We are living in the "Golden Era" of coding.
Last week, I would have spent 4 hours debugging a useEffect hook. Today? I pit the models against each other.
The Experiment
I wanted to build a Lead Gen Calculator for my portfolio (built on Next.js, obviously). Something that calculates freelance rates based on experience, location, and overhead costs.
I gave the same prompt to the "Big Three":
OpenAI (GPT-5.2 Preview)
Good, but over-engineered. It tried to add a backend database I didn't ask for. Classic GPT move—assuming you want enterprise scale when you just want a widget.
Claude 3.5 Sonnet (Updated)
Clean code, great CSS, but missed a logic edge case. When the input was zero, the calculator returned NaN instead of handling it gracefully.
Gemini 3 Pro — WINNER
Crushed it. Gemini 3 Pro didn't just write the React component; it optimized the Tailwind classes for mobile and suggested a "Share Results" feature I hadn't thought of.
💡 Key insight: Gemini 3 understands intent, not just syntax. It anticipates what you'll need next.
The Stack
Frontend
Next.js (App Router)
Styling
Tailwind CSS (AI-gen)
Logic
Custom Hooks
The Result
A fully functional "Freelance Rate Calculator" that adjusts for:
- Years of experience
- Location-based cost of living
- Tax overhead (GST in India)
- Desired profit margin
No fluff. Just value. 47 seconds from prompt to working code.
The Code (Simplified)
const calculateRate = (experience, location, overhead) => {
const baseRate = 1500; // INR per hour
const expMultiplier = 1 + (experience * 0.15);
const locMultiplier = locationFactors[location] || 1;
const totalOverhead = 1 + (overhead / 100);
return Math.round(baseRate * expMultiplier * locMultiplier * totalOverhead);
};Gemini even suggested adding a useMemo hook for performance optimization when I hadn't asked for it. That's the difference.
🔥 The Takeaway
If you aren't using these "Code Red" era tools to fill your GitHub with interactive projects, you are working on 2024 speeds. The bar has moved. Move with it.
Check out my tools collection—all built using this exact workflow.