Side-by-side comparison for STEM educators. Updated April 2026. Your mileage may vary — test all three!
| Feature | ChatGPT (OpenAI) | Claude (Anthropic) | Gemini (Google) |
|---|
| Best For | Code generation, creative writing, broad general knowledge | Long-form analysis, nuanced instruction, safety-aware outputs | Google ecosystem integration, multimodal (images), real-time info |
| STEM Strengths | Strong at generating code examples, math problem sets, and step-by-step solutions | Excellent at explaining concepts clearly, catching its own errors, and structured lesson design | Good at pulling current data, integrating with Google Workspace, and image analysis |
| STEM Weaknesses | Can be confidently wrong on calculations; sometimes over-explains | Can be overly cautious; occasionally refuses borderline requests | Math accuracy varies; lesson outputs can be generic |
| Lesson Planning | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Good structure, sometimes verbose | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Best at standards alignment and differentiation | ⭐⭐⭐ Decent but less detailed |
| Code Generation | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Strongest code generation | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Strong, especially for explanation alongside code | ⭐⭐⭐ Good for simple scripts |
| Math Accuracy | ⭐⭐⭐ Verify everything | ⭐⭐⭐ Verify everything | ⭐⭐⭐ Verify everything |
| Prompt Following | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Good at complex multi-part prompts | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Best at following detailed instructions precisely | ⭐⭐⭐ Sometimes misses parts of complex prompts |
| Free Tier | GPT-4o limited; GPT-3.5 unlimited | Claude Sonnet limited daily messages | Gemini Pro limited daily |
| Best Free Option | chat.openai.com | claude.ai | gemini.google.com |
| School-Friendly? | ChatGPT Edu available for institutions | No specific edu tier yet | Integrated with Google Workspace for Education |
| Task | Recommended Platform | Why |
|---|
| Generating a differentiated lesson plan | Claude | Best at following complex formatting requirements and standards alignment |
| Writing/debugging code for micro:bit | ChatGPT or Claude | Both strong at code; ChatGPT slightly faster, Claude better at explaining |
| Creating a rubric from an NGSS standard | Claude | Most consistent at structured, detailed outputs |
| Generating quiz questions quickly | ChatGPT | Fast, creative, good variety |
| Analyzing student work samples | Claude | Most nuanced feedback; best at maintaining assessment criteria |
| Pulling current data for a lesson | Gemini | Has access to current Google Search results |
| Creating visual descriptions for slides | Gemini | Best multimodal capabilities |
| Translating a lesson to Spanish | Any | All three are strong at translation |