In 2025, I absolutely embraced AI apps and instruments, comparable to ChatGPT and Gemini. They helped turbocharge my workflow, saving me hours each week.
For a lot of the 12 months, ChatGPT was my go-to AI companion app. However after Google rolled out Gemini 3 and Nano Banana Professional, I switched camps.
Google has been making fast progress with Gemini, delivery a number of options throughout its AI instruments in December alone.
But, for all of the options Gemini affords, it’s lacking a number of primary choices that ChatGPT excels at.
Gemini desperately wants a local Mac app
Not every part will be finished from the browser
The largest purpose I favor utilizing ChatGPT over Gemini is the previous’s native Mac app. It makes ChatGPT really feel omnipresent and accessible.
There is no friction once I wish to use ChatGPT in comparison with Gemini, which requires switching browser tabs.
Extra importantly, ChatGPT’s native Mac app unlocks highly effective options that Gemini merely can not match.
The Work with Apps function allows ChatGPT to learn and perceive what I am engaged on in Notes, Notion, Terminal, and choose IDEs.
Because of this contextual consciousness, I can ask ChatGPT for assist or brainstorm concepts with out continuously copying and pasting content material from Notes or Notion. Plus, it will probably additionally make adjustments in these apps on my behalf.
The shortage of a local Mac app is a giant limitation and introduces undesirable friction in utilizing Gemini. With out it, Google’s AI chatbot cannot faucet into the apps I am actively engaged on.
As an alternative, every part stays locked inside a browser tab, requiring fixed switching and copy-pasting.
Happily, Google realizes this Gemini ache level and is engaged on a local macOS app.
Third-party app help is a giant miss
ChatGPT trumps Gemini large time right here
Gemini can work with third-party apps, however the listing is comparatively small and primarily geared in direction of cell customers.
It principally revolves round media, calendar, and notes apps, comparable to Spotify, YouTube Music, and notes or calendar apps from Samsung, Oppo, Xiaomi, and Honor.
That is on prime of Google’s personal companies like Calendar, Docs, Drive, and Maintain.
Whereas helpful on telephones, these integrations really feel superficial in comparison with what Gemini is able to. They do not actually enable you get issues finished faster and sooner.
As compared, I can use the Reserving.com app in ChatGPT to ask it to seek out me resorts for my upcoming vacation.
Likewise, I can faucet into its Spotify integration to floor new songs from my favourite artists.
And with Figma integration, I can add a tough sketch and switch it into an editable design.
ChatGPT has a devoted App Retailer, the place it lists all of the apps that it really works with. Granted, the function is presently in beta, nevertheless it works properly for my use case, particularly the Canva and Apple Music integration.
Gemini must embrace Tasks
Folders to arrange all of the chaos
I juggle a number of initiatives directly and usually use AI for concepts and to troubleshoot points.
In ChatGPT, I create a devoted Venture for every job, including related information and pictures to offer the AI extra contextual info. Consider it like a folder containing all of the chats and information associated to a selected job.
This setup makes it straightforward to get again right into a venture even a couple of months later, as I haven’t got to hunt for the precise chat or re-explain every part to AI once more.
Regardless of its superior options, Google Gemini misses out on this primary function. It solely helps common chats, with no idea of Tasks or folders.
In consequence, resuming a job that I labored on months in the past turns into a chore. The search performance doesn’t at all times assist, particularly if the duty was scattered via a number of chats.
I can pin chats, however that solely provides to the muddle, particularly since I work on a number of initiatives concurrently. And if I unpin a dialog, it would basically get misplaced.
Fortunately, Google appears to be engaged on a Tasks-like function for Gemini. And given the velocity at which the corporate has been rolling out updates for its AI instruments, it ought to go dwell sooner quite than later.
Gemini Reside wants a critical improve
Voice conversations should not really feel half-baked
Each ChatGPT and Gemini provide a wiser voice mode that allows you to discuss to the chatbot as a substitute of typing every part.
However ChatGPT’s unified voice mode affords a considerably higher consumer expertise than Gemini Reside.
Gemini Reside has a number of main restrictions that destroy the expertise. There is no reminiscence help, so it can not reference previous chats or recollections.
The interface additionally falls brief in comparison with ChatGPT.
Gemini Reside doesn’t present a real-time transcript throughout conversations, whereas ChatGPT each speaks and shows the textual content because it responds. This may also help throughout lengthy conversations or when speaking about one thing complicated.
Gemini Reside can solely present captions in actual time, nevertheless it’s not as useful. And I can solely view the whole dialog’s transcript after it ends.
The one benefit of Gemini Reside is that it works with chosen Google apps, comparable to Maintain, Calendar, and Maps. So, after an extended brainstorming session, I can ask Gemini to no less than export the details to a be aware.
Gemini has some catching as much as do
For all of the enhancements that Google has made to Gemini in 2025, it nonetheless misses the mark in some areas in comparison with ChatGPT.
The addition of options like Tasks, a local Mac app, and deep third-party app integration will solely make Google’s AI chatbot extra highly effective and simpler to make use of.
Given Google’s fast tempo of enchancment with Gemini, it feels much less like a query of if these options will arrive and extra like a matter of when.