Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning are transforming the world. Regardless of which industry you analyze, you’ll notice the increasing use of AI. For instance, manufacturing factories are using this advanced technology to keep track of inventory needs and improve premises security.
AI tools have been around for quite some time now. But the release of tools like ChatGPT has opened the doors for the public. Though many useful tools are available, AI enthusiasts seem to be most interested in the debate: Google Bard vs ChatGPT.
In fact, many tech enthusiasts began wondering if ChatGPT will kill Google search engine. With Bard, Google has an opportunity to grab the market once again. But it has a long way to go to reach that goal.
ChatGPT vs Google Bard: A Comparison
ChatGPT is a chatbot by OpenAI. Bard, on the other hand, is a product by Google.
You can get results with these tools even if you have limited familiarity with technology. All you need to do is to write a question in the form of a text prompt and it will generate results in no time. Whether you want to collect information or write full-length articles, these Generative AI tools can save the day.
If you have an interest in futuristic AI tech, you’d be interested in learning about the differences and similarities between these tools. And you may want to know how these tools add value to users.
So, is Bard Better Than Chatgpt? Then let’s compare the features of both AI tools to find the answer:
Are the Tools Available?
Bard is still in the testing phase and isn’t fully developed yet. Its early version was released in February as a response to ChatGPT. Until May 2023, only beta testers could use it. Users needed to get registered on a waiting list before getting access. But since May 10, the chatbot is available in 180 countries.
On the other hand, ChatGPT launched on November 30th, 2022. It became a hot topic this year among internet users.
Since ChatGPT is based on an open-source model, developers offer APIs so other developers can integrate it with their own apps or websites to utilize its features. Bard has announced its API too, but it’s still in the early phases.
Yes, both tools were launched in 2023.
What About the Cost/Payment Plans?
Google Bard is a free tool. ChatGPT, however, offers two different plans: Free Plan and Plus (paid) Plan. You can subscribe to its paid plans at $20/month.
We couldn’t find definite answers about daily or hourly usage limits for free and paid plans of GPT. So, we decided to ask ChatGPT. Clever, right?
Unfortunately, the app didn’t give us accurate figures either!
As per our research, there’s a limit on how many prompts you can enter every hour. This limit may vary with traffic on servers. Also, ChatGPT Plus users can generally send double the messages than free users. Also, Plus members can enjoy three main benefits:
- Availability even when demand is high
- Faster response speed than the free plan
- Priority access to newly released features
During the initial days of its launch, free plan users often had to wait for extended periods to get access due to high traffic. Now servers seem to be able to better manage digital traffic. But users still have to wait in case of huge incoming traffic. You can subscribe to its Plus plan to ensure you can keep using the tool despite high demand.
Both tools are free to use. But ChatGPT offers a paid plan too for users.
Ease of Use
Both ChatGPT and Google Bard are online tools. You can access them at https://chat.openai.com/ and https://bard.google.com/ respectively.
Additionally, Bard is also available as a Google Chrome extension. Once activated, the extension will work with search engines and display results when you enter any search queries in the search bar.
The same goes for ChatGPT which is also available as an extension for Chrome. Independent developers have introduced a myriad of ChatGPT-based extensions such as Compose AI, ChatGPT Writer, and Merlin to further enhance its features.
Verdict: Tie
Data Source
With Google search engine at its back, Bard has access to theoretically infinite dataset. From Wikipedia articles to eBooks, the data is huge. This enables the tool to present reliable information in response to user prompts. As a result, Bard has a competitive edge over other generative AI tools.
Further, this huge volume of data is likely to keep increasing with time. That’s mainly because Google is the leading search engine and may retain the position for many more years.
On the other hand, ChatGPT’s dataset is limited. It was trained on a pre-defined data model and has access to data up to 2021. Thus, the tool can’t provide accurate information when a user needs up-to-date information about a topic of interest.
Winner: Google Bard
Answering User Questions
When it comes to answering questions by users, there’s not much difference between Google Bard vs ChatGPT. As in, both tools offer answers in text format.
Just like Google search, Bard is less text-heavy than ChatGPT.
The good thing is both tools are in the process of constant development. So, it’s not out of the question that the tools may introduce other formats in the future. For instance, we may be able to generate images, videos, animations, and other forms of content with the help of these tools.
Both tools, so far, only offer results in text format.
User-Friendliness
ChatGPT has a relatively more user-friendly interface. You can create multiple chat windows and access them anytime. This feature is quite helpful when you need AI assistance with multiple projects and don’t want to lose previous conversations either.
It’s easy to delete unwanted chats anytime. For this purpose, you can delete all chats with the option “Clear Conversations”. Or you can delete specific chats only that you don’t need anymore.
Since Bard is a relatively new tool, it doesn’t include this feature. You have a single chat window where you can ask any question through prompts. In order to start a new conversation, you’d need to reset the chat. But you can export conversations to Google Docs documents for future use.
Thankfully, both tools have Dark mode/Night mode available which is a relief for many.
Verdict: ChatGPT is the winner with its user-friendly results.
Content Quality
When it comes to ChatGPT vs Google Bard, discussing content quality and formatting is a must.
For instance, let’s search for the recipe for preparing a delicious Apple Pie.
This is the result we got from ChatGPT:
And this is what we got from Google Bard:
The formatting is quite similar for both. The results start with listing down the ingredients and then take us through the baking process in the Instructions section.
What we liked about ChatGPT is that it guided us about preparing the recipe from scratch. It shares how to prepare a homemade delicacy by starting with the task of preparing the dough. You can always customize the prompt though to get more relevant results.
Google Bard assumed you already have a pie dough and jumped to the task of preparing apple pie.
Now, what we liked about Bard is its attention to detail. There’s a list of sources at the end of results so you can visit the article. It also offers useful tips to make your recipe even better. Also, the tool automatically generates three result drafts so you can choose the draft you like better.
Winner: Google Bard
Creativity
Will Bard be better than ChatGPT?
This is the question you may have frequently heard in 2023 when you tuned in to tech news. With the official launch of Google Bard, we have the opportunity to test and compare the tools ourselves.
In terms of creativity, OpenAI’s tool is superior so far. You can use it to create interesting novel ideas, write rhyming poems, and come up with outlines for children’s stories.
You can enter the same prompt in Bard too, but the results often fail to meet expectations.
Finding good rhyming words seems to be a problem with Bard. The flow of poem is quite off too.
Winner: ChatGPT
Factual Results
When using an AI tool for a project, it’s important to know whether or not the tool is reliable.
So, we tried using the tool to test out mathematical formulas. Don’t worry, we didn’t ask for complex mathematical formulas.
See the results? The first image is from Bard, while the second is a screenshot of ChatGPT.
We like the way ChatGPT has explained the process. It explained the PEMDAS order of operations and showed the processing step by step.
Bard, however performed mathematical calculations with little explanation and generate results.
Now that we have shed light on formatting, what’s most important is to look at results. The results generated by Bard are accurate even though there was little explanation.
ChatGPT followed the rule of multiplication and division. But it made a mistake in the step where it needed to replace 4*5 with 20. Instead, it used 5 which is wrong and so we got 5.5 instead of 20.
Verdict: Bard Wins!
Conclusion
This is only the beginning! Generative AI tools like Google Bard and ChatGPT are still in the early phases. These tools will receive plenty more updates by developers and their features will get better with time. Similarly, new tools are entering the market and may pose a bigger threat to big names in the industry.
Stay tuned for more tech news and trends!