ChatGPT vs Gemini vs Claude – Which AI Helps Most with Studying?

Why I Decided to Test LLMs

Last year I finally decided to finish my degree. That might sound strange, but this is my fourth attempt — people ask me why I bother at my age, and my answer is simply that I wanted to see it through. I once read about a man in his seventies or eighties who decided to finally complete his studies. I thought to myself: if he can do it at that age, so can I.

It’s a great time to go back to university, because we have artificial intelligence that can actually help, and online studies let me stay mobile — I can change where I live and still keep studying. That suits me perfectly.

What I’m Testing and Why

I’m studying computer science, and the hardest subject in the first semester is mathematical analysis. I decided to test how well different AI tools handle problems at that level.

I tested three chatbots: Gemini, ChatGPT, and Claude — all while working through mathematical analysis assignments.

General Impressions – All Three Work

The result? I can’t declare a winner, because each of them does something different well. It’s not that one is always better. It depends on what you need at any given moment.

Before I get into the details, I’ll tell you honestly: all three perform excellently when it comes to:

• Understanding problems
• Solving problems step by step
• Explaining where every number came from

When I ask for a deep explanation, each of them can describe exactly why there’s a two and not a five, how to factor out a bracket, or which algebraic identities were used.

The LaTeX Problem – This Is Where They Differ

In mathematics you can’t write everything in plain text. Fractions, roots, exponents — they need to be rendered properly to be readable.

ChatGPT and Gemini display LaTeX directly in the chat window. I see fractions the way I should see them, and I can keep asking follow-up questions dynamically.

Claude has a problem here. It can’t render LaTeX in the chat window. Instead it generates PDF files with rendered LaTeX, which is annoying — when I want to work through a problem dynamically, I start the problem, hit a snag, ask for clarification — and Claude throws a PDF at me instead of showing the answer in the chat. That makes it unappealing for quick, interactive studying.

Separating Tasks – Where Gemini Gets Confused

Here’s how I test this: I send a PDF with exercises and ask the AI to generate solutions for the missing ones in a style that matches the already-solved ones.

This is where Gemini has a problem. When I send a PDF and ask it to explain the first problem, it does that brilliantly — but if I then paste in a similar problem as text and ask about it, it starts mixing things up. It confuses the new problems with the ones from the file.

This happens especially when I’ve been working in the same window for a long time — Gemini starts blending contexts. The best approach is to open a new window every so often for the next batch of problems.

ChatGPT and Claude handle this better — they separate tasks without any issues.

Generating Documents – Claude Shines Here

If you want to generate a document full of practice problems, ChatGPT and Claude do an excellent job. They can create entire problem sets, PDF documents with properly formatted exercises.

Gemini, on the other hand, struggles here and doesn’t perform as well.

Projects – Very Useful

Both ChatGPT and Claude have a projects feature — you can keep all chats on a specific topic in one place.

This is handy because in Claude I can add all the problem files and lecture notes to a project and then ask it to generate the formulas I need for all the topics. ChatGPT has something similar.

My Verdict After Testing

ChatGPT – The All-Round Winner

If I had to pick one tool, ChatGPT performs best overall. It has everything:

• Reads files (task separation — no problem)
• Renders LaTeX in the chat window
• Generates documents
• Has projects

But I stopped using it because I’m cutting expenses, and I get Gemini for free.

Gemini – Great for Dynamic Learning, But With Quirks

Pros:

• Excellent at explaining things in chat
• Dynamic problem-solving
• LaTeX renders immediately
• Free period for students

Cons:

• Context mixing problem
• Weaker at document generation
• Need to open new windows periodically

Claude – Best for Documents, But…

Pros:

• Excellent at understanding problems
• Generates good documents
• Projects are useful
• You can add many files to a project

Cons:

• Doesn’t render LaTeX in chat
• Throws a PDF at you for every response instead of showing it inline
• Cumbersome for dynamic studying

How I Actually Use Them

I use both Gemini and Claude depending on what I need:

• Dynamic learning, quick questions → Gemini
• Generating documents with problems → Claude

That gives me the best of both worlds.

Will AI Replace a Teacher?

To sum up: all three chatbots can:

• Explain concepts
• Solve problems
• Generate study materials
• Check whether you solved something correctly

Will it replace a teacher? Probably not. But a private tutor? Absolutely.

They have access to complete knowledge, they never get tired of answering questions, they can work 24/7, and you’ll save yourself the trip to tutoring sessions. It’s an incredible tool — especially once you know how to use it.