I'll share some of my personal experience while developing new features. I mostly code in TypeScript, using a bunch of widely used frameworks. Angular on the front end, and on the backend, I use Node.js, Nest.js, or Express.js. Let's dive into a comprehensive comparison.
Overview
ChatGPT (OpenAI)
ChatGPT has been the household name in AI assistants since its launch. And it's the first tool I used before the CLI integration of Claude, which I use now. With GPT-4 and now GPT-4 Turbo, it offers powerful capabilities for a wide range of tasks. It has proven to be a solid helping hand, and I still use it sometimes as a second opinion. I also use it mostly to plan out strategies or just for plain old advice.
Claude (Anthropic)
I started using Claude, developed by Anthropic, when it began rising through the ranks and became the best coding tool. Since I used Cursor a bit before, I did not find it that helpful, as I used it as an inline coding assistant. I started using Claude in the browser, but that wasn't a great experience because I had to copy and paste code to give it context. But after I added it to my VS Code terminal and its context grew, it has proven to be a real game-changer for me, positioning itself as a more helpful, honest AI assistant. Much of the model I use, Claude 3.5 Sonnet, is not great for my needs, but Claude 3 Opus offers the longest context window. Honestly, did not make that much of a difference in day-to-day work. Only when, for example, I have to read bigger log files does the size of the context window make a difference.
Key Features Comparison
Context Window
The context window is one of the most critical differences between ChatGPT (powered by OpenAI's GPT models) and Claude (from Anthropic). It determines how much text each model can "see," "understand," and reason about at once in other words, how much of your conversation, document, or dataset it can actively hold in mind.
ChatGPT (GPT-4 Turbo)
- Context size: 128,000 tokens (~96,000 words or about 300–400 pages of text)
- Meaning: GPT-4 Turbo can read and reason about huge chunks of information for example:
- Long research papers or technical documentation
- Whole chapters of books or multiple code files
- Entire multi-turn conversations without losing the thread
- Behavior: Once the conversation exceeds 128K tokens, the oldest parts of the chat are trimmed out the model can no longer access them unless they're restated or summarized.
- Use case examples:
- Summarizing extensive reports or meeting transcripts
- Working with long software projects
- Analyzing extensive datasets or articles for SEO
Claude (Claude 3.5 Sonnet / Opus)
- Context size: 200,000 tokens (~150,000 words or about 500–600 pages of text)
- Meaning: Claude's context window is currently the largest available among mainstream LLMs. It can maintain awareness of extremely long documents or multi-step reasoning tasks without forgetting earlier details, a big help for analyzing logs.
- Behavior: Like ChatGPT, it still has a limit but the extra 70K tokens give it an advantage in handling massive context-heavy workloads.
- Use case examples:
- Reading and comparing multiple legal contracts or research papers
- Reviewing entire codebases or novels
- Handling large knowledge bases or multi-document reasoning
How Context Windows Work (Both Models)
Both ChatGPT and Claude process your conversation as a running text buffer that includes:
- System instructions (how the model should behave)
- All previous messages and replies (if there's room)
- Your current query
- Supporting context (like uploaded files or retrieved data)
- All of this together forms the context.
When the limit is reached:
- The oldest content gets removed ("falls out" of memory).
- The model's ability to refer to earlier details declines.
- Responses may start to seem less consistent or forgetful.
So, while these models feel conversational, they don't actually remember previous sessions, they only remember what fits within the current context window.
Analogy
Think of the context window as the model's memory:
- Everything you place in the memory (your conversation, files, instructions) is visible.
- Once the memory is full, adding new staff means clearing some existing space.
- Claude has a larger memory than ChatGPT meaning it can handle more information simultaneously before losing track of earlier details.
Winner: Claude - Longer context means better understanding of long documents and conversations. This makes a difference when coding or planning a long-lasting task. Like when you want to generate a comprehensive strategy, marketing campaign, or product build.
Speed
This does not make much difference, since both models are close.
- ChatGPT: Fast response times, especially with GPT-4 Turbo
- Claude: Competitive speeds with Claude 3 Haiku for quick tasks
Winner: Tie - Both are fast enough for most use cases.
Code Generation
- ChatGPT: Excellent for code generation, debugging, and explanations
- Claude: Strong coding abilities, particularly good at following instructions
Winner: Tie - Claude 3.5 Sonnet has caught up significantly. Some developers prefer Claude's detailed explanations, others prefer ChatGPT's speed.
Writing & Content
- ChatGPT: Great for creative writing and content generation. Short questions and answers, a barrage of advice from cooking your next meal to what colors go with what shirt.
- Claude: Excellent for long-form content, maintains consistency better. In technical tasks in software development, Claude excels.
Winner: Claude - Better at maintaining tone and context in longer pieces.
Vision Capabilities
- ChatGPT: GPT-4V can analyze images, charts, and diagrams
- Claude: Claude 3 models also support vision capabilities
Winner: Tie - Both offer strong vision features.
Pricing Comparison
ChatGPT
- Free: GPT-3.5 with limitations
- ChatGPT Plus: $20/month (GPT-4 access)
- API: Pay-per-token pricing
Claude
- Free: Limited usage on Claude.ai
- Claude Pro: $20/month
- API: Pay-per-token pricing (generally more affordable than GPT-4)
Use Cases
Choose ChatGPT if you need
- Integration with the OpenAI ecosystem
- DALL-E 3 image generation
- Widely supported third-party integrations
- Great at breaking down complex problems step-by-step
Choose Claude if you need
- Best-in-class code generation
- Longer context windows for document analysis
- More nuanced, thoughtful responses
- Better factual accuracy
- Lower API costs for similar quality
Safety & Ethics
This is a complex subject to cover since we don't really know what happens to the vast amount of data these components collect. Both companies prioritize AI safety, but with different approaches:
- OpenAI: Focus on alignment research and gradual deployment
- Anthropic: Constitutional AI approach, emphasis on being helpful, honest, and harmless.
Hallucinations
Hallucinations are a big subject in the LLM world, since they are a feature or a bug of every large language model. Let's cite a study conducted by Aloa.co.
Key findings:
- GPT-4o hallucination rate: 1.5%
- Claude 3.5 Sonnet: 8.7%
- ChatGPT is better for creative ideation (77% more original responses)
- Claude is better suited for sophisticated prose
The Verdict
There's no clear winner - it depends on your specific needs:
- For quick tasks and image generation: ChatGPT
- For long-form content & analysis: Claude
- For general use: Both are excellent, try both!
Many professionals use both tools, choosing the one that best suits the task at hand. With $20/month plans for each, you can subscribe to both and get the best of both worlds.
Final Thoughts
The AI assistant landscape is rapidly evolving. Both ChatGPT and Claude continue to improve, and the competition between them benefits users. Try both free versions to see which interface and style you prefer.
Looking for more AI tools? Check out our comprehensive directory of AI assistants, writing tools, and more.
