GPT-5 vs Claude 4 vs Gemini 2.0: What's New and Which One Wins?
/ 3 min read
TL;DR: GPT-5 brings stronger reasoning and cohesive multimodality. Claude 4 shines at careful, aligned coding agents. Gemini 2.0 offers the biggest context window and highly capable multimodal IO. Choose based on task: depth of reasoning (GPT-5), structured code/enterprise alignment (Claude 4), or massive-context multimodal work (Gemini 2.0).
Why GPT-5 matters
OpenAI’s GPT-5 introduces a step-change in reasoning, planning, and multimodal fluency compared to GPT-4-class models. It routes between fast answers and deeper, multi-stage analysis and is designed to perform at a high level across domains like math, coding, and health.
Key upgrades commonly highlighted:
- Stronger multi-step reasoning on complex tasks
- Integrated multimodality (text, images, audio; early video support)
- Larger context window than prior OpenAI models
These shifts matter if you routinely analyze long materials, combine text + visuals, or need consistent, stepwise problem solving.
Quick comparison
| Model | Release (2025) | Max context window | Multimodal IO | Signature strengths | Common caveats |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GPT-5 | Aug | ~272k tokens input, ~128k output | Text, images, audio (video emerging) | Deep reasoning, balanced performance, broad integrations | Higher energy use; mixed early reception |
| Claude 4 (Opus/Sonnet) | May | ~200k tokens | Text, images | Careful alignment, enterprise coding agents, long-running tasks | Smaller context vs Gemini; can be conservative |
| Gemini 2.0 | Feb | Up to ~2,000,000 tokens (experimental) | Text, images, audio, video | Huge context, strong multimodal tool use | Access/quotas vary; ecosystem fragmentation |
Notes:
- Context windows and capabilities vary by tier/variant and change over time.
- Vendor UIs and API SKUs can differ from research or experimental announcements.
What’s actually new in GPT-5
- Advanced routing: toggles between quick responses and deep chains of thought based on query complexity.
- Multimodal unification: a single model stack that handles text and vision fluidly; audio and early video support in some surfaces.
- Bigger working memory: the expanded context improves persistence across lengthy tasks and documents.
In practice, you’ll notice cleaner problem decomposition, fewer dead-ends on tricky prompts, and better fidelity when grounding answers in long sources.
Benchmarks and early reception
- Third-party tests frequently show GPT-5 leading in math, code, and visual reasoning; creative writing remains competitive across leaders.
- User feedback is mixed: many praise the raw capability; others prefer the “voice/personality” of earlier models and note higher resource use.
When to choose which model
- Use GPT-5 when you need depth of reasoning, flexible multimodality, and broad ecosystem integrations (ChatGPT, API, partner tools).
- Use Claude 4 for highly aligned outputs, structured coding agents, and sustained, hours-long project workflows.
- Use Gemini 2.0 when you must ingest very large, mixed-modal corpora or rely on native video/audio pipelines with expansive context.
Conclusion
GPT-5 raises the bar for general reasoning while keeping multimodality coherent. Claude 4 remains a standout for careful, aligned agents in enterprise settings, and Gemini 2.0 sets the pace on context scale and native multimodal IO. The right choice depends less on leaderboard headlines and more on your workload, constraints, and platform fit.
References and further reading
- GPT-5 overview and release timing: Wikipedia — GPT‑5
- Claude 4 context and positioning: Jagran Josh overview
- Gemini 2.0 context scale: Jagran Josh overview
- Energy usage coverage: Windows Central