Which AI App Is Best for My Marketing Team?

The Gist

• AI isn't slowing. Adoption of AI remains high, with people turning to various AI solutions for their needs.
• OpenAI takes the lead. OpenAI has established a usage lead among consumers interested in AI, similar to the early days of Google’s dominance in search engines.
• Choices for marketing leaders. Marketers have many choices depending on their needs to match consumer adoption of AI.

Consumers are used to all sorts of product comparisons, from their favorite detergent to the legendary Coke taste test. Marketers face a tech comparison of their own: which AI solutions are best suited for managers and analysts?

Marketers are facing the most daunting environments, from economic uncertainty from tariffs, and geoeconomic concerns to budget restrictions. So, which AI solutions should marketers invest more into for 2025 and beyond to gain more opportunities to engage with customers?

How the AI Choices Has Been Emerging

In the short two years that AI has been on the market, the competition for search has become a highly competitive market. Digwatch analyzed data on how much adoption has occurred.

The latest data on AI usage indicates that ChatGPT commands a large share of general traffic. ChatGPT accumulated 5.5 billion visits in May 2025 alone—roughly 80% of all global generative AI traffic. The volume exceeds more than double the combined volume of Google’s Gemini, DeepSeek, Grok, Perplexity and Claude.

The visits also position OpenAI as a default choice in the same spirit as Google. When people adopted online search in their daily behavior, most turned to Google’s search engine, with other search engines a distant second; Gemini is a distant second to ChatGPT. Google was able to leverage its advantage for years: even YouTube was considered the second-largest search engine.

OpenAI Crushes Google's Early Pace for Search

But OpenAI is operating in a faster-moving market than Google had for internet search. Although other platforms lag in visits, they are introducing features quickly. For example, OpenAI integrated its SearchGPT beta into ChatGPT, adding real-time web access to all free and paid tier users. The launch catapulted OpenAI into the epicenter of AI and search, even as Perplexity had consistently positioned itself as a search engine in the AI market.

In comparison, Claude’s addition of search capabilities arrived this past March comes later compared to its competitors. But the launch spotlighted the value of transparent model reasoning. Model reasoning indicates how a model is considering prompt information, letting users understand more clearly how an answer is derived and if the methodology is accurate. The methodology made Claude more like Google’s Gemini, which had begun to show sources alongside prompt responses.

New models are also introducing other avenues for people to use AI. Many are designed for applying niche prompts for specialty output, like the image and video generation of MidJourney and Google’s Veo 3. Others operate within a specific environment, like Meta AI.

This trend mirrors the search trends that emerged after Google established its search dominance; other large-scale websites like Amazon became starting points for specific consumer online searches.

Related Article: 5 Ways AI Can Impact and Improve Your Search Strategy

What LLM Apps Are Best for Marketing?

So marketers should decide which tools to invest in so that their brands can better understand customer experience opportunities that are emerging with AI. 

Let’s look at what the current AI solutions offer:

What Is ChatGPT (OpenAI) Best for? Versatile Content Creation and Broad Team Adoption

ChatGPT streamlines content production across 12+ customer touchpoints while offering the largest ecosystem of specialized assistants. With 80% market share, it provides the most mature platform for teams needing reliable, multi-format content generation from social posts to technical documentation.

• Budget Ready: Free tier supports small teams, while $20/month Plus subscription pays for itself within 30 days for content creators producing 20+ pieces monthly. The vast GPT assistant marketplace eliminates the need for multiple specialized tools, reducing overall software costs for many marketing teams.
• Team Fit: Ideal for teams of any size and skill level. Intuitive interface requires minimal training, making it perfect for organizations with mixed technical abilities. Works across web, mobile, and desktop, supporting remote and hybrid teams.
• Consider ChatGPT if: You need broad content creation capabilities, want a minimal learning curve for team adoption, or require integration with existing business software through its extensive assistant ecosystem.

Related Article: OpenAI Debuts ChatGPT Search: Has Online Content Search Changed Forever?

What Is Google Gemini Best for? Companies Already Invested in Google Workspace

Google has strategically enhanced Gemini's value through workplace ecosystem integrations. The integration has reset Google as a stronger AI competitor this year. Gemini’s value is integration with Google’s well-known workplace services, such as Google Sheets, Google Docs and Colab. The application of Gemini with the broad access to Google Search capabilities furthered its appeal and utility. 

Gemini reduces workflow friction for teams using Google's ecosystem, eliminating the need to switch between research and content creation tools. Direct integration with Google Search, Docs, Sheets and Gmail creates seamless workflows from research to publication.

• Budget Ready: Free tier includes AI Overviews in search, while $20/month AI Pro delivers ROI immediately for teams already paying for Google Workspace. Eliminates the need for separate research tools, saving $50-100/month per team member in tool subscriptions.
• Team Fit: Perfect for organizations already using Google Workspace with teams of 5-50 members. Minimal additional training is required since it works within familiar Google interfaces. Scales effectively from small teams to enterprise deployments.
• Consider Gemini if: Your team lives in Google Workspace, you prioritize workflow integration over cutting-edge features, or you need real-time web data integrated directly into document creation.

What Is Claude (Anthropic) Best for? Technical Marketing Teams Requiring Audit-Ready AI Decisions

Claude reduces content review cycles while providing transparent reasoning that satisfies compliance requirements. Unlike other AI tools that provide answers without explanation, Claude shows its decision-making process step-by-step, making it valuable for regulated industries or teams that need to justify AI-generated recommendations to stakeholders.

• Budget Ready: At $20/month per user, Claude delivers ROI within 60 days for teams spending 10+ hours weekly on technical content creation. The investment becomes cost-effective when you factor in reduced review time and compliance documentation savings. Best suited for teams of 3-8 users where the subscription cost can be justified by productivity gains.
• Team Fit: Optimal for 3-8 person marketing teams with technical backgrounds. Non-technical teams may find the reasoning display overwhelming rather than helpful. Minimal training is required if the team already uses AI tools.
• Consider Claude if: Your marketing decisions require documentation for compliance, you work with technical products, or you need to justify AI recommendations to legal/regulatory teams.

What Is Perplexity AI Best for? Research-intensive marketing requiring verified sources

One advantage Perplexity brings is its access to multiple AI models on one platform. Pro users can select GPT4, Claude Sonnet and other AI models. This allows marketers to see if other models are better suited for their AI needs.

Perplexity cuts research time while providing citation-quality sources that satisfy legal and academic standards. Purpose-built for information retrieval, it delivers comprehensive analysis with transparent sourcing that traditional search engines can't match.

• Budget Ready: Free tier supports occasional research needs, while $20/month Pro subscription becomes essential for teams conducting 10+ research projects monthly. The verified citation feature alone saves 3-4 hours per research project, delivering ROI for research-heavy teams.
• Team Fit: Ideal for 2-5 person research teams or content specialists who need academic-level source verification. Best suited for teams comfortable with research methodologies and citation requirements. Minimal learning curve for anyone familiar with academic research.
• Consider Perplexity if: Your content requires verified sources for credibility, you work in regulated industries needing citation trails, or your team regularly produces research reports and competitive analysis.

What Is Meta AI Best for? Social-First Brands Focusing on Real-Time Trend Analysis

Meta AI represents the social media twist to AI-powered search and assistance. Unlike traditional search-focused AI tools, Meta AI is designed around social interaction and multimodal experiences across Meta's core social media platforms: Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. It is also designed for emerging hardware like Ray-Ban smart glasses and Quest VR headsets.

Meta AI accelerates social content creation while providing real-time access to social media trends across Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp. Generates up to 100 images daily, including animations, making it invaluable for visually-driven social campaigns.

• Budget Ready: Completely free across Meta platforms, delivering immediate ROI without subscription costs. For teams spending $500+/month on separate social media tools and image generation software, Meta AI can reduce those costs to zero while improving output speed.
• Team Fit: Perfect for social media managers and creative teams of 2-8 people focused on visual content. Works best for teams already active on Meta platforms. Requires minimal training for social media professionals but may need creative guidance for optimal image generation.
• Consider Meta AI if: Your marketing strategy centers on social media, you need rapid visual content creation, or your brand relies heavily on real-time trend responsiveness across Meta's ecosystem.

Side By Side Comparison

This feature comparison reveals the practical trade-offs executives must consider when selecting AI platforms for their teams. While all platforms offer core conversational AI, the differences in cost structure, citation capabilities and integration requirements can significantly impact your team's productivity and compliance needs.

Platform Feature Comparison

Use this matrix to eliminate platforms that don't meet your non-negotiable requirements before diving deeper into specific use cases. Focus on the features that align with your team's primary workflows—citation requirements for regulated industries, cost considerations for budget-conscious teams or integration capabilities for existing tech stacks.

Making Your AI Investment Decision

With AI adoption accelerating, the question isn't whether to adopt these tools, but which combination delivers maximum ROI for your specific marketing context.

Making recommendations on these AI tools can quickly get complicated, since all are close in accurate performance. Moreover, AI platforms are rapidly evolving, so features will change quickly. It was only a year or so ago that industry analysts showed concern for Google as it launched Gemini’s predecessor, Bard. The launch of Gemini, combined with Gemini’s integration into many Google cloud services, has placed Google in a more competitive position with ChatGPT.  

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Marketing teams spending more than 15 hours weekly on content creation will see immediate returns from ChatGPT or Gemini. Research-heavy organizations should prioritize Perplexity, while social-first brands can achieve significant cost savings with Meta AI.

If you are considering your next AI strategy steps, start with a 30-day pilot using your team's primary use case. You can monitor the project to measure productivity gains, then expand to complementary platforms. The low-switching costs between platforms mean you can adjust your AI strategy as your needs evolve.