13 capabilities · 5 steps
What these tools can do.
Thirteen things most AI tools can do, whatever they call them, set out as five steps: from asking a question to building something your whole team uses. Find where you are, and see the next step up. Pick a capability to see its name in your tool, and in the other seven.
About the names
We’ve given each one a plain name, and a more exact one underneath. The exact names are ours, not any vendor’s, so they stay put when a vendor renames something.
The five steps
Five steps up with AI.
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01
Chat
Ask a question. You explain the background every time.
- The chat window Conversation surfaceChatGPT: Chat · a Work toggle beside it Claude: chat — Cowork merged in (rolling out) Gemini: Chat — the Chat and Task toggle Microsoft Copilot: Copilot Chat (formerly Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat) Perplexity: Search and Computer modes Grok: Grok Meta AI and Muse: Meta AI · Muse Mistral Vibe: Vibe Work · Vibe Chat (the docs say "Chat (legacy)"; retiring)
- Private or temporary chat Private or temporary chatChatGPT: Temporary chat Claude: incognito chats Gemini: Temporary chat Microsoft Copilot: temporary chat Perplexity: Incognito mode Grok: Private Chat Meta AI and Muse: Incognito chat (rolling out) Mistral Vibe: Temporary Chat
- Inside your other apps In-app assistantChatGPT: ChatGPT for Word / Excel / PowerPoint · ChatGPT for Google Sheets · ChatGPT browser extension Claude: Claude for Excel / PowerPoint · Claude for Word · Claude for Outlook · Claude in Chrome (beta) · Claude Tag in Slack Gemini: Gemini in Chrome · Gemini side panel in Google Workspace Microsoft Copilot: Copilot in Outlook · Copilot Chat in Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote · Edit with Copilot (paid) · Copilot in Teams · Copilot Chat in Edge Perplexity: Comet browser · Perplexity in Slack Grok: Grok for Outlook · Word / Excel / PowerPoint · Grok tab on X · Shared Bots in Slack Meta AI and Muse: Meta AI inside WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram, Facebook · Muse in WhatsApp Mistral Vibe: Mistral Vibe for VS Code · Vibe Code Web for Slack — coding only
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02
Context that sticks
Save your documents and instructions once. It remembers them.
- A workspace that keeps your material Persistent context containerChatGPT: Projects Claude: Projects Gemini: notebooks in the Gemini app, synced with Gemini Notebook (formerly NotebookLM) Microsoft Copilot: Copilot Notebooks — paid licence (one page disagrees) Perplexity: Projects (formerly Spaces) Grok: Projects — named, never described Meta AI and Muse: None — nearest: Muse side chats Mistral Vibe: Projects
- Memory across conversations Cross-conversation memoryChatGPT: Memory Claude: memory Gemini: Memory — personal accounts only Microsoft Copilot: Copilot Memory — on by default Perplexity: Memory · Brain (Research Preview, Max) Grok: Memory across chats Meta AI and Muse: memory (Meta AI) · memories (Muse) Mistral Vibe: Knowledge Base (preview) · Memories (legacy, retiring)
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03
Get connected
Let it see your email, calendar and files.
- A connection to your other tools Tool connectionChatGPT: apps, packaged in plugins Claude: Connectors (custom ones are MCP) Gemini: Connected Apps Microsoft Copilot: Microsoft 365 Copilot Connectors (Microsoft also writes "Copilot connectors") Perplexity: Connectors (now on the Plugins page) Grok: Connectors Meta AI and Muse: Connectors (Muse) · third party app connections (Meta AI) Mistral Vibe: Connectors · MCP Connectors
- Add-ons from a directory Marketplace extensionChatGPT: Plugin directory Claude: Claude directory (plugins) Gemini: Not found Microsoft Copilot: Agent Store Perplexity: Plugins — Discover tab, published by Perplexity Grok: Grok Build Plugin Marketplace (developer CLI) Meta AI and Muse: Not found Mistral Vibe: MCP Connectors directory (admins add from it)
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04
Let it work
It works through a job or on a schedule.
- Something that runs on a schedule Scheduled triggerChatGPT: Scheduled tasks Claude: scheduled tasks (formerly routines) Gemini: Schedules — not "Scheduled actions" Microsoft Copilot: Scheduled Prompts — paid licence Perplexity: Scheduled Tasks (in Computer) Grok: Automations · routines (Grok Bot) Meta AI and Muse: scheduled tasks (Muse) · daily briefing (Meta AI, rolling out) Mistral Vibe: Scheduled tasks (preview)
- An agent that works through a job on its own Multi-step autonomous runnerChatGPT: ChatGPT Work (rolling out; every plan in the desktop app) · dots (beta) Claude: Cowork, inside chat · computer use (research preview) · Dispatch · Claude Duet (research preview) Gemini: Task (formerly Spark; Google AI Pro or Ultra) Microsoft Copilot: Copilot Cowork — GA, paid licence · Researcher · Analyst — paid licence Perplexity: Computer · Comet Assistant · Comet Agent Grok: Grok Bot Meta AI and Muse: Muse Mistral Vibe: Vibe Work
- Working on files on your own computer Local-files working surfaceChatGPT: ChatGPT desktop app — Work and Codex run there Claude: Claude Desktop · Claude Code Gemini: Gemini app on Mac — local files per the June 30, 2026 release note Microsoft Copilot: None — Cowork works on OneDrive and SharePoint Perplexity: Personal Computer (Mac and Windows) Grok: Grok Build (terminal) Meta AI and Muse: Muse for Mac Mistral Vibe: Vibe Code (CLI)
This isn’t a score. It’s a map of where you could go next.
The whole map
See all thirteen side by side →