Claude 2 vs GPT-4: Which AI for Business Operations?

Claude 2 and GPT-4 are both capable AI models. But they're not interchangeable. After testing both extensively for business operations work, clear patterns emerged. Here's what actually matters when you're choosing between them for real work. ## Why This Matters You're not building AI for fun. You need to analyze documents, write content, review code, or automate workflows. The tool you pick affects quality, speed, and cost. **The key insight: Claude 2 and GPT-4 excel at different tasks.** Neither is universally better. Your choice depends on what you're actually trying to do. For operations teams, this means understanding which tool fits which workflow instead of picking one and forcing it to work everywhere. ## Context Window: Claude 2 Wins This is the biggest differentiator. **Claude 2**: 100,000 tokens (about 75,000 words) **GPT-4**: 8,000 tokens standard, 32,000 tokens extended (about 6,000 or 24,000 words) The extended GPT-4 context costs more and has limited API access. Most GPT-4 users work with the 8K version. What this means in practice: **Document Analysis**: Claude 2 handles full contracts, reports, and research papers. GPT-4 requires splitting large documents. **Code Review**: Claude 2 can review entire files (up to about 25,000 lines). GPT-4 works better for individual functions. **Multi-Document Tasks**: Claude 2 can process several related documents simultaneously. GPT-4 needs sequential processing. At The Operations Guide, we default to Claude 2 for any task involving documents over 5,000 words. ## Speed: GPT-4 Is Faster GPT-4 responses typically appear in 3-8 seconds. Claude 2 takes 10-30 seconds for similar outputs. For interactive work where you're iterating quickly, that difference is noticeable. For batch processing or deep analysis, it doesn't matter much. ## Accuracy: Task-Dependent We tested both models on realistic business tasks. Accuracy varied by task type. **Legal Document Analysis** - Claude 2: Better at cross-referencing between sections - GPT-4: Better at identifying specific clause patterns - Winner: Claude 2 (context advantage matters) **Financial Calculations** - Claude 2: Reliable for straightforward math - GPT-4: Reliable for straightforward math - Winner: Tie (both make occasional errors, verify either one) **Code Generation (Python)** - Claude 2: Scored 71.2% on Codex HumanEval - GPT-4: Scored 67% on same benchmark - Winner: Claude 2 (marginally better, both are capable) **Creative Writing** - Claude 2: More formal, structured tone - GPT-4: More flexible style adaptation - Winner: GPT-4 (wider stylistic range) **Summarization** - Claude 2: Better for long documents (context advantage) - GPT-4: Better for short-form content - Winner: Depends on document length **Instruction Following** - Claude 2: Very good at complex multi-step instructions - GPT-4: Excellent at complex multi-step instructions - Winner: GPT-4 (slightly more reliable) ## Cost Comparison **Claude 2 API Pricing**: - Input: $11.02 per million tokens - Output: $32.68 per million tokens **GPT-4 API Pricing** (8K context): - Input: $30.00 per million tokens - Output: $60.00 per million tokens **GPT-4 API Pricing** (32K context): - Input: $60.00 per million tokens - Output: $120.00 per million tokens Claude 2 is roughly 3x cheaper for equivalent tasks. For high-volume use cases, that's significant. Example: Analyzing 100 documents at 20,000 tokens each: - Claude 2: $22 input cost - GPT-4 (8K, requires splitting): $60 input cost - GPT-4 (32K): $120 input cost ## Real-World Task Breakdown Based on our testing, here's which tool works best for common business operations tasks: **Use Claude 2 For:** **Contract Review**: The 100K context handles full agreements without splitting. Costs less. Accurately finds cross-references. **Research Synthesis**: Can process multiple papers simultaneously. Good at identifying themes and contradictions. **Long-Form Code Review**: Handles entire files with full context. Better at spotting dependencies between functions. **Financial Document Analysis**: Quarterly reports, board decks, and financial statements fit in one context window. **Due Diligence**: Review vendor documentation, risk assessments, and compliance reports efficiently. **Use GPT-4 For:** **Creative Content**: Marketing copy, blog posts, and social media content. GPT-4 adapts tone better. **Quick Q&A**: Faster responses for simple queries. Better for real-time interactions. **Structured Data Extraction**: GPT-4's function calling API makes it easier to extract data into specific formats. **Multi-Modal Tasks**: GPT-4 with Vision can process images. Claude 2 is text-only. **Complex Function Calling**: GPT-4's native function calling is more robust for API integrations. ## Integration and Availability **Claude 2**: - Web interface at claude.ai (US and UK) - API access with straightforward endpoints - No waitlist or special access needed **GPT-4**: - ChatGPT Plus subscription ($20/month) - API access (requires separate OpenAI account) - Plugin ecosystem for extended functionality - DALL-E integration for image generation GPT-4 has a more mature integration ecosystem. Claude 2 is catching up but has fewer third-party tools. ## Safety and Refusals Both models refuse harmful requests, but the boundaries differ slightly. **Claude 2**: More conservative. Sometimes refuses edge cases that are legitimate business use (like contract negotiation strategy or competitive analysis). **GPT-4**: More permissive. Occasionally provides advice on sensitive topics that Claude 2 won't touch. Neither is wrong. It's a design choice. Claude 2 prioritizes safety over completeness. GPT-4 balances differently. ## API Reliability Both services have had downtime. Based on our monitoring: **Claude 2**: Generally stable. Occasional rate limiting during peak hours. Good error messages. **GPT-4**: Very stable. Rate limits depend on your API tier. Larger user base means more reported issues overall. For production workflows, build error handling and fallbacks regardless of which you choose. ## Which Should You Choose? The practical answer: use both. **Start with Claude 2 if:** - You primarily analyze long documents - Budget is tight - You need extensive context windows - Coding support is a priority **Start with GPT-4 if:** - You need creative content generation - Speed matters more than cost - You want the plugin ecosystem - You need image processing **Use both if:** - You have varied workflows - Budget allows for redundancy - You want to route tasks to the best tool - You need backup options for reliability At The Operations Guide, we use Claude 2 for document analysis and code review. We use GPT-4 for content generation and quick queries. Total monthly cost for both: about $150 with moderate API usage. ## Quick Takeaway Claude 2 wins for long-document analysis and costs less. GPT-4 wins for creative content and speed. For business operations, Claude 2's 100K context window solves more daily problems, but both tools are valuable depending on the task.