A Decent AI Chatbot With Fantastic Tie-Ins
Google Gemini originally focused on integrating AI into web searches, but the AI chatbot now offers far more. It performs capably across complex reasoning, creative writing, deep research, file processing, video generation, and web search tasks, while leading the pack in image editing and generation. Gemini also benefits from bundled cloud storage and close integrations with flagship Google apps. Better yet, its free version is comprehensive enough that you likely won’t feel the need to spring for a paid plan. Gemini’s robust data collection can feel invasive, and, like all chatbots, it sometimes gets things wrong. But thanks to its seamless connection with core Google apps and top-notch response quality, Gemini is our Editors’ Choice winner among AI chatbots. What Is Gemini?
Gemini is an AI chatbot you can talk to via text or your voice, similar to ChatGPT or Copilot. You can use Gemini to analyze documents, answer questions, generate images and videos, pen creative writing, research, search the web, and solve math problems, among many other things. Think of Gemini as an advanced virtual assistant.
Gemini also offers a range of features for coders, including Gemini Code Assist and the Jules asynchronous coding agent. You can use Gemini to do everything from creating a custom WordPress plug-in to debugging troublesome code. These features are outside the scope of this review, but there are ways you can test Gemini’s coding ability for yourself.
I find AI chatbots like Gemini most useful for answering questions and conducting research. Googling something can take longer than simply asking Gemini, for example. I prefer to use Gemini’s deep research as my starting point for solving more complex problems, rather than spending an hour or two combing through search results.
However, it’s important to remember that chatbots are fallible. Gemini will get things wrong, so you simply can’t trust everything it says. Chatbots are trustworthy enough when it comes to satisfying idle curiosities or troubleshooting, but make sure you double-check whatever you learn from Gemini against a reputable source for anything serious.How Does Gemini Work?
At its core, Gemini receives prompts and returns responses. It’s powered by large language models (LLMs) composed of artificial neural networks trained on vast datasets. These models provide Gemini with access to data on every imaginable topic, and it can also search the internet for up-to-date information.
When you work out at the gym, you train yourself to get stronger, and Gemini works similarly. By using Gemini, you help train its underlying models. Over time, even without new features or models, Gemini can return more accurate responses and make fewer mistakes. This is a gradual process, however.
Gemini uses two primary lines of models: Flash and Pro. Gemini’s Flash line is its conversational, flagship line. The Pro line specializes in complex reasoning, making it ideal for coding, math, and science. Gemini’s newest line of models is the 3 series, including 3 Flash and 3 Pro, which is what my testing focuses on.
For image generation, Gemini has Nano Banana. Nano Banana is a nickname for the 2.5 Flash Image model, while Nano Banana Pro is another name for the 3 Pro Image model. You can think of Nano Banana as an extension of Gemini’s mainline Flash and Pro models. I used Nano Banana Pro for the image generation tests in this review.Plans and Pricing: The Best Value Chatbot
You can use Gemini for free, but premium plans unlock more features.
Free users get access to the 3 Flash model and limited access to the 3 Pro model. Voice chat, called Gemini Live, is freely available, and you also get limited use of deep research as well as Flow, Gemini’s filmmaking-focused video generation tool that uses Veo 3.1. Limited access to Gemini’s Whisk animation tool, Gemini’s NotebookLM research and studying tool, and 15GB of Google Drive cloud storage round out the offerings. As you might expect, premium plans give you access to more features and expand usage limits.
The AI Plus tier ($7.99 per month) gives you higher usage limits than the free tier and unlocks Gemini integrations with Chrome and Workspace apps, including Gmail, Calendar, Docs, Sheets, and more. It also increases your Google Drive cloud storage to 200GB.
The AI Pro tier ($19.99 per month), which offers a one-month trial, gives you even higher usage limits across the board. Google Drive cloud storage increases to 2TB, and you get access to Deep Search in Google Search’s AI Mode, as well as the opportunity to try out Google Search’s latest features.
Gemini’s AI Ultra plan ($249.99 per month) has everything in the AI Pro plan, but it increases usage limits to the max and adds in a couple of new features: 30TB of Google Drive cloud storage, access to cutting-edge Gemini features (such as Deep Think mode and Gemini Agent), and YouTube Premium. Considering this plan’s prohibitive cost, I recommend AI Plus or AI Pro if you are interested in a premium Gemini plan. For this review, I tested the AI Pro and AI Ultra tiers.
If you sign up for a Google One subscription, a service that primarily focuses on providing cloud storage, you can get the features of Gemini AI Plus with 2TB of cloud storage (the same amount you get with Gemini AI Pro) for $9.99 per month. In effect, you can just pay an extra $2 per month over what Gemini AI Plus costs to go from 200GB to 2TB of cloud storage. This also saves you $10 per month versus subscribing to Gemini AI Pro if all you wanted was more cloud storage.
It’s outside the scope of this review, but premium Gemini plans get you a variety of coding-focused features, such as the AI coding agent, Jules, and higher daily request limits in Gemini Code Assist. Think of Jules like a tool you can use to code for you, whereas Code Assist helps you code yourself. You can use Code Assist for free, just with lower request limits.
Most major chatbots charge around $20 per month for their introductory premium plans, including Claude ($17) and Perplexity ($17). Both Gemini ($8) and Copilot ($10) start lower and offer significantly more features, including integrations with Google and Microsoft 365 apps, respectively. ChatGPT also starts at $8 per month, but it doesn’t offer anywhere nearly as many features. Although Gemini and Copilot are similar in many ways, Gemini costs less, offers excellent video generation features that Copilot doesn’t, and is more generous with cloud storage, so it’s the best value among chatbots.Where Is Gemini Available?
Gemini is accessible on the web and via mobile apps (Apple and Android). Google Search also has a range of Gemini-powered AI functionality, including AI overviews and Search’s AI mode. The Google app for Windows isn’t just about Gemini, but you can use AI Mode when searching to ask questions and find links. Chrome also has a Gemini integration (which I discuss later). As mentioned, you can use Gemini in Google apps, including Calendar, Docs, Drive, Gmail, Maps, Keep, Photos, Sheets, and YouTube Music.
Other services and sites use Gemini’s models, like Perplexity, but those aren’t part of the official Gemini package that Google develops, operates, and owns. You can also expect to see Gemini’s models appear in more places over time, such as with Siri, which already has the ability to tap into ChatGPT. Stick with Google’s first-party apps or web client if you want Gemini’s full set of features.Ease of Use and Interface: It’s Simple to Get Started
Gemini doesn’t require an account, but you must sign in to change models, use deep research, save your chats, and more. I recommend doing so.
The interface is uncluttered, and your dashboard is pretty much just an Ask Gemini text field. Recent chats appear on the left-hand sidebar, and a drop-down menu at the top of the screen lets you change the model. Gemini puts clickable sample prompts above the central field to help give you an idea of what it can do, which I appreciate.
From your dashboard, you can ask Gemini anything, and responses are almost always quick, especially if they involve image generation. After you receive a response, you can choose to copy, listen to, regenerate, or share it using the buttons underneath the response. Responses sometimes hang, forcing you to ask your question again, but this also happens with ChatGPT and Copilot.
Whereas ChatGPT is more conversational, Gemini is more direct and somewhat formal. You can’t personalize Gemini as much as you can ChatGPT, but you can save certain information about yourself that Gemini will always remember. ChatGPT can be annoying at times, but I generally prefer its tone to Gemini’s.
Gemini can remember details about your past conversations, like Copilot, but its memory isn’t quite as robust as ChatGPT’s. For example, if you ask Gemini what the first message you ever sent it was, it can’t answer, but if you ask ChatGPT the same question, it complies. However, Gemini also has Personal Intelligence. Personal Intelligence allows you to connect various Google apps to Gemini, giving it a storehouse of information to pull from as needed. For example, if you connect Google Photos to Gemini, you can ask the chatbot for your license plate number, and it can automatically source that information from a photo.
Gemini also offers Project Mariner, exclusive to AI Ultra users. Mariner is an AI agent that performs tasks on your behalf, such as finding jobs or locating an apartment. When you assign a task to Mariner, a window opens that lets you observe Mariner complete the task by piloting a virtual web browser. In my case, I watched Mariner search for jobs on an instance of Google Chrome. However, the first result it selected was Indeed, which presented it with a Cloudflare verification that it could not pass, even when I took control.Voice Chat: Relatively Lifelike
On the web interface, the microphone icon to the right of the text field enables speech-to-text input, but that’s not the same as Gemini’s voice mode, Gemini Live. Like ChatGPT’s voice mode or Copilot Voice, you can choose between different lifelike voices and simply talk to Gemini naturally. Currently, Gemini Live is available only on Gemini’s mobile apps and in Chrome, unlike ChatGPT and Copilot, which support voice chat on the web.
Gemini Live supports both camera and screen sharing, allowing you to discuss something happening on your phone or what’s in front of you in real life. This functionality is dependent on Gemini’s image recognition capabilities, which are generally competent, making the feature potentially useful. However, you could simply send a Gemini a picture alongside a question, making it a more time-saving approach than anything else.
Gemini’s voices sound reasonably human, and I didn’t experience any distortion during testing, but they still don’t quite escape the uncanny valley. Their cadence and intonation are just robotic enough that you never feel like you’re talking to a real person, but they’re close enough to be a good approximation. This puts Gemini Live roughly on par with ChatGPT and Copilot, and behind services such as Sesame (which won a Technical Excellence award for the quality of its AI voice chat).Web Search: Competent Responses
Every chatbot searches the web. As you might expect, Gemini (3 Fast), ChatGPT (GPT-5.2 Instant), and Copilot (Quick Response) all had little trouble answering questions on everything from the latest details on Trump and Greenland to if production has already begun on the second season of Pluribus. Gemini and ChatGPT were even able to tell me what the Warframe Incarnon weapon rotation was at the time of writing, which most chatbots (including Copilot) can’t manage to get right.
Overall, the details and response length are similar across all three chatbots. Gemini and ChatGPT generate responses at a similar pace, and both outpace Copilot. I appreciate how Gemini highlights relevant portions of text when you hover over a linked source, unlike ChatGPT, which doesn’t, and unlike Copilot, which does. On the other hand, ChatGPT and Copilot show much more information when you hover over a link than Gemini. Gemini and Copilot also lack the clickable article tiles for further reading that ChatGPT includes in responses.
Gemini can include images in its responses, but it doesn’t do so automatically, unlike ChatGPT and Copilot, which makes its responses less engaging overall. Although all three chatbots include tables in responses as needed, Gemini and Copilot do so more often, which often results in a cleaner presentation of information.Gemini in Google Search: Deep Search Is Intriguing
erviews are arguably the biggest Gemini feature in Google Search. When you search, Google sometimes displays an AI overview of your search results at the top of the page. This can be incredibly useful, but AI Overviews don’t show up as often as Copilot’s equivalent feature in Bing. Furthermore, Copilot’s summaries in Bing have a cleaner interface, which makes it easier to connect claims to evidence at a glance.
You can also search the web with AI Mode on Google’s regular search page, which Gemini powers. This feature puts an AI Mode button on the right side of Google’s central search field, and clicking it opens a new interface where you can ask questions you want Gemini to answer based on web results. Answers are, as expected, in line with what you get by asking Gemini directly, but I prefer some elements of the AI mode interface.
For one, related article tiles appear on the right, and AI Mode includes relevant images in responses, like ChatGPT and Copilot.
