Google has recently released Gemini 2.5 Deep Think to the Gemini app for its Google AI Ultra subscribers. As per their announcement, Deep Think helps users tackle problems that require creativity, strategic planning, and making iterative changes to workflows. Getting straight to the point, will Gemini 2.5 Deep Think prove to be the best coding model? How well does it compare to existing benchmarks, such as Claude 4 Opus and OpenAI’s o3 Pro? Let’s find out in this detailed Gemini 2.5 Deep Think vs. Claude 4 Opus vs. OpenAI o3 Pro coding comparison.
We’ll evaluate these models across key dimensions: coding benchmarks, real-world task performance, code quality, tool integration, pricing, and accessibility. Let’s first cover the release.
What is Gemini 2.5 Deep Think? Release and Capabilities
Gemini 2.5 Deep Think is Google’s latest entry into advanced AI, unveiled after its I/O 2025 conference and now available to AI Ultra subscribers via the Gemini app and web interface. This model represents Google DeepMind’s most ambitious public effort yet at deep reasoning, multi-agent collaboration, and problem-solving for exceptionally complex domains.
Key Features of Gemini 2.5 Deep Think
- Publicly Available Multi-Agent Model: The first Google model to let multiple internal AI ‘agents’ reason in parallel, collaboratively exploring and combining different lines of logic before constructing a final answer.
- Improved “Thinking Time”: Deliberately slows generation to allow broader, deeper exploration of problem spaces, revisiting hypotheses and refining reasoning. This can result in response times of minutes rather than seconds for the most complex tasks—but with a significant improvement in quality and depth.
- Benchmark Performance:
- Scored 34.8% on Humanity’s Last Exam—far outpacing predecessors and competitors (who generally max out near 20–25%).
- Attained gold medal performance at the International Math Olympiad using a variant that sometimes required hours of reasoning.
- Coding & Reasoning: Gemini 2.5 Deep Think demonstrates state-of-the-art performance on software engineering benchmarks and showcases “agentic” code generation and debugging, particularly on large-scale, multi-file, and multi-step problems.
- Cost and Access: Available only through Google’s $250/month AI Ultra plan, reflecting the immense computational requirements and target audience of professionals and researchers.
- Context Window: Handles up to 1 million tokens with update planned for 2 million, facilitating understanding across entire repositories, research papers, or multi-modal data.
- Application Scope: Especially suitable for design, scientific reasoning, high-stakes coding, and academic research where exhaustive problem exploration is necessary.
Competitors Overview: Claude 4 Opus and OpenAI o3 Pro
Claude 4 Opus
Anthropic’s Claude 4 Opus, launched in May 2025, is hailed as the “world’s best coding model.” It is optimized for sustained performance on complex, long-running tasks, making it ideal for large-scale software development.
- Key Features:
- Leads on SWE-bench, completing days-long engineering tasks with coherent solutions
- Improved code taste with support for 32K output tokens, adapting to specific coding styles
- Effective in agentic search, conducting hours of independent research
- Coding Capabilities:
- Excels in refactoring large codebases and synthesizing research
- Can work autonomously for up to seven hours on complex projects
- Strong in multi-faceted analysis for non-obvious solutions
- Benchmarks:
- 72.5% on SWE-bench (79.4% with parallel test-time compute)
- 43.2% on Terminal-bench
OpenAI o3 Pro
OpenAI’s o3 Pro, released in June 2025, is the most capable reasoning model from OpenAI, excelling in coding, math, and science. It is designed for multi-faceted queries requiring deep analysis.
- Key Features:
- Full tool access for independent task execution
- Strong in visual tasks like analyzing charts and graphics
- High performance in competitive programming and software engineering
- Coding Capabilities:
- Achieves 69.1% on SWE-bench Verified
- Reaches 2727 Elo on Codeforces
- Excels in multi-step reasoning for complex technical problems
- Benchmarks:
- 71.7% on SWE-bench Verified
- 2727 Elo on Codeforces
Gemini 2.5 Deep Think vs Claude 4 Opus vs OpenAI o3 Pro: Direct Comparisons
Coding Benchmarks
Coding benchmarks provide a standardized way to compare model performance. The following table summarizes key benchmark results:
*With parallel test-time compute
- SWE-bench: Claude 4 Opus leads with 72.5% (up to 79.4% with enhanced settings), followed by OpenAI o3 Pro at 71.7%, and Gemini 2.5 Pro at 63.8%. Claude’s edge is evident in its ability to handle complex software engineering tasks.
- Terminal-bench: Claude 4 Opus scores 43.2%, with no comparable data for the others.
- LiveCodeBench v5: Gemini 2.5 Pro scores 75.6%, showcasing its strength in competitive coding.
- Codeforces Elo: OpenAI o3 Pro achieves a remarkable 2727, indicating superior performance in competitive programming.
Real-world Coding Tasks
Real-world tasks test a model’s ability to handle practical coding scenarios like refactoring, debugging, and research synthesis.
- Refactoring Large Codebases:
- Claude 4 Opus: Excels due to its sustained performance, with reports of completing seven-hour open-source refactors with flawless consistency (e.g., Rakuten’s use case).
- Gemini 2.5 Deep Think: Strong in iterative development, improving code aesthetics and functionality, particularly in web development.
- OpenAI o3 Pro: Capable but may not match Claude’s consistency over long tasks.
- Synthesizing Research:
- Claude 4 Opus: Effective in agentic search, analyzing complex data sources like patent databases and academic papers.
- Gemini 2.5 Deep Think: Aids in formulating mathematical conjectures, useful for code-related research.
- OpenAI o3 Pro: Strong in multi-faceted analysis, ideal for integrating coding with data-driven insights.
- Debugging and Problem-Solving:
- Claude 4 Opus: Superior in breaking down complex bugs step-by-step in extended thinking mode.
- Gemini 2.5 Deep Think: Uses Deep Think Mode to evaluate multiple possibilities, improving debugging capabilities.
- OpenAI o3 Pro: Effective but may produce code with implementation issues in complex scenarios.
Code Quality and Tastefulness
Code quality refers to the clarity, structure, and maintainability of generated code.
- Claude 4 Opus: Noted for its “tasteful” code, producing high-quality, well-structured outputs that adhere to best practices. It dominates in tasks like Particles Morph, 2D Mario, Tetris, and Chess, with minimal hacky solutions.
- Gemini 2.5 Deep Think: Focuses on iterative improvements, resulting in clean code over time, though it may struggle with specific tasks like Particles Morph shapes.
- OpenAI o3 Pro: Produces functional code but may have implementation issues, such as failed Chess.js imports or buggy 2D Mario timers, as reported in some tests.
Integration with Development Tools
Seamless integration with development environments enhances a model’s practical utility.
- Claude 4 Opus: Integrates with VS Code and JetBrains, offering in-line edits and background processes via GitHub Actions. Claude Code enhances codebase awareness, mapping entire projects quickly.
- Gemini 2.5 Deep Think: Supports tools like code execution and Google Search, available through Google AI Studio and Vertex AI, enhancing coding workflows.
- OpenAI o3 Pro: Offers full tool access for independent task execution, with API support for enterprise integrations, though specific IDE integrations are less detailed.
Gemini 2.5 Deep Think vs Claude 4 Opus vs OpenAI o3 Pro: Pricing and Accessibility
Pricing is a critical factor for developers and businesses. The following table compares costs:
- Claude 4 Opus: The most expensive, suitable for high-stakes projects but less accessible for budget-conscious users.
- Gemini 2.5 Pro: Offers the best price-to-performance ratio, with a larger 1M token context window, ideal for large codebases.
- OpenAI o3 Pro: Moderately priced, with cost-saving options like prompt caching, making it a viable middle ground.
Gemini 2.5 Deep Think vs Claude 4 Opus vs OpenAI o3 Pro: Use Cases
- Large-scale Development Projects: Claude 4 Opus is the top choice for projects requiring sustained effort, such as refactoring large codebases or building complex systems, due to its consistency and high benchmark scores.
- Cost-conscious Development: Gemini 2.5 Pro is ideal for developers or startups on a budget, offering strong performance at a lower cost, especially for iterative tasks.
- Complex Reasoning with Coding: OpenAI o3 Pro suits tasks that combine coding with deep reasoning, such as competitive programming or integrating code with data analysis.
Try These Coding Prompts
Here are some prompts you can try to test Gemini 2.5 Deep Think, Claude 4 Opus, and OpenAI o3 Pro:
The Bottom Line
Claude 4 Opus stands out as the premier model for coding, leading in benchmarks like SWE-bench (72.5%) and excelling in long-running tasks with high-quality code. However, its high cost may be a barrier for some. Gemini 2.5 Deep Think offers a compelling alternative, balancing performance and affordability with a 1M token context window, making it ideal for cost-conscious developers. OpenAI o3 Pro, while slightly behind in coding-specific tasks, shines in reasoning and competitive programming, with a strong 2727 Elo on Codeforces.
Bind AI’s Recommendations:
- Best for Coding: Claude 4 Opus, for its unmatched quality and consistency.
- Best Value: Gemini 2.5 Pro, for cost-effective performance.
- Best for Reasoning and Analysis: OpenAI o3 Pro, for versatile, multi-faceted tasks.
You try all three of these models on Bind AI now!