GPT4 vs. Claude

eWEEK content and product recommendations are editorially independent. We may make money when you click on links to our partners. Learn More.

GPT4 and Claude are both leading AI applications that use generative AI:

• GPT4 is the latest version of ChatGPT, the popular AI-based chatbot that can generate articles, computer code, and perform various tasks. GPT4 is supported by OpenAI and Microsoft.
• Claude is created by Anthropic and is a newer application in the AI field. It is not yet as full featured as GPT4 but can respond without searching the Web. Its strengths include digesting, summarizing financial documents and research papers. Claude is supported by Google, Zoom and Slack.

GPT4 and Claude are at the center of the generative AI battle royale in the technology sector.

So, which generative AI app is best between GPT4 and Claude? Let’s examine the similarities and differences across different criteria.

Also see: Top Generative AI Apps and Tools

Also see: Generative AI Companies: Top 12 Leaders 

GPT vs Claude: Quick Comparison

GPT4 vs. Claude: Feature Comparison

GPT is an abbreviation for Generative Pre-trained Transformer, a form of advanced artificial intelligence (AI). GPT4 simulates thought by using a neural network machine learning model trained based upon a vast trove of data gathered from the internet.

The ChatGPT AI-powered language model was developed by OpenAI. It was trained on a massive amount of text data to generate human-like text responses to a given prompt. It answers questions, can converse with users on a variety of topics, and even generate creative writing pieces.

As such, GPT4 goes far beyond being a chatbot. This generative AI app creates documents and articles and solve problems. GPT4 can also do image interpretation using multimodal language AI models. This enables it to build websites based on sketches, and suggest recipes based on a photo of what is in the fridge or sitting on a countertop.

Furthermore, GPT4 can perform complex tasks. It has achieved some success with basic computer programming duties. It ventures well beyond that, into territory such as drawing up simple lawsuits, creating elementary computer games, passing exams, checking for plagiarism, generating written content, summarizing documentation, highlighting key passages within text and translating languages.

Claude is an AI assistant from Anthropic that is accessible through a chat interface or API. It is capable of conversational and text processing. Use cases include summarization, search, creative and collaborative writing, formulating Q&A and some basic coding.

It gives fast responses to customer service requests and can hand off tasks to a human when needed. Claude is particularly good at editing, rewriting, summarizing, classifying and extracting structured data. It can also follow basic instructions and logical scenarios, analyze strategic risks and opportunities based on annual reports, assess the pros and cons of a piece of legislation and identify risk in legal documents.

GPT4 wins on breadth of features and capabilities, as it is far more than a chatbot.

Also see: ChatGPT: Understanding the ChatGPT ChatBot

GPT4 vs. Claude: Chatbot Functions

GPT4 is used a lot in chatbot applications to automate customer service, answer FAQs, and engage in conversation with users. It can respond conversationally by tapping into a comprehensive set of online text, as well as news items, novels, websites, and more.

Overall, GPT4 does a good job of analyzing information, evaluating online behavior, and even making product recommendations as part of the online sales and upselling process. Automation features extend to appointment scheduling, reservations, payment processing, queries about shipping schedules, order progress, product returns, product and service availability, and more with a good level of accuracy.

Claude can be viewed as more of a focused chatbot than GPT4. It can be tailored to certain use cases and data sets such as customer service, legal, back office and sales. It can also be taught when to hand off tasks to a human.

Users define the data set to analyze, summarize or use for context.  It can respond in a conversational way. It can speak a variety of common languages, as well as programming languages. However, it doesn’t search the internet like GPT4. Users can provide Claude with text from the internet and ask it to perform tasks with that content.

GPT4 wins overall – but Claude may prove better at narrower chat use cases.

For more information: AI vs. ML

GPT4 vs. Claude: Accuracy of Response

GPT4 can be prone to be error-based, because some of its data may not be current. But most of the time it is accurate. GPT4 got into hot water with a few strange responses to queries and one or two completely wrong answers. Fortunately, each new version gets better.

GPT4 added a greater degree of accuracy. OpenAI stated that GPT4 is 82% less likely than its predecessor ChatGPT to respond to requests for content that OpenAI does not allow, and 60% less likely to invent answers. But don’t expect it to be perfect. That includes coding. Its programming output should always be verified by human eyes.

Claude is also prone to errors. Some believe Claude is better at answering queries as it takes answers from a narrower data set. This is beneficial in areas such as history, geography and entertainment.

A big difference between Claude and GPT4 is that Claude can admit that it doesn’t know. But it isn’t as good at calculations and complex math overall than GPT4 and its coding is not nearly as good.

This category is even. GPT4 is more accurate than Claude in many areas, but similarly Claude’s accuracy works out better in some use cases.

On a related topic: What is Generative AI?

GPT4 vs. Claude: Integration

GPT comes out of the open source community. It can be plugged into other applications to generate responses via an API. Plugins are becoming available, including those for the likes of Kayak, Expedia, OpenTable, Slack and Shopify with more on the way. It is also integrated with a lot of different programming languages.

Claude has done a good job of developing partners, too. They include Notion, Quora, DuckDuckGo, Slack and Zoom. Watch out for tighter Google integration going forward, too. Claude can integrate with a wide range of apps via API.

The Claude App for Slack can summarize threads and answer questions. For Zoom, Claude is being integrated into Zoom contact center, meetings, phone, team chat, whiteboard, and Zoom IQ.

Both integrate well, but Claude perhaps comes out slightly ahead.

For more information: Top AI Software

GPT4 vs. Claude: Security

GPT4 hasn’t really had much attention on security to date. Developers using it are expected to build in their own security features.

Claude uses industry-standard best practices for data handling and retention.

Neither is particularly well known for security, but Claude gets the nod.

Also see: ChatGPT vs. Google Bard

GPT4 vs. Claude: Pricing

GPT4 has a basic version available for free but the main ChatGPT Plus version costs roughly $20/month. Subscribers gain access to ChatGPT at peak times, faster responses, and priority access to new features and improvements.

On top of the basic subscription, there is a pricing scale per 1,000 tokens (chunks of words). 1,000 tokens comes out to about 750 words of material. Costs range from 3 cents to 6 cents per 1,000 tokens for prompts, and another 6 to 12 cents per thousand once finished. The higher rate provides access to a larger set of contextual data.

There are two versions of Claude. Claude Instant is a lighter, less expensive and much faster option. Claude is the high-performance version which can take care of sophisticated dialogue and creative content generation as well as detailed instruction following.

Claude Instant costs $1.63 per million tokens to prompt and $5.51 per million tokens on completion. The fuller Claude version costs $11.02 per million to prompt and $32.68 on completion. For context, 100,000 tokens works out to roughly 70,000 words or six hours of audio.

Due to the added monthly subscription in GPT4, it is hard to be certain who wins in the long term. But it looks like GPT4 wins on pricing.

Also see: ChatGPT vs GitHub Copilot

GPT vs Claude: Bottom Line

GPT4 uses a transformer-based architecture as part of a neural network that handles sequential data. Although the data it draws from may be a little dated at times, GPT4 seems to perform OK in coding, and does a very good job on chat, language translation, answering questions, understanding images, and can even determine why a joke is funny. GPT4 has thrown its hat in the ring with Microsoft – which offers many benefits in terms of development and support.

Claude, on the other hand, favors Google. It is less comprehensive than GPT4 but can respond without searching the internet. It does a good job of digesting, summarizing and explaining financial documents and research papers. The developers of Claude admit it has limitations. It may sometimes assess its own ability or memory incorrectly, make up information, and make errors in complicated arithmetic. But GPT4 makes errors, too.

Claude is very much a work in progress, so it is probably unfair to compare it to GPT4 right now as it is not long in the market. Give it a few months and we’ll see how far it comes. But for now, GPT4 does a better job.

Also see: Generative AI Startups