As of June 2026 — features and prices move constantly. Always check the official pages before you budget. Links are at the bottom of this page.
If you only ever use the chat box, you're touching a fraction of what these companies sell. In 2026 the product is a bundle: everyday chat, slower "thinking" modes, multi-step research, web search, images, sometimes video, and agent-style tools that go off and do longer jobs for you.
Below is the map for the four names you'll bump into most across this module. It's not a fanboy scorecard — it's a feature checklist so you know exactly what your monthly subscriptions are buying.
Capability map (consumer apps)
| Capability | ChatGPT | Claude | Gemini | Grok |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Everyday chat | Yes — fast "Instant" style modes on paid tiers | Yes — Sonnet/Haiku on free; more on Pro | Yes — Gemini app | Yes — grok.com / X |
| Deeper / thinking chat | Thinking & Pro modes (paid) | Adaptive thinking on newer models; Research on Pro | 3.1 Pro access (plan-limited) | Reasoning on flagship models |
| Deep research (multi-source reports) | Deep Research — monthly caps on Plus | Research — structured reports (Pro) | Deep Research — web + Gmail/Drive on paid | DeepSearch / DeeperSearch |
| Web / live data | Browse & search in chat; agentic tools | Web search | Grounding + research | Web + X (Twitter) search — unique angle |
| Image generation | ChatGPT Images / DALL·E in app | No native image gen in Claude chat | Nano Banana Pro / image tools | Imagine |
| Video generation | Sora — limited or retired for many accounts (check your UI) | No | Veo / Gemini Omni (paid, 18+, geo limits) | Short video via Imagine |
| Music / audio | Limited; not a core pillar | No | Audio Overviews in research flows | Limited |
| Build / canvas / code | Canvas, Codex, custom GPTs | Artifacts, Claude Code, Cowork | Canvas from research | Strong via API; chat + Imagine in app |
| Agents / long jobs | Agent mode (paid) | Cowork, connectors (paid) | Gemini Agent (geo/language limits) | Tool use; API-first |
UK pricing anchors (verify before you pay)
| Platform | Free tier | Typical paid anchor (UK) |
|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT | Yes, capped | Plus |
| Claude | Yes, capped | Pro $20/mo + VAT (~$24) — pricing |
| Gemini | Yes, capped | AI Plus £6.99/mo, AI Pro £18.99/mo — GB about |
| Grok | Yes, limited | SuperGrok ~$30/mo — check grok.com |
The one that genuinely caught me out: paying for Claude and then expecting ChatGPT-style images. Different companies, different menus. Know what you're actually subscribed to before you blame "AI" for a missing button.
What to do with this table
Don't memorise it. Just notice three things:
- You're not buying "an AI" — you're renting feature bundles, each with its own caps.
- Later lessons will have you find these features in the UI yourself, by hand.
- Open-weight / your own machine is a different category entirely — we come back to that once you've compared the cloud tools properly.
Continue — why the mode picker inside one app matters as much as which app you open.