Now that you know who the players are, here's a rough map of when to reach for each one. You don't have to memorise this — just notice what you gravitate to.
Writing and editing
Claude and ChatGPT are both excellent here. Whether you're rewriting an email, polishing a report, or writing something creative, either will do the job. Claude tends to be more thoughtful about tone; ChatGPT is fast and reliable.
Research and finding information
Perplexity is the go-to. It cites its sources, which means you can verify what it tells you — something the other tools don't do by default. ChatGPT and Claude can also research, but they don't always show you where they got their information from.
Coding help
All four can help with code. Claude has built a strong reputation for it — it tends to explain what it wrote and why, which is useful when you're learning. ChatGPT is also extremely capable here.
Working inside Google's tools
If you spend your day in Gmail, Google Docs, or Google Drive, Gemini is worth trying. It can read your emails, summarise documents, and draft replies without you having to copy-paste anything.
Just thinking something through
Any of them. Seriously — if you want to talk through a decision, plan a project, or figure out how to handle a difficult conversation, all four are surprisingly good at it.
The truth is: for 80% of everyday tasks, it doesn't matter which one you use. Pick one and get comfortable with it first.
Safe to ignore for now: advanced features like custom AI assistants, plugins, and API access. Those come later — after you've had a few real conversations.
I have this [email / article / document] that I need to understand quickly: [paste your text here] Give me: — The main point in one sentence — 3 things I need to know — Any action I should take (if any)