The AI industry has blossomed quickly in recent years, and several companies have been in steep competition with one another. Two brands that have especially been neck and neck are OpenAI and Google. These two companies have many services in common within the AI game. Notably, OpenAI has its ChatGPT chatbot and Google has its Gemini tool as flagship features; however, each brand has since launched additional AI services under their respective umbrellas.
Here’s a rundown of the functions and features that ChatGPT and Gemini have in common, and which are ideal to use.
Search
OpenAI launched ChatGPT Search in late October 2024 as a search engine feature within its chatbot that allows users to receive real-time answers to queries, such as sports scores, breaking news, and stock quotes. The feature is essentially the brand’s take on Google Search, which has notably been around since 1998, and works by allowing you to ask questions in a prompt style and receiving search engine-style results. The company announced collaborations with several news organizations to source content, including The Associated Press, Axel Springer, Condé Nast, Financial Times, Hearst, News Corp, Reuters, The Atlantic, Time, and Vox Media. At the time, the launch also sparked rumors that OpenAI was considering building its own web browser; however, that development has not come to fruition.
Meanwhile, Google Search relies on keywords to give you the results you desire. However, Google has since inundated the search engine with AI updates, allowing it to better process contextual sentences as prompts and return applicable results.
Who does it better? Google Search
I used a recent Denver Nuggets and Oklahoma City Thunder game to test the two engines and found Google Search to be more comprehensive overall. Using “thunder vs nuggets” as a keyword, I got an information smorgasbord from Google Search, including an information card at the top of the search on desktop with the final score of the game and other vital details, video highlights from YouTube, followed by links from the top sports publications and community pages such as Reddit. While ChatGPT Search gives a good text summary of plays, final scores, and past and future games, the multimedia aspect is missing. Google Search just feels more alive.
Shopping
ChatGPT announced a shopping feature as an add-on to its search in late April 2025, where you can simply select the search icon and then input a query about the item you’re looking to purchase. The feature is available for ChatGPT free, Plus, and Pro users, but with some notable limitations for free users. I noted that images are optional for some searches, while I’ve seen the press images from OpenAI show image cards of the products similar to a Google Search layout. I only got a result with images when testing a search for a discontinued Bath and Body Works item called Velvet Sugar. All of my other shopping searches were text only on my free account.
ChatGPT shopping consolidates purchase options to up to five selections and details pertinent information, including prices, discounts, style options, specifications, best shopping websites, and best locations to shop in my area. You can also click away to the webpages or ask ChatGPT more questions about any product on the list.
In contrast, Google Shopping is another long-established feature, which launched in 2002 as Froogle. It has gone through many iterations, including its own AI updates, and provides you with several choices. I did another search for a slow press juicer, and under those results were filters, masticating, electric, manual, commercial, on sale, nearby, and other options. Scrolling down the page, you see options for horizontal juicers, vertical juicers, and budget-friendly juicers, among others. The discounted products were labeled by percentage, so narrowing down the many options became easier.
Who does it better? Tie
As I’m not quite the online shopping connoisseur, I see the benefits in both options. They both can be good for research and comparison. Though Google Shopping gets a plus for having images more readily available. I’d imagine the paid versions of ChatGPT Shopping will be more forthcoming with product images. Reviewers have noted that ChatGPT Shopping gets a plus for not having sponsored ads within its layout.
Deep research
Google launched its deep research tool in December 2024, introducing the feature to the consumer space as part of its paid Gemini Advanced AI chatbot tier, which costs $20. The feature is available across all tiers, with the free option having a usage limit of five reports per month.
Deep research provides expert-level analysis of a topic after referencing dozens to hundreds of sources throughout the internet. Gemini runs deep research on its most advanced AI modes available, which allows the feature to maintain its edge. The launch of Gemini’s deep research propelled other brands to release similar features of their own.
OpenAI launched its deep research feature in February 2025, and the tool gained a lot of attention due to being priced alongside the $200 ChatGPT Pro tier. As the brand introduced its new reasoning models that powered the tool, it quickly expanded availability to ChatGPT Plus subscribers at $20 per month, and then to free users. Notably, free users have a usage limit of five queries per month, while ChatGPT Plus users get 25 deep research queries per month, and ChatGPT Pro users get 250 deep research queries per month.
Who does it better? Tie
I tested both deep research features with a unique but implausible science-based question, posing, “What would happen if you spent five minutes on Venus wearing a spacesuit?” Notably, I have the free version of ChatGPT, but I have Gemini Advanced. The ChatGPT deep research query completed much faster; however, it was shorter overall. ChatGPT took a more creative flair, using its image generator to add prospective images of this potential fated space trip, including what it might look like on Venus and the “Newtsuit” that a person might wear to attempt a voyage. The ChatGPT paper hs calculations throughout. As a science enthusiast, not an aficionado, they’re just gibberish, but we’re going to assume they mean something.
The Gemini deep research query took much longer to complete, probably about seven minutes if I had to guess, but it is rather long and detailed, and includes detailed mathematical calculation tables. Glossing over the paper, I noted that it also has detailed sections about the structure of the suit. It’s a lot more structured with several sections, breaking down the timing of events and details about the astronaut’s experience.
