Claude Projects vs ChatGPT Projects vs Gemini Gems
Quick answer
Pick Claude Projects when you want a workspace built around a body of documents, with standing instructions and, on Team and Enterprise plans, sharing with view or edit rights. Pick ChatGPT Projects when your team already works in ChatGPT and wants shared chats, files and instructions in one place. Pick a Gemini Gem when the job is a repeat task, like the same monthly client update, and your office runs on Google Workspace.
Last updated
This page is for accountants, law and insurance staff, recruiters, office managers and marketers who keep pasting the same background into an AI assistant. Every feature below comes from the vendors' own help pages as of October 2026. Free Stepthrough lessons for all three are coming; today, the free Prompt Writing 101 lesson teaches the Role, Context, Task and Format pattern that makes any project instruction or Gem work better.
How do they compare at a glance?
| Claude Projects | ChatGPT Projects | Gemini Gems | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Made by | Anthropic | OpenAI | |
| Best for | Ongoing work built on a set of documents | Ongoing work where chats, files and instructions live together | A repeat job with the same instructions every time |
| What you save | Project knowledge (uploaded files), project instructions and the project's chats | Chats, files and instructions in one project | A name, instructions and optional knowledge files |
| Free plan | Yes, up to 5 projects | Yes, Projects and project sharing are listed for Free | Check Google's Gems help page for your account type |
| Large document sets | Paid plans use retrieval to expand capacity, up to 10x per Anthropic | Check OpenAI's help center for file limits | Check Google's help pages for file limits |
| Google Drive files | Google Docs can be added to private projects and stay synced | Through connectors on supported plans | Yes; Gemini uses the latest version of a Drive file |
| Memory | Each project has its own separate memory and summary | Default memory or project-only memory; shared projects use project-only | Not described on the Gems help page |
| Team sharing | Team and Enterprise: share with "Can view" or "Can edit" | Share a project with your team; members can start new chats | Share a Gem or chats that use it |
| Free Stepthrough lesson | Coming | Coming | Coming |
What is the difference between Claude Projects, ChatGPT Projects and Gemini Gems?
All three save background so you stop re-explaining it, but they are built around different things. A Claude Project is built around its project knowledge: you upload documents, text files or other material, set project instructions, and Anthropic's help page says Claude uses those instructions for all the chats in the project. A ChatGPT Project groups chats, files and instructions in one workspace, and OpenAI's help center describes it as a context hub ChatGPT draws on for future answers. A Gemini Gem is a saved assistant with a name, instructions and optional files that you open for one kind of task.
If you have read our ChatGPT Projects vs Gemini Gems vs NotebookLM comparison, the new piece here is Claude. Claude Projects sit closest to ChatGPT Projects, since both are ongoing workspaces rather than one-job assistants. The differences show up in how each handles a large stack of documents, memory and sharing.
How does Claude project knowledge work?
Project knowledge is the set of files you add to a Claude Project. Every chat in the project can draw on it, which is why it suits work with a fixed set of reference material: an engagement letter and prior-year notes for one accounting client, a policy manual for an insurance team, or a style guide and past campaigns for marketing.
Two details from Anthropic's help pages matter in practice. First, on paid plans, when project knowledge approaches its limit, Claude switches to retrieval, which Anthropic says can expand capacity by up to 10x while keeping response quality. The glossary entry on RAG explains what retrieval means. Second, context from one chat is not shared with other chats in the project unless you add it to the project knowledge. So if a chat produces a decision you want every future chat to know, save it as a file in the project.
You can also add Google Docs through the Google Drive connector, and Anthropic says those docs sync from Drive so you work with the latest version. As of October 2026 that option is only available in private projects, not shared ones, and on Team and Enterprise plans an owner has to turn on connectors first.
Can my team share a Claude Project?
Yes, on Team and Enterprise plans. Anthropic's help page says you can share a project with individual members by name or email, paste a list of emails to share in bulk, or share with the whole organization. Each person gets Can view, which lets them see the project's content, or Can edit, which lets them change the project instructions and knowledge and manage members. The creator can change permissions or remove access later.
ChatGPT handles this differently. OpenAI's help center lists project sharing on every plan from Free to Enterprise, and members of a shared project can start new chats in it. Shared ChatGPT projects use project-only memory, so they can't see a member's personal memories. Gems can be shared too, but Google notes that a Gem shared with you is not automatically added to your Gem manager.
For a firm, the practical question is control. A shared Claude Project with view and edit rights lets a manager own the instructions while the rest of the team uses them, which keeps everyone working from the same rules.
How does memory differ between them?
Claude creates a separate memory space and project summary for each project, so a client's details stay inside that client's project and don't leak into other chats. On Team and Enterprise plans, Anthropic says owners decide whether memory is available, and it stays off for each member until they turn it on. On Free, Pro and Max it is on by default.
ChatGPT Projects let you choose default memory or project-only memory when you create a project, and change it later in the project's settings. The Gems help page doesn't describe a memory setting; a Gem's background comes from its instructions and files. For client work, project-scoped memory is the safer default in any tool, because it keeps one client's facts away from the next.
What does each one cost?
Pricing varies by plan and changes often, so check the official pages: Claude pricing, ChatGPT pricing and Gemini plans, plus Google Workspace pricing if your company uses Workspace. Claude's free plan includes up to 5 projects, and the retrieval boost for large project knowledge and team sharing need a paid plan.
Which one should I use for client work?
Use the one your company already approves. That matters more than any feature on this page, because client files belong only in tools your firm has cleared. Running client work through a personal account the company doesn't know about is called shadow AI, and it is the biggest risk with all three. If your firm has an AI governance policy, it should say which assistant to use and what may go in it.
If you have a free choice: a Claude Project per client is a strong fit when the work leans on long documents and you want a manager to control shared instructions. A ChatGPT Project per client fits teams who already spend their day in ChatGPT. A Gem fits a single repeat job inside Google Workspace. Whatever you choose, write the instructions carefully. A good starting point is the same one a firm uses in the free Northgate Tax & Bookkeeping lesson: give the assistant the facts, say what a good reply looks like, and check every promise before it goes out.
Who is each one for?
Claude Projects
For people who work from a stack of documents, such as contracts, policies, prior-year files or brand guides, and for teams on Claude Team or Enterprise who want shared projects with view and edit rights. A free Stepthrough lesson on Claude Projects is coming.
ChatGPT Projects
For teams who already use ChatGPT every day and want each client, case or campaign in its own shared workspace with project-only memory. A free Stepthrough lesson on ChatGPT Projects is coming; meanwhile, Reply Faster: Customer Emails covers the ChatGPT basics.
Gemini Gems
For offices on Gmail and Google Docs that repeat the same writing or review job and want a saved assistant for it. Google says Gems move to "skills" on personal accounts from November 2026. A free Stepthrough lesson on Gems is coming.
Which of these tools have a free Stepthrough lesson?
- Claude Projects: a free Stepthrough lesson is coming.
- ChatGPT Projects: a free Stepthrough lesson is coming.
- Gemini Gems: a free Stepthrough lesson is coming.
Practice it free, step by step
Prompt Writing 101: Role, Context, Task, Format. Ask ChatGPT for the same customer email twice, once vaguely and once with a four-part prompt, and see exactly why structure gets a better answer. You do every step yourself in a practice copy of ChatGPT, it checks your work as you go, and “Do it for me” finishes any step you get stuck on. Free, and nothing touches your real accounts.
Start the free lessonKey takeaways
- Claude Projects are built around project knowledge and project instructions; paid plans use retrieval to handle larger document sets, up to 10x per Anthropic.
- On Claude Team and Enterprise, projects can be shared with "Can view" or "Can edit" rights, and each project keeps its own memory.
- ChatGPT Projects offer project-only memory and sharing on every plan; Gemini Gems are best for one repeat job in Google Workspace.
- Pricing varies by plan, so check each vendor's pricing page, and only put client files in the tool your firm approves.
Frequently asked questions
Is Claude Projects free?
Yes, with limits. As of October 2026, Anthropic's help page says every user can create projects, with free accounts limited to 5. Retrieval for larger project knowledge and team sharing come with paid plans; see Claude's pricing page for details.
Can Claude Projects use files from Google Drive?
Yes. Anthropic says you can add Google Docs to a project's files through the Google Drive connector, and they sync so you see the latest version. That option is only available in private projects, not shared ones.
Do chats in a Claude Project know about each other?
Not automatically. Anthropic's help page says context is not shared across chats in a project unless you add it to the project knowledge, so save important decisions or summaries as files in the project.
Should I use a Claude Project or a Gem for a repeat task?
Both work. A Gem is made for one repeat job and fits Google Workspace offices. A Claude Project fits better when the task also needs a set of reference documents or a team that shares the same instructions.
Where do these prices and features come from?
Every price and feature on this page was checked against the vendor's own page, as of October 2026. No numbers here are estimates or third-party figures. The example businesses in the Stepthrough lessons are made up.
- Claude Help Center: What are projects?
- Claude Help Center: How can I create and manage projects?
- Claude Help Center: Chat search and memory
- Claude Help Center: Google Workspace connectors
- Anthropic: Claude plans and pricing
- OpenAI Help Center: Projects in ChatGPT
- OpenAI: ChatGPT pricing
- Google Gemini Help: Gems overview
- Google: Gemini subscriptions
- Google Workspace pricing
