ChatGPT
What it is: General-purpose AI that's excellent at coding. Code generation, debugging, explanations across all languages.
What It Does Best
Learn by asking. "Why doesn't this work?" Explains bugs, suggests fixes, teaches concepts.
Generate from description. Describe what you need, get working code. All major languages supported.
Code review and refactor. Paste code, ask for improvements. Suggests better patterns and optimizations.
Key Features
Multi-turn conversations: Build on previous responses iteratively
Code generation: Create code from natural language descriptions
Debugging help: Analyze errors and suggest fixes
Code explanations: Detailed breakdowns of how code works
Multiple languages: Support for virtually all programming languages
Pricing
Free: GPT-3.5, limited requests
Plus: $20/month (GPT-4, more requests)
Team: $25/user/month (collaboration)
When to Use It
✅ Learning new languages or frameworks
✅ Debugging complex issues
✅ Need explanations, not just code
✅ One-off scripts and utilities
✅ Brainstorming solutions to coding problems
When NOT to Use It
❌ Real-time coding (Copilot better in IDE)
❌ Large codebase refactoring (context limits)
❌ Production code without review (hallucinations happen)
❌ Need to maintain conversation context across days
❌ Working with proprietary code (privacy concerns)
Common Use Cases
Learning: Understand new concepts, frameworks, and patterns
Debugging: Figure out why code isn't working as expected
Code generation: Create scripts, functions, and utilities
Refactoring ideas: Get suggestions for code improvements
Algorithm help: Solve coding challenges and problems
ChatGPT vs Alternatives
vs GitHub Copilot: ChatGPT explains concepts, Copilot autocompletes in IDE
vs Claude: Similar capabilities, ChatGPT more widely known
vs Cursor: ChatGPT is web chat, Cursor is full IDE
Unique Strengths
Conversational: Natural back-and-forth problem solving
Explanatory: Doesn't just give code, teaches why it works
Universal access: Works on any device with a browser
Established ecosystem: Most documented AI tool for coding
Bottom line: The coding mentor in your browser. Not integrated into your IDE but invaluable for problem-solving and learning. Complements Copilot perfectly.