ChatGPT mobile vs web: features, differences, and performance in 2025.

ChatGPT offers the same intelligence across platforms, but the tools and workflows are platform-specific.

The core engine behind ChatGPT—whether GPT-5, GPT-5 Thinking, GPT-5 Pro, or GPT-4o—is now fully accessible through both the web browser and the mobile app. However, the way users interact with these models, the types of features available, and the overall user experience vary meaningfully between platforms. These differences are not cosmetic—they affect how professionals use ChatGPT in day-to-day operations, how students complete assignments, and how mobile users engage with real-world inputs like voice, camera, and push notifications.

Both web and mobile support the same models with complete feature parity

Users on both platforms can choose the same AI models from the model selector: GPT-5, GPT-5 Thinking, GPT-5 Pro, and GPT-4o are available on all devices. There is no functional difference in the reasoning capabilities, language output, or multimodal support. Notably, the mobile app now allows model switching inside an active session, a feature that was previously exclusive to the web version. This alignment brings full model-level parity between the browser and app experience.

Voice interactions are available everywhere, but richer and more interactive on mobile

The Voice Mode, powered by GPT-4o, is now available on both mobile and web. However, only on mobile can users unlock a more immersive experience with options like live video streaming, microphone toggling, gesture-based UI, and a camera overlay during voice conversations. These tools make the mobile version more suitable for real-time spoken interaction, especially when multitasking, walking, or using hands-free setups. On the web, the voice feature works reliably but lacks these dynamic, real-time controls.

Camera and screen sharing tools are exclusive to the mobile app

When using the ChatGPT mobile app, users can engage the device’s camera to stream live video, take real-time images, or share their screen with the chatbot. These tools are invaluable for scenarios such as scanning documents, sharing a whiteboard during a meeting, or troubleshooting technical problems. On the web platform, these features are either missing or available only to selected users during gradual rollouts, and they require more complex permission handling and system support.

File uploads and image input now function identically on both platforms

Users can upload documents, images, and other files from both the web app and the mobile app. Supported formats include PDF, DOCX, XLSX, TXT, CSV, PNG, JPEG, and GIF (non-animated), with a file size limit of 20MB. Users also have access to Google Drive and OneDrive integrations on both platforms, allowing document import without local download. On mobile, file uploads are integrated with the phone’s Files app and photo gallery, creating a smooth workflow for mobile-first users.

Web search is integrated across both platforms, with slight UX differences

The ChatGPT Search feature enables real-time queries and returns sourced results with clickable citations. On desktop, citations support hover previews, making it easy to inspect sources without leaving the chat. On mobile, results are optimized for tap-based navigation and can include map previews when relevant. Functionality is consistent, but interaction flow is tuned for each platform’s strengths: precision on desktop, speed and touch-compatibility on mobile.

Task scheduling works on all platforms, but task management is web-only

ChatGPT’s Tasks feature lets users schedule messages, actions, or reminders to be delivered later. These work in the background and support email alerts (web) or push notifications (mobile). However, the task manager interface—where users can edit, delete, or reorder tasks—is currently available only via the web app. This means users can initiate tasks from mobile but must switch to a browser to fully manage or review them in a structured interface.

ChatGPT integrates natively with both iOS and Android for deeper device access

On Apple devices, ChatGPT integrates with Apple Intelligence. It can be accessed through Siri, appears in Writing Tools within apps like Notes and Mail, and is available even without logging in, in a stateless mode. On Android, the ChatGPT app can now be set as the default assistant, allowing activation through gesture-based shortcuts (such as swiping up from a corner). This replaces Gemini for voice queries but does not support voice wake-words. These integrations make ChatGPT far more context-aware and convenient to access from any screen.

The Listen (read aloud) feature performs better and more reliably on mobile

The Listen button, which reads ChatGPT’s responses out loud using text-to-speech, is generally more reliable on mobile. On web, users report occasional disappearance of the button or failure to load after long replies or browser switches. On mobile, the button is persistent and responsive across sessions, providing better support for accessibility, language learners, or hands-free use cases such as driving or cooking.

Offline usage is still not supported on any version of ChatGPT

ChatGPT remains a cloud-based AI assistant. Neither the mobile app nor the web interface supports offline mode or local inference. Users must have an active internet connection to use the chatbot. No versions of ChatGPT offer downloadable models or hybrid offline capabilities, and any tools claiming otherwise are not affiliated with OpenAI.

Privacy settings, memory, and chat history are synchronized across platforms

All user settings—including memory activation, privacy preferences, saved chats, and custom instructions—are fully synchronized between web and mobile. Any change made on one device is reflected immediately on the other. Memory notes (such as user habits or stored facts) are available to the assistant regardless of where the session is taking place, ensuring continuous context and smooth transitions across environments.

Each platform excels in different contexts and supports distinct workflows

The mobile app is designed for on-the-go productivity, hands-free interaction, and real-time input using voice or camera. It excels when used during movement, fieldwork, or casual interaction where speed and context-capture matter most. The web version, by contrast, is optimized for document-heavy sessions, research, writing, and drag-and-drop file handling, making it ideal for extended use at a desk. While model performance remains identical, each platform’s tools reshape how that intelligence is used in practice.

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