Comparing LLM Brains: How to Decide Which Model to Use?

Not all models are the same. There's now an easy way to do side-by-side comparisons of the most popular models.

In today’s AI landscape, one single LLM is simply not enough.

It’s like a carpenter trying to build a house with only a hammer — possible, but far from efficient. Just as a skilled craftsperson needs a diverse toolkit, people need access to a variety of LLMs to unlock the full potential of AI. Why? Because LLMs vary significantly in their strengths, weaknesses, and costs.

Recent surveys show that the majority of companies are now using three or more LLMs, recognizing the benefits of a diversified approach. Companies are strategically combining the strengths of different LLMs — like the cutting-edge performance of GPT-4, the real-time data analysis of Gemini, and the nuanced reasoning of Claude — to achieve specific goals.

I expect this trend to only continue, as task specific models start to surround and support the general LLMs. For instance, at PromptOwl, we are working on how the LLMs can interact with a company knowledge graph easily. But I also expect specific models and agent representatives will emerge around highly specific areas of innovation such as healthcare, and other sciences.

For now though, figuring out what model solves your task is not something people do easily, usually defaulting to their favorite, or the one they pay for.

But using the right model is incredibly important! That’s why I’m particularly excited about what we did in PromptOwl to simplify this process. We built an easy way to do LLM “brain” comparisons side-by-side, track their performance, and make data-driven decisions about which LLM is best suited for each task.

Why Compare LLMs? It’s Not a One-Size-Fits-All Solution

Different LLMs have distinct strengths and weaknesses based on their training data and architecture.

Comparing LLMs allows you to:

• Optimize for Accuracy: Variations in training data lead to differences in factual accuracy. For instance, Gemini, with its access to Google Search, often excels in providing up-to-date information, while Claude is known for its nuanced reasoning and handling of complex topics. For critical applications, selecting the most accurate model is essential.

• Fine-Tune for Tone and Style: Whether you need a formal tone for business or a playful voice for social media, comparing LLMs helps you find the perfect match for your brand. ChatGPT is often praised for its ability to adapt to different writing styles, making it a versatile choice for creative content generation.

• Balance Performance and Cost: LLMs vary in processing speed and cost. Llama 2 offers a range of model sizes, allowing you to balance performance and cost-effectiveness. Comparison helps optimize for both performance and budget.

• Discover Hidden Strengths: Direct comparison can uncover unexpected strengths in specific models, unlocking new possibilities. For example, Perplexity’s strength lies in answering search-like queries by sourcing information from the web, while Gemini excels at multimodal interactions, understanding and responding to images, audio, and video alongside text.

Know Your LLMs: A Quick Guide

To make the most of LLM comparison, it’s helpful to understand the strengths of some popular models:

• ChatGPT (GPT-4): Excels in creative writing, following instructions, and generating different text formats. It’s a strong choice for tasks requiring conversational ability and code generation.

• Gemini: A powerhouse for multimodal interactions, real-time data analysis, and integration with Google services. It shines when dealing with diverse data types and accessing up-to-date information.

• Claude: Known for its nuanced reasoning, analytical abilities, and focus on safety. It’s a good option for tasks requiring deep analysis and ethical considerations.

• Llama 2: An open-weight model offering flexibility and strong reasoning capabilities. It performs well on tasks involving logic and common sense.

• Perplexity: Ideal for search-like queries, providing direct answers and sourcing information from the web. Its strength lies in factual accuracy and access to multiple models.

PromptOwl: Your LLM Comparison Command Center

PromptOwl simplifies LLM comparison. No more juggling multiple platforms or tedious copying and pasting.

Here’s how it works:

1. Enter Your Prompt: From the Use tab in your prompt, enter your prompt once, and choose the model you want to run it on, and hit Send.

2. Easy Comparison: Rerun the prompt on a different model using the selection box at the end of your first response. View outputs in a tabs format that you can cycle through at the top of the response, highlighting differences in tone, style, and accuracy.

3. Historical Tracking: PromptOwl maintains a history of your comparisons, allowing you to revisit past results and track performance over time.

4. Data-Driven Decisions: With this comparative data, you can confidently select the LLM that best meets your needs, whether it’s maximizing accuracy, optimizing cost, or achieving a specific tone.

A Real-World Example: Putting LLMs to the Test

To demonstrate LLM comparison, I tested three models — GPT 4o, GPT 4 Turbo, Claude and Gemini 1.5  Pro and Flash— to promote this video, specifically asking it to be short and engaging.

Prompt

PromptOwl just rolled out support for Claude and Gemini, joining support for ChatGPT and Llama. Can you write a short engaging post to put out on LinkedIn?

The results revealed key differences:

GPT 4o:

Hoo-ray! 🎉 PromptOwl just broadened its wingspan by adding Claude and Gemini to our platform, joining ChatGPT and Llama. 🦉✨ Now you can seamlessly switch between these powerful LLMs within PromptOwl, ensuring you always pick the perfect "wise old owl" for the job. Ready to explore new horizons in AI? Dive in and experience LLM agnosticism at its finest, optimizing your workflow without being tethered to a single model.

#PromptOwl #AIInnovation #LLMAgnostic #HootForAI [Link to more details]

• Strengths: Concise, uses a consistent owl theme, includes relevant hashtags.

• Weaknesses: The puns, while thematic, might feel a bit forced or cheesy for a professional LinkedIn audience. It leans heavily on the owl metaphor, which might not resonate with everyone.

GPT 4 Turbo:

🌟 Big news from the PromptOwl nest! 🌟

We're thrilled to hoot that PromptOwl now supports Claude and Gemini, in addition to ChatGPT and Llama! This expansion makes our platform even more versatile and flexible, ensuring your team can fly high with the best AI "brains" suited for your needs. 🦉💻

🚀 Whether you're building seamless chatbots, enhancing customer interactions, or automating complex tasks, PromptOwl ensures you're equipped with top-tier AI power. And remember, no coding feathers necessary!

🔧 Dive into a world where innovation meets efficiency. Experience how PromptOwl’s expanded capabilities can help streamline your workflows and boost productivity across your team. Let's innovate collaboratively and transform your business operations!

👉 Spread your wings with PromptOwl—where your AI journey takes flight! #AIIntegration #Innovation #NoCodeAI #PromptOwl #AIforTeams

• Strengths: Enthusiastic tone, highlights key benefits (no-code, team use), good use of emojis.

• Weaknesses: Too long for LinkedIn. The "flying high" and "spreading your wings" metaphors, while related to birds, clash slightly with the owl theme and feel a bit generic. It reads more like a stuffy marketing email than the concise LinkedIn post I asked for.

Claude Sonnet 3.5:

🦉 Whooo's ready for more AI options? PromptOwl now supports Claude and Gemini!

Your team can now build and share AI solutions across all major LLMs: • ChatGPT • Claude • Gemini • Llama

No more being locked into a single AI model. Build once, deploy anywhere, and let your team choose the best AI brain for each task. Compare performance, costs, and results - all while maintaining consistent brand experiences across your organization.

Ready to spread your AI wings? Join the beta and test drive all our supported models: [link]

#AIforTeams #EnterpriseAI #PromptEngineering

• Strengths: Clear and informative, focuses on the key benefit of multi-LLM support, includes a call to action.

• Weaknesses: Still a tad long. While it lists the LLMs, it could be more engaging. The "spread your wings" metaphor is used again, which, while not bad, is less distinctive.

Gemini 1.5 Pro:

Option 1 (Short & Sweet):

PromptOwl just added Claude and Gemini to our LLM lineup! Now you can fly even higher with more AI "brains" to choose from. Give them a whirl! #PromptOwl #AIforTeams #LLM #Gemini #Claude

Option 2 (Benefit-focused):

Spread your wings with wider AI choices! PromptOwl now supports Claude and Gemini, alongside ChatGPT and Llama 2. Find the perfect LLM for your needs and optimize for maximum impact. #PromptOwl #AI #LLMs #MoreChoices

Option 3 (A bit more technical - if targeting devs):

Boost your AI arsenal: PromptOwl now supports Claude and Gemini! Experiment and optimize with multiple LLMs in one platform. More integrations, more flexibility, same streamlined workflow. #PromptOwl #LLM #AIdevelopment #Gemini #Claude

Option 4 (Question-based to drive engagement):

What if you could compare LLMs side-by-side? Now you can! PromptOwl now supports Claude & Gemini. Which LLM will be your new favorite? Let us know! #PromptOwl #AI #Chatbots #LLMcomparison

• Strengths: Provides multiple options, demonstrating flexibility. Each option has a slightly different angle (short and sweet, benefit-focused, technical, question-based). The brevity and conciseness are excellent for LinkedIn.

• Weaknesses: Since it provides multiple options, you have to choose the best one (or combine elements), which adds a step. However, this is a minor issue compared to the length problems of the other models.

Gemini 1.5 Flash:

Option 1 (Focus on Choice):

🎉 Big news, PromptOwl users! We've just landed support for Google's Gemini and Anthropic's Claude, joining our existing love for ChatGPT and Llama. Now you have even MORE choices to build the perfect AI solution for your team. Which LLM will you unleash today? #PromptOwl #AI #LLMs #Gemini #Claude #ChatGPT #Llama

Option 2 (Focus on Benefits):

🚀Unlock even greater AI potential with PromptOwl! We're thrilled to announce support for Claude and Gemini, expanding your options for speed, cost, accuracy and more. Get the best AI "brains" for every task – all in one place. Learn more: [link to relevant page] #PromptOwl #AI #LLM #Innovation #Productivity

Option 3 (More playful):

🦉 We're not fooling around! PromptOwl just got a whole lot smarter. Claude and Gemini have joined the flock, giving you even more powerful LLMs to build amazing AI solutions with. Let's get building! #PromptOwl #AI #Multi-LLM #Innovation #NoCode

Option 4 (Direct and concise):

PromptOwl now supports Claude & Gemini! Expand your AI capabilities with more LLM choices. Learn more and try them: [link to relevant page] #PromptOwl #AI #LLM #NewFeatures

• Strengths: Again, Gemini provides several options which is a huge plus, allowing for A/B testing or choosing the version that best suits the specific context. The brevity and conciseness are excellent for LinkedIn although about one sentence longer than Pro.

• Weaknesses: While multiple options are generally good, it requires the user to choose, potentially slowing down the posting process and making automation more difficult. This is a minor weakness compared to the length issues of other models, but it's still worth noting.

Key Differences and Insights:

Ultimately, I chose to marry parts of the Gemini responses to create my social post. However, this exercise helped me see generally how to choose models for my social content generation.

• Length: Gemini consistently delivers short, LinkedIn-appropriate content. GPT-4 Turbo is the worst offender in terms of length, while GPT-4 (original) and Claude fall somewhere in between. I prefer brevity for grabbing attention on LinkedIn, so this is a style choice, but also a direction I gave the LLMs at the outset.

• Tone: GPT-4 (original) is the punniest. GPT-4 Turbo is the most enthusiastic. Claude is more straightforward. Gemini offers a range of tones, allowing for more targeted approaches. For a professional audience, a balance between enthusiasm and professionalism is ideal. Too much "fluff" can be off-putting.

• Focus: Claude focuses on the "build once, deploy anywhere" advantage. GPT-4 Turbo emphasizes ease of use and team collaboration. Gemini's options highlight choice, benefits, technical advantages, and engagement. A clear, concise value proposition is essential.

• Metaphors: The overuse of bird-related metaphors (owls, wings, flying) across multiple models is interesting. While thematic consistency can be good, it can also become repetitive or feel contrived. Gemini avoids this by offering diverse options.

• Hashtags: GPT-4 (original) uses the most hashtags, which can be good for discoverability. However, quality over quantity applies to hashtags. Gemini and Claude use fewer, more targeted hashtags.

The Right LLM for the Job

As we've seen, different LLMs bring unique strengths to the table. Choosing the best one for your specific task—whether it's crafting the perfect social media post, generating creative content, analyzing data, or building a chatbot—can significantly impact your results.

PromptOwl makes this process easy. By enabling side-by-side comparisons, you can quickly identify which LLM excels in accuracy, tone, style, and cost-effectiveness for your specific needs. Every bit of improvement here helps make your AI usage more impactful, and can give you more confidence that you are using the right LLM for the job.

Beyond the Usual Suspects: Expanding Your LLM Horizons

While PromptOwl currently supports a wide range of popular LLMs like OpenAI’s Chat GPT, Llama, Claude, and Gemini, we understand that your needs may evolve. That's why we're committed to being LLM-agnostic.

Want to explore a different model? Have a custom LLM you'd like to integrate? We've got you covered. Contact us, and we’ll help you integrate your LLM into PromptOwl.

The Future of LLM Selection

As the LLM landscape continues to evolve, with new models emerging and existing ones improving, the ability to easily compare and choose the best tool for the job will become even more critical.

PromptOwl is designed to be your trusted guide in this exciting journey. We provide the platform and insights you need to navigate the world of LLMs and unlock the full potential of AI for your specific goals.

Ready to find your perfect LLM match? Start exploring and comparing with PromptOwl today!