Most people ask “which AI tool should I use.” That is the wrong question. The right question is “which job am I doing.” Match the job to the tool and you stop fighting the wrong one.
Here is the cheat sheet I actually use, from the marketing chair.
The cheat sheet, by job
- Research and “what is true right now.” Perplexity. It cites sources and pulls current information. Use it for competitive checks, market questions, and fact-finding.
- Long documents, briefs, and careful writing. Claude. It handles big context and keeps a consistent voice. Use it for reports, first drafts, and anything long.
- Brainstorming, images, and quick creative. ChatGPT. Fast, flexible, strong at ideation and visuals. Use it for concepts, headlines, and image mockups.
- Anything living in Google Workspace. Gemini. It sits inside Docs, Sheets, Gmail, and Slides. Use it when the work already lives there.
That is 90% of marketing work covered.
The honest truth about tools
You do not need all four. Pick the one you already have and get good at it first. Fluency in one tool beats a shallow tour of four.
I use more than one only because different jobs have different sweet spots, and I do this all day. If you are starting out, one is plenty.
The prompt that picks for you
When you are not sure, ask.
I am a marketer trying to do this task: [describe the task].
I have access to ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and Perplexity.
Tell me which one is the best fit for this specific job and why, in two
sentences. If it does not matter, say so.The tools will keep leapfrogging each other. The jobs will not. Learn to think in jobs, and you will never be confused by the next launch again.