GPT-4 vs. ChatGPT-3.5: What’s the Difference? (2024)

ChatGPT, the Natural Language Generation (NLG) tool from OpenAI that auto-generates text, took the tech world by storm late in 2022 (much like its Dall-E image-creation AI did earlier that year). Now, the company's text-creation technology has leveled up to version 4, under the name GPT-4 (GPT stands for Generative Pre-trained Transformer, a name not even an Autobot would love). But can you use the new technology yet? Why would you want to? Here’s how and why.

What's New in GPT4?

OpenAI has actually been releasing versions of GPT for almost five years(Opens in a new window). It had its first release for public use in 2020, prompting AI announcements from other big names (including Microsoft, which eventually invested in OpenAI).

TechTarget(Opens in a new window) defines parameters as “the parts of a large language model that define its skill on a problem such as generating text.” It’s essentially what the model learns. GPT-1 had 117 million parameters to work with, GPT-2 had 1.5 billion, and GPT-3(Opens in a new window) arrived in February of 2021 with 175 billion parameters. By the time ChatGPT was released to the public in November 2022, the tech had reached version 3.5. As stated above, you’ll still be using GPT-3.5 for a while if you’re using the free version of ChatGPT.

How Can I Try GPT-4?

ChatGPT became popular fast. That caused server capacity problems, so it didn’t take long for OpenAI, the company behind it, to offer a paid version of the tech. Which didn’t slow things down very much; ChatGPT (both paid and free versions) eventually attracted as much web traffic as the Bing search engine. There are still moments when basic ChatGPT exceeds capacity—I got one such notification while writing this story.

The paid version is called ChatGPT Plus (or ChatGPT+). The cost is $20 per month. OpenAI began a Plus pilot in early February (which went global on February 10); ChatPGT+ is now the primary way for people to get access to the underlying GPT-4 technology.

First, you need a free OpenAI account—you may already have one from playing with Dall-E to generate AI images—or you’ll need to create one. Then look for the Upgrade to Plus link in the menu. You may not be able to sign in if there’s a capacity problem, which is one of the things ChatGPT+ is supposed to eliminate.

GPT-4 vs. ChatGPT-3.5: What’s the Difference? (1)

(Credit: OpenAI/PCMag)

An account with OpenAI is not the only way to access GPT-4 technology. Quora’s Poe Subscriptions(Opens in a new window) is another service with GPT-4 behind it; the company is also working with Claude, the “helpful, honest, and harmless” AI chatbot competition from Anthropic(Opens in a new window).

Tweet(Opens in a new window)

Also, Microsoft’s Bing search engine was one of the first services to use OpenAI’s tech, and it turns out that Bing has been running a customized version of GPT-4 for search(Opens in a new window) all along. To access it, sign up for the New Bing preview(Opens in a new window) using the Microsoft Edge browser. There is no longer a waitlist(Opens in a new window). Any updates to ChatGPT-4 will feed into the search engine. (However, when I asked Bing this morning, “Are you using GPT-4?” it shot back “No... I’m using Bing’s own natural language generation system. 😊” Yes, with the emoji.) An upside of the Bing version is its unlimited dataset: GPT-4 and ChatGPT+ still use data only through September 2021.

Other entities and services using GPT-4 include the government of Iceland, Duolingo, and Khan Academy.

OpenAI also has made the application programming interface (API) for GPT-4 available to developers, so expect it to show up in other services soon.

Is ChatGPT+ Worth the Money?

Anecdotally, the reports seem positive, and the stats presented by OpenAI are impressive. And anyone who has played with ChatGPT using the GPT-3.5 version will be impressed. For example, GPT-4 passed exams including the LSAT, SAT, Uniform Bar Exam, and GRE with higher scores. The company also says that compared with GPT-3.5, GPT-4 is 82% less likely to respond when prompts are technically not allowed, and it’s 60% less likely to fabricate facts, which in AI terms are called “hallucinations.” (Also, in tests conducted by the non-profit Alignment Research Center(Opens in a new window), GPT-4 managed to social-engineer a real human on TaskRabbit into doing a job—circumventing a CAPTCHA.)

A main difference between versions is that while GPT-3.5 is a text-to-text model, GPT-4 is more of a data-to-text model. It can do things the previous version never dreamed of. This infographic spells out some other differences.

GPT-4 vs. ChatGPT-3.5: What’s the Difference? (2)

For instance, GPT-4 accepts images as part of a prompt. In one example, it viewed an image of refrigerator contents and spit out recipes using the ingredients it saw. It can even explain why memes are funny. That makes GPT-4 what’s called a “multimodal model.” (ChatGPT+ will remain text-output-only for now, though.)

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GPT-4 has a longer memory than previous versions The more you chat with a bot powered by GPT-3.5, the less likely it will be able to keep up, after a certain point (of around 8,000 words). GPT-4’s short-term memory is closer to 64,000 words. GPT-4 can even pull text from web pages when you share a URL in the prompt. The co-founder of LinkedIn has already written an entire book with ChatGPT-4(Opens in a new window) (he had early access).

Version 4 is also more multilingual, showing accuracy in as many as 26 languages(Opens in a new window). And it has more “steerability,” meaning control over responses using a “personality” you pick—say, telling it to reply like Yoda, or a pirate, or whatever you can think of.

The actual reasons GPT-4 is such an improvement are more mysterious. MIT Technology Review(Opens in a new window) got a full brief on GPT-4 and said while it is “bigger and better,” no one can say precisely why. That may be because OpenAI is now a for-profit tech firm, not a nonprofit researcher. The number of parameters used in training ChatGPT-4 is not info OpenAI will reveal anymore, but another automated content producer, AX Semantics, estimates 100 trillion(Opens in a new window). Arguably, that brings “the language model closer to the workings of the human brain in regards to language and logic,” according to AX Semantics. (OpenAI’s CEO Sam Altman says that is not an accurate number).

ChatGPT is also no longer the only game in town. DeepMind and Hugging Face are two companies working on multimodal model AIs that could be free for users eventually, according to MIT Technology Review. As we stated before, the dataset ChatGPT uses is still restricted (in most cases) to September 2021 and earlier. Other developers may have even more data.

OpenAI admits that ChatGPT-4 still struggles with bias; it could even deliver hate speech (again(Opens in a new window)). The tech still gets things wrong(Opens in a new window), of course, as people will always gleefully point out. It’s nowhere near perfect. But then again, neither are humans.

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GPT-4 vs. ChatGPT-3.5: What’s the Difference? (2024)

FAQs

GPT-4 vs. ChatGPT-3.5: What’s the Difference? ›

GPT

GPT
Generative Pre-trained Transformer 3 (GPT-3) is an autoregressive language model released in 2020 that uses deep learning to produce human-like text. When given a prompt, it will generate text that continues the prompt. Generative Pre-trained Transformer 3 (GPT-3)
https://en.wikipedia.org › wiki › GPT-3
-3.5 is primarily a text tool, whereas GPT-4 is able to understand images. If you provide it with a photo, it can describe what's in it, understand the context of what's there, and make suggestions based on it. This has led to some people using GPT-4 to craft recipe ideas based on pictures of their fridge.

What is the difference between ChatGPT and GPT4all? ›

ChatGPT, developed by OpenAI, is readily available as an API and web app, but its features and roadmap are dependent on OpenAI's development team. On the other hand, GPT4all is an open-source project that can be run on a local machine, offering greater flexibility and potential for customization.

What is the difference between Auto GPT and ChatGPT? ›

Auto-GPT is designed for performing task-oriented conversations while ChatGPT is made for generating general-purpose responses. Auto-GPT is an open-source project that splits a goal into different tasks and uses its own decision-making skills to achieve the goal.

What is the difference between OpenAI ChatGPT 3 and 4? ›

GPT-3 is unimodal, meaning it can only accept text inputs. It can process and generate various text forms, such as formal and informal language, but can't handle images or other data types. GPT-4, on the other hand, is multimodal. It can accept and produce text and image inputs and outputs, making it much more diverse.

Is GPT-4 the same as ChatGPT? ›

Both GPT-4 and ChatGPT have earned plaudits as excellent AI-based tools. There are obvious similarities between them – GPT-4 is essentially an upgrade to ChatGPT, which is based on GPT-3.5. Hence, GPT-4 is more advanced, and beats ChatGPT in just about every category.

Is ChatGPT Plus the same as GPT-4? ›

The core service you pay for with ChatGPT Plus is access to GPT-4. Even after paying $20 a month, you aren't guaranteed a specific number of prompts from the GPT-4 model per day. OpenAI says clearly that the company will change the maximum number of allowed prompts at any time.

Is ChatGPT 4 better at coding? ›

On the plus side, GPT-4 can still write, convert or explain code more efficiently than its predecessors. Based on the chart below, GPT-4 has improved substantially compared to GPT-3.5 in coding exams.

What makes ChatGPT different? ›

The use of Reinforcement Learning from Human Feedback (RLHF) is what makes ChatGPT especially unique. Through RLHF, human AI trainers provided the model with conversations in which they played both parts, the user and AI assistants, according to OpenAI.

Do I need GPT-4 for Auto-GPT? ›

Auto-GPT is the closest thing we have to artificial general intelligence considering it's an AI agent that can perform most tasks autonomously with just a few prompts. It's also easy to set up, and you can use it with GPT-3.5 or GPT-4.

Why is ChatGPT so powerful? ›

One of the key strengths of ChatGPT is its simple user interface that follows the no-UI approach, in which the best interface is no interface. This means that the app's UI is designed to be as minimalistic and unobtrusive as possible.

What is the difference between GPT-4 and 3.5 chat? ›

GPT-3.5 is primarily a text tool, whereas GPT-4 is able to understand images. If you provide it with a photo, it can describe what's in it, understand the context of what's there, and make suggestions based on it. This has led to some people using GPT-4 to craft recipe ideas based on pictures of their fridge.

Does ChatGPT 4 have access to the Internet? ›

ChatGPT Plugins

Until now, GPT-4 solely relied on its training data, which was last updated in September 2021. It was not connected to the external world. With plugins, it can access the entire internet. Users can install plugins in their ChatGPT to allow it to access the external world.

What does GPT stand for in ChatGPT? ›

Chat GPT stands for Chat Generative Pre-Trained Transformer and was developed by an AI research company, Open AI. It is an artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot technology that can process our natural human language and generate a response.

Is ChatGPT 4 free to use? ›

That said, ChatGPT 4 is not available to free users. You have to subscribe to ChatGPT Plus to try out GPT-4.

What ChatGPT 4.0 can do? ›

GPT-4 is capable of processing both text and images, allowing users to generate prompts based on visual input. In its impressive demonstration, GPT-4 was able to take a hand-drawn sketch and translate it into a functional website.

Which AI is better than ChatGPT 4? ›

What is the best alternative to ChatGPT? ChatSonic is considered the best AI-powered chatbot as it provides personalized responses and assistance to users. Like ChatGPT, it uses advanced natural language processing technology to understand user input and generate relevant and helpful responses.

What version of GPT is ChatGPT using? ›

The original release of ChatGPT was based on GPT-3.5. A version based on GPT-4, the newest OpenAI model, was released on March 14, 2023, and is available for paid subscribers on a limited basis.

Is ChatGPT 3.5 free? ›

GPT-4 is a more advanced LLM — the most powerful that OpenAI currently offers. At the current moment, OpenAI only offers access to GPT-4 through ChatGPT Plus. GPT-3.5, on the other hand, is the LLM that powers the free ChatGPT tool.

What are the limitations of GPT-4? ›

GPT-4's limitations

Limited knowledge: Just like any other pretrained model before it, GPT-4 is limited by its training data. It doesn't know of events beyond September 2021, so GPT-4 may fail to provide accurate output if such output requires more recent information.

Will ChatGPT 4 replace developers? ›

FAQs About ChatGPT

No, GPT 4 will not replace programmers entirely. Like ChatGPT, it can potentially automate some aspects of programming, such as code generation and documentation. However, it cannot replace the human creativity and critical thinking required for complex software development.

Is it worth paying for GPT-4? ›

But enough of a difference to make it worth mentioning. GPT-4 is absolutely 100% worth the subscription. It's paid itself back in the hours of time it has saved me in looking up new frameworks and code. I wanted to create a pretty complex form with autofill.

What are the advantages of GPT-4? ›

Artificial Intelligence GPT-4 is the newest version of ChatGPT, which is an open-platform AI language model. It has simplified the process of communication done with machines. The multimodal capabilities of ChatGPT help to process texts, videos, and images.

What are the best uses of ChatGPT? ›

Best Uses of ChatGPT
  • Ability to Understand and Respond to a Wide Range of Language Inputs. ...
  • Ability to Learn and Improve Over Time. ...
  • Answer Questions. ...
  • Improved Interpretability. ...
  • Alternative to Google Search. ...
  • Use AI to Write High-Performing Copy. ...
  • Education or Training Purposes. ...
  • Create a Virtual Assistant.
Feb 15, 2023

Does ChatGPT cost money? ›

OpenAI's ChatGPT is free to use, and anyone can do so. This free version does come with some drawbacks for now.

How much does chat GPT-4 cost? ›

There are two pricing options available for GPT-4, starting at $0.03 for 1K prompt tokens. However, if you are accessing GPT-4 in ChatGPT Plus, then you need to subscribe to its monthly plan, which costs $20/month. When comparing “ChatGPT free vs.

How to use chat GPT-4 for free? ›

To use ChatGPT 4 for free with the multi-model Poe app:
  1. Go to the Quora's Poe chatbot app website.
  2. Click GPT-4 button, and type your message.
  3. Note that GPT-4 prompts are limited to 1 free message per day.
Mar 31, 2023

What are the disadvantages of GPT partition? ›

GPT's disadvantages or problems are predominantly related to the issue of compatibility. Older operating systems, such as Windows XP 32-bit, may not be able to work with GPT. In addition, setting up a dual-boot system with Windows using UEFI and a Linux operating system that should start in BIOS mode can get tricky.

What are the disadvantages of ChatGPT? ›

The Disadvantages of ChatGPT. One of the biggest cons of ChatGPT or any other AI chatbot is that it cannot be used as an authoritative source of information. At the time of writing (April 2023), the technology still relies on content from the internet, as in 2021.

What is the controversy with ChatGPT? ›

Meanwhile, OpenAI's flagship product, ChatGPT, is facing controversy in multiple countries over data concerns and claims the AI model has released false information on real individuals.

Will ChatGPT update to 2023? ›

The newest version of OpenAI's language model system, GPT-4, was officially launched on March 13, 2023 with a paid subscription allowing users access to the Chat GPT-4 tool.

Is it OK to use ChatGPT? ›

There are a few things you should be wary of when using the AI chatbot, however. According to the developers, ChatGPT does have the potential to produce biased and harmful content.

How is ChatGPT so advanced? ›

Engines like Chat-GPT are “trained” (programmed and reinforced) to mimic writing styles, avoid certain types of conversations, and learn from your questions. In other words, the more advanced models can refine answers as you ask more questions, and then store what it learned for others.

Will ChatGPT replace coding? ›

In summary, while GPT has made significant progress in recent years, it is unlikely to replace human programmers entirely because it lacks the ability to execute code, think critically and solve complex problems, and generate new ideas.

Can GPT-4 read websites? ›

Be My Eyes GPT-4 usage

It allows them to read website content, negotiate challenging real-world circ*mstances, and make well-informed judgments at the moment, much like a human volunteer would.

Who owns ChatGPT? ›

Chat GPT is owned and developed by OpenAI, a leading artificial intelligence research and deployment company based in San Francisco that was launched in December 2015.

What does GPT-4 stand for? ›

Generative Pre-trained Transformer 4 (GPT-4) is a multimodal large language model created by OpenAI, and the fourth in its numbered "GPT-n" series of GPT foundation models.

How to make money with ChatGPT? ›

How to Make Money with ChatGPT (10 Easy Ways)
  1. Find Unclaimed Money.
  2. Build an App, Website, or Service.
  3. Get Business Ideas From ChatGPT.
  4. Create an AI Chatbot.
  5. Email Affiliate Marketing.
  6. Turn into a Prompt Expert.
  7. Create Videos with ChatGPT.
  8. Write e-Books and Self-Publish.
4 days ago

Can ChatGPT 4 generate images? ›

This has raised many questions regarding the capabilities of ChatGPT-4 and whether Chat GPT can generate images. Unfortunately, no ChatGPT does not have the ability to generate images or draw pictures. The AI bot was not designed to produce any artwork but instead output text.

Is GPT 3.5 free? ›

We are happy to say that GPT-3 is currently free to use on OpenAI's Playground. This AI model has so many phenomenal uses and it is great that OpenAI allows its users to test out their technology.

Who is the competitor of chatgpt4? ›

For a long time, Google Bard has been seen as a competitor to ChatGPT. It is an experimental conversational AI service. The LaMDA language model, released by the business a few years ago, serves as the foundation for Bard AI.

Who is using ChatGPT? ›

By industry, those in the tech field are the biggest users of ChatGPT with 62% of them using it regularly. Some 59% of healthcare workers and 56% of those in marketing also use it on a regular basis.

Is ChatGPT the most advanced AI? ›

OpenAI, a leading research organization in the field of artificial intelligence (AI), has recently released Chat GPT-4, the latest iteration of their language model. This release has generated a lot of excitement and anticipation, as it is the most advanced and powerful AI yet.

Is ChatGPT better than Google? ›

Is ChatGPT better than Google? Both ChatGPT and Google are accurate. But ChatGPT's data can be more accurate than Google's because its AI understands the nuances much better than Google. This feature of ChatGPT helps it answer those questions which Google may not answer correctly.

Which is better ChatGPT or Bing? ›

In our testing experience, ChatGPT provides the most in-depth responses compared to its competing chatbots, including Bing's chatbot.

What is the difference between OpenAI and ChatGPT? ›

They both use similar generative AI models, but the main difference is that ChatGPT is designed for use by the general public while OpenAI Playground is more geared toward developers who want to experiment with OpenAI's various AI technologies.

Is ChatGPT Plus better? ›

This means faster and more accurate responses to your questions and tasks. Faster and more accurate responses: The improved algorithms and processing capabilities of the Plus Plan result in faster and more accurate responses to your questions and requests. This can save you time and improve your overall experience.

Does ChatGPT use GPT-3 or 4? ›

At the time of writing, ChatGPT is still mainly running on GPT-3.5 Turbo—the default model for ChatGPT when you start a new chat. However, if you are a paying customer and subscribe to ChatGPT Plus, you can change the model to GPT-4 before you start a chat.

What are the advantages of ChatGPT? ›

What are the benefits of ChatGPT? With ChatGPT, you can automate repetitive tasks and improve customer engagement by using AI-powered text-based artificial intelligence. Through the use of natural language processing algorithms, it recognizes and responds to rudimentary questions accurately.

Which AI is better than ChatGPT? ›

30 Best ChatGPT Alternatives That Will Blow Your Mind
  • Chatsonic.
  • OpenAI playground.
  • Jasper Chat.
  • Bard AI.
  • LaMDA (Language Model for Dialog Applications)
  • Socratic.
  • Bing AI.
  • DialoGPT.
May 12, 2023

Will ChatGPT replace programmers? ›

The short answer is no, ChatGPT will not replace programmers entirely. However, it has the potential to automate some aspects of programming, such as code generation, bug fixing, and documentation. ChatGPT can learn from vast amounts of code and data, making it possible to generate new code similar to existing code.

Which is better ChatGPT or GPT-3? ›

ChatGPT is not just smaller (20 billion vs. 175 billion parameters) and therefore faster than GPT-3, but it is also more accurate than GPT-3 when solving conversational tasks—a perfect business case for a lower cost/better quality AI product.

Is ChatGPT free? ›

Made by OpenAI, well-known for having developed the text-to-image generator DALL-E, ChatGPT is currently available for anyone to try out for free, now with even a free iOS app being launched. Here's what ChatGPT is, how to use it, and how it could change the future of the internet.

Does ChatGPT have an API? ›

The ChatGPT API is a tool that enables you to integrate the power of ChatGPT into your applications, products, or services. It gives you access to ChatGPT's ability to generate human-like responses to questions and engage in casual conversation.

Is it worth paying $20 for ChatGPT? ›

ChatGPT Plus is worth paying $20 per month for if you will find one or more of the following features useful: Access to ChatGPT even when demand is high. Plus subscribers go to the front of the queue, which can be very useful when using ChatGPT for work or time-sensitive tasks.

Will ChatGPT 4 be free? ›

A developer named Yuvraj Sharma has built a ChatGPT 4 bot on HuggingFace, and it's completely free to use. The best feature is that you don't even need to enter your own OpenAI API key. The GPT-4 API access is being provided by HuggingFace to its community for users to explore the model.

Does GPT-4 have access to the internet? ›

The newest version, GPT-4, has been equipped with the capability to access the internet. This update allows the model to utilize over 70 third-party browser plugins, providing users with a wider array of functionalities.

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