabilities. DeepSeek-R1 is particularly strong at problem-solving and code-heavy tasks. It’s free and released under the MIT license, making it attractive to researchers and developers.
Good for: Math tasks, reasoning, coding, building custom tools
Weaknesses: Fewer plug-and-play integrations; not designed for everyday writing
Free version? Yes. Fully open-source
Mistral AI
Best for privacy-sensitive teams building their own AI
Mistral builds open-source models designed to be small, efficient, and fast. They’re often used in enterprise settings or by developers who want to build internal copilots. It’s not something you chat with, it’s something teams integrate.
Good for: Private deployments, internal tooling, fast local inference
Weaknesses: Requires technical knowledge; no chat UI by default
Free version? Yes. Models are open-source and hosted on GitHub
How to Choose the Right One
It depends on what you need.
If you write a lot of emails or reports: ChatGPT or Gemini will do the job.
If you’re reviewing or summarising longer materials: Claude 3 is the best fit.
If you want quick answers with sources: Perplexity is fast and reliable.
If you work inside Word or Excel: Microsoft Copilot will feel the most natural.
If you care about control or privacy: DeepSeek or Mistral are strong open options.
You don’t need to pick one forever, many people use more than one depending on the task. The key is to stop treating AI like magic and start treating it like a set of practical tools, some good for heavy lifting, some good for quick fixes.
AI is already part of how we work, write, search, and communicate. But the differences between tools matter, especially when we rely on them more often. Choosing the right one doesn’t mean picking the most powerful model. It means knowing what it’s actually good at. Keep up with the latest in AI and the future of work by following New Stardom for timely news and insights.
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