Research & Opinions

Claude 2 VS. ChatGPT: Which AI chatbot is better?

In this comparison guide, learn how ChatGPT and Claude 2 large language models compare to each other to help you decide which one to use for your chatbot needs.
Shanif Dhanani
5.2 minutes

In the rapidly evolving landscape of AI chatbots, two offerings are rising as top contenders: Claude 2 by Anthropic and ChatGPT from OpenAI. The decision may be challenging if you're searching for the ideal virtual assistant chatbot. We're here to simplify your choice by comparing these AI chatbots across critical factors.

Contextual Processing Capacity

The prowess of an AI chatbot heavily depends on its ability to process context, which influences its capacity to engage in and comprehend conversations.

  • Anthropic's Claude 2 astounds with a vast context window accommodating up to 100,000 tokens—approximately 75,000 words or over 600 pages of text. This processing capability allows Claude 2 to delve deep into documents and research papers for informed responses and to summarize large documents.
  • On the other hand, OpenAI's ChatGPT displays a more constrained context window. With the free research version powered by GPT-3.5, ChatGPT supports up to 4,096 tokens. The upgraded ChatGPT Plus, employing GPT-4, can handle up to 8,192 tokens but limits users to 50 messages every three hours.

Thus, Claude 2 is a more potent tool for complex tasks involving comprehensive document analysis, long-form article summarization, or discussions based on extensive background information.

ChatGPT when prompted with large inputs
ChatGPT Plus when asked to summarize a 6,000-word webpage. Claude 2 had no problem with this task.

Multilingual Support

Multilingual functionality is critical if your operations span across various languages.

  • ChatGPT boasts a vast multilingual capability with training data in over 100 languages. This makes it a reliable option for global use.
  • Claude 2 specializes in English but also supports significant languages such as Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, Italian, and Mandarin. However, it defaults to English for unrecognized input languages.

Hence, for English-centric content generation, both Claude 2 and ChatGPT excel. But for more diverse, multilingual needs, ChatGPT offers more extensive language coverage.

ChatGPT supports many languages
ChatGPT Plus when asked to answer a question in Arabic.
Claude has limited language support
Claude 2 when asked to answer the same question in Arabic.

Precision

For tasks where accuracy is paramount, it's crucial to weigh the AI chatbots' performance on precise tasks.

  • Claude 2 showcases impressive precision in coding, research analysis, and academic writing, often matching or surpassing ChatGPT. Remarkably, it scored higher than 90% of applicants on the challenging GRE exam.
  • Claude 2's training methodology also fosters better instruction-following and factually accurate conversations.

Consequently, for applications requiring high accuracy—like medical research, legal analysis, academic writing, and tax preparation—Claude 2 currently leads based on performance evaluations.

Creativity

Creativity is a significant factor for AI chatbots used to write stories, create jokes, compose poetry, or generate song lyrics.

  • ChatGPT often impresses with its conversational and fluid tone. It excels at producing creative content within defined genres using natural language patterns.
  • Claude 2, on the other hand, prioritizes accuracy over creativity. While this benefits analysis, it might render its tone less engaging and personable.

Therefore, for light-hearted chat, content creation for the arts, or creating marketing ideas, ChatGPT's creative edge is undeniable.

Ethics and Safety

A vital consideration is how an AI system is built to manage ethics and safety responsibly.

  • Claude 2 has undergone rigorous safety testing and training to mitigate potential harm. It is designed to avert inappropriate, unethical, or hazardous responses.
  • Instances have been reported of ChatGPT producing harmful advice or generating biased content, suggesting room for improvement in safety measures.

For high-risk applications involving sensitive topics like medical diagnosis or legal consultation, Claude 2's safety-focused design offers better protection. ChatGPT, with its more relaxed constraints, allows more creative freedom but could pose risks around harmful or unethical content creation.

User Experience and Features

The user experience plays a significant role in choosing between AI chatbot assistants.

  • ChatGPT adopts a more casual, conversational tone aimed at emulating human interactions. This makes its responses more engaging and fluid.
  • In contrast, Claude 2 opts for a more formal tone focused on delivering accurate information, which might appear less personable.
  • Both Claude 2 and ChatGPT offer clean, user-friendly web chatbot interfaces. While ChatGPT provides plugins to broaden its capabilities, Claude 2 doesn't offer this feature.
  • They also offer APIs that you can use to create custom chatbot applications for personal or business use.

While ChatGPT caters to open-ended chats, humor, or entertainment, Claude 2 outperforms with precise, technical responses. It is favored for long-form analysis and technical use cases requiring precision and is well-suited as an enterprise chatbot. Conversely, ChatGPT, with its more conversational user experience and superior creative generation, is more fitting as a chatbot for marketing content creation.

ChatGPT plugins extend chatbot capabilities
ChatGPT plugins extend the chatbot capabilities.

Exploring Options and Costs

Your geographical location may dictate the available choices between Claude 2 and ChatGPT. Furthermore, the cost of each will be influenced by the range of features you opt for.

  • ChatGPT offers a free chatbot with its GPT-3.5 iteration. The premium package, dubbed ChatGPT Plus, comes with a price tag of $20 monthly. This subscription provides expedited processing and the leverage to utilize the superior GPT-4 model and its plugins. It's accessible in the majority of global locations.
  • Claude also provides a free chatbot with plans to launch premium options. However, its availability is currently restricted to the US and the UK. Regarding capability, its model can hold its ground against GPT-4 but lacks extra enhancements such as plugins.

Making the Right Choice?

Claude 2 and ChatGPT are high-performing LLMs, presenting some of the top-tier online chatbot applications for the end user. Claude 2 matches up to GPT-4 in basic proficiency and is complimentary, making it an ideal choice for those in the US and UK requiring a precise chatbot capable of handling extensive data. On the other hand, ChatGPT might be the go-to for those outside the US or UK, those needing broader language assistance, or those engaged in more creative professions.

You can find additional information on ChatGPT and Claude 2 and try them on the OpenAI and Anthropic websites. You can also try our chatbot, a ChatGPT-powered AI chatbot for enterprises that provides a chat interface to search through corporate data.