ChatGPT
Broad all-purpose workStrongest default if you want one assistant across research, writing, image tools, Codex, and agent-style workflows.
Last verified: October 23, 2026 (hosted models and plan prices) · open-model rows show their own date
Compare AI Models: Hosted, Open Source, and Open Weight
Compare current hosted and open-model families with official sources, license context, standard API pricing where published, local deployment reality, and workflow guidance. Rankings are editorial judgments, not benchmark claims.
Changelog
What changed since September 28, 2026
Each item links to the vendor page it was checked against on October 23, 2026.
October 17, 2026
DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash-1017 now serves deepseek-flash, adds vision, and ships open weights under the MIT License. Prices are unchanged.
SourceOctober 15, 2026
Meta released Muse Spark Open weights (816B total, 42B active, 1M context) under a Muse Model License with limited commercial terms.
SourceOctober 14, 2026
OpenAI retired GPT-5.5 from ChatGPT, ChatGPT Work, and Codex. API access was not affected.
SourceOctober 13, 2026
Gemini 4 Argon became generally available as Google's flagship: $2 / $10 through November 30, 2026, then $4 / $20.
SourceOctober 12, 2026
Meta launched Muse Wonder on its Model API and Muse Code at $4 / $20 per 1M tokens.
SourceOctober 8, 2026
Google deprecated Gemini 3.7 Flash and Gemini 3.5 Flash; requests now route to 3.8 Flash and 3.6 Flash.
SourceOctober 7, 2026
Anthropic released Claude Haiku 5.5 (from $0.10 / $0.50) and cut the Sonnet 5.5 cache-read price to $0.10. ChatGPT Chat moved to GPT-6 the same day.
SourceOctober 6, 2026
Mistral Large 4 entered public preview at $1.36 / $4.18 per 1M tokens with a 1M-token context window.
SourceSeptember 30, 2026
Anthropic deprecated Claude Sonnet 4.5 and named Sonnet 5.5 as its replacement.
SourceSeptember 29, 2026
OpenAI released GPT-6.1 Sol at $2 / $10, now its balanced model between GPT-6 Astra and GPT-6 Luna.
SourceSeptember 28, 2026
Anthropic released Claude Sonnet 5.5 at $2 / $10. Sonnet 5 and Haiku 4.5 are now listed as legacy models.
Source
Open-model library
Eleven reviewed open-model families, with the details people actually search for.
Each page separates model access from ownership, open source from open weight, API price from infrastructure cost, and impressive context length from practical deployment. Start with the job you need the model to do, then open the detailed source record.
What is included
11 model pages9 providers covered1M context models explainedPrimary sources only
Provider
Open-weight
Kimi K3
Moonshot AI
Long-horizon coding agents
Kimi K3 License1,048,576 tokens
Open-weight
MiniMax M3
MiniMax
Agentic coding
MiniMax community license1M tokens
Open source
Qwen3.6
Qwen / Alibaba
Local coding assistance
Apache 2.0Model and runtime dependent
Open source
GLM-5.2
Z.ai
Long-horizon coding agents
MIT1M tokens
Open-weight
DeepSeek V4
DeepSeek
Cost-sensitive API workflows
MIT (V4.1-Flash-1017 weights)1M tokens (384K max output)
Open source
Mistral Small 4
Mistral AI
Multimodal document analysis
Apache 2.0256K tokens
Open source
Mistral Large 3
Mistral AI
Enterprise custom models
Apache 2.0256K tokens
Open model family
Gemma 4
Right-sized open-model experiments
Apache 2.0 (per model card)128K (small models) to 256K (medium models)
Open-weight
gpt-oss-120b
OpenAI
Private-cloud reasoning services
Apache 2.0131,072 tokens (131,072 max output)
Open-weight
gpt-oss-20b
OpenAI
Local text reasoning
Apache 2.0131,072 tokens
Open-weight
Nemotron 3 Super
NVIDIA
Enterprise agent systems
NVIDIA Open Model LicenseLong-context agentic reasoning
Open model data
Reuse the source-dated comparison
Download the current model, pricing, workflow-fit, and official-source fields. Licensed under CC BY 4.0 with attribution to T-Minus AI.
Best overall default
ChatGPT
Best if you want one assistant that can cover writing, research, image work, and agent-style workflows.
Best for writing and code
Claude
Best for long-form writing and careful document work, with Claude Code included in every paid plan.
Best for Google users
Gemini
Best if your work already runs through Gmail, Docs, Drive, Meet, and the wider Google stack. Gemini 4 Argon is in Google AI Pro.
Best for live social context
Grok
Best when X-native signals matter. Since October 12, 2026, X Subscription Premium also bundles Cursor Pro.
Cheapest capable API tier
GPT-6 Luna or Claude Haiku 5.5
Both list $0.10 input and $0.50 output per 1M tokens (Haiku 5.5 for prompts up to 100K tokens). DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash is $0.15 / $0.60 off-peak.
Best open-weight option
Depends on the license
DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash (MIT), Qwen3.8-27B and Mistral Small 4 (Apache 2.0) are permissive. Muse Spark Open and Kimi K3 carry custom terms.
Fast answer
ChatGPT vs Claude vs Gemini vs Grok vs DeepSeek vs open weights
If you only want the short version: ChatGPT is the best all-purpose default, Claude is the strongest pick for writing and code, Gemini is the strongest fit for Google-native work, Grok is best for live social context, DeepSeek is one of the cheapest capable APIs, and open-weight models are a license decision before they are a quality decision.
Claude
Writing, documents, codeThe cleaner fit for long-form writing, document analysis, and coding with Claude Code. Opus 5.5 costs $4 / $20 per 1M API tokens.
Gemini
Google-native workflowsA strong fit if your work happens inside Gmail, Docs, Sheets, Meet, and the Google ecosystem. Gemini 4 Argon is Google's flagship since October 13, 2026.
Grok
Live social and trend contextMost relevant when real-time X context matters. Grok 4.7 is xAI's recommended model at $2 / $6 per 1M tokens.
DeepSeek
Low-cost API deploymentDeepSeek-V4.1-Flash costs $0.15 / $0.60 per 1M tokens off-peak, and its October 17, 2026 weights are MIT-licensed.
Open weights
Self-hosting and controlPick by license and hardware: DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash (MIT), Qwen3.8-27B, Mistral Small 4, and Gemma 4 (Apache 2.0) are permissive; Meta's Muse Spark Open and Kimi K3 use custom licenses.
Subscription decisions
When the model question becomes a buying decision
ChatGPT Plus vs Claude Pro
Broad OpenAI workbench vs Claude document depth.
Open decision pageGoogle AI Pro vs ChatGPT Plus
Standalone assistant vs Google-native bundle.
Open decision pageClaude Pro vs Google AI Pro
Writing and analysis vs Google workflow leverage.
Open decision pagePerplexity Pro vs ChatGPT Plus
Research-first subscription vs execution workbench.
Open decision pageSide-by-side specs
Compare AI Models, head-to-head.
| Model | Input /1M | Output /1M | Access | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GPT-6 AstraOpenAI | $10 | $50 | ChatGPT Pro, Business; Plus in Work/Codex | OpenAI's flagship (1.05M context, 128K output)Price note: Above 272K input tokens: $20 / $75. |
| GPT-6.1 SolOpenAI | $2 | $10 | ChatGPT Work and Codex (paid plans) | OpenAI's balanced model for complex coding and agentic workPrice note: Cached input $0.10. Above 272K input tokens: $4 / $15. |
| GPT-6 LunaOpenAI | $0.10 | $0.50 | Codex on ChatGPT Free and Go | Cost-sensitive, high-volume API work (1.05M context) |
| GPT-6 SolOpenAIPrevious gen | $2 | $10 | ChatGPT Chat on Plus, Pro, Business | Superseded in the API by GPT-6.1 Sol at the same list pricePrice note: Cached input $0.20, twice the GPT-6.1 Sol rate. |
| GPT-5.6 SolOpenAIPrevious gen | $4 | $20 | OpenAI API | Existing GPT-5.6 integrationsPrice note: Promotional price since August 21, 2026; as of October 23, 2026, OpenAI says it runs at least through November 21, 2026. |
| GPT-5.5OpenAILegacy | $5 | $30 | API only (left ChatGPT Oct 14, 2026) | Existing integrations; no API shutdown date listed |
| Claude Fable 5.1Anthropic | $10 | $50 | Claude Max; Pro via usage credits; API | Anthropic's top tier for demanding reasoning and long agent runs |
| Claude Opus 5.5Anthropic | $4 | $20 | Claude paid plans and API | High-end coding and agentic work (1M context)Price note: Fast mode $8 / $40. |
| Claude Sonnet 5.5Anthropic | $2 | $10 | Claude API | Balanced coding, agents, and document-heavy work (1M context)Price note: Cache reads $0.10 since October 7, 2026. |
| Claude Haiku 5.5Anthropic | $0.10 to $0.50 | $0.50 to $2.50 | Claude API | Cheapest current Claude for high-volume work (1M context)Price note: From $0.10 / $0.50 for prompts up to 100K tokens; $0.50 / $2.50 above 100K. |
| Claude Sonnet 5AnthropicLegacy | $2 | $10 | Claude API (legacy) | Existing integrations; Sonnet 5.5 lists the same price |
| Claude Haiku 4.5AnthropicLegacy | $1 | $5 | Claude API (legacy) | Existing integrations; Haiku 5.5 is cheaper at every prompt length |
| Claude Opus 5AnthropicLegacy | $5 | $25 | Claude API (legacy) | Existing integrations; Opus 5.5 costs less at $4 / $20 |
| Claude Sonnet 4.5AnthropicRetiring | $3 | $15 | Claude API (deprecated) | Migrate to Sonnet 5.5, Anthropic's listed replacementPrice note: Deprecated September 30, 2026. As of October 23, 2026, retirement is listed for November 30, 2026. |
| Gemini 4 ArgonGoogle | $2, then $4 | $10, then $20 | Gemini API; Google AI Pro | Google's flagship model (1,048,576-token window)Price note: Introductory $2 / $10 through November 30, 2026; $4 / $20 from December 1, 2026. Not on the API free tier. |
| Gemini 3.8 FlashGoogle | $0.75, then $1.50 | $3.75, then $7.50 | Gemini API | Google's top Flash model for multimodal and agentic API workPrice note: $0.75 / $3.75 through December 31, 2026; $1.50 / $7.50 from January 1, 2027. |
| Gemini 3.5 Flash-LiteGoogle | $0.30 | $2.50 | Gemini API | High-volume, low-cost API tasks |
| Gemini 3.6 FlashGooglePrevious gen | $0.75, then $1.50 | $3.75, then $7.50 | Gemini API | Previous-generation Flash; same price as Gemini 3.8 FlashPrice note: $0.75 / $3.75 through December 31, 2026; $1.50 / $7.50 from January 1, 2027. |
| Gemini 3.1 Pro PreviewGooglePrevious gen | $2 | $12 | Gemini API (preview) | Existing integrations; Gemini 4 Argon is now the flagshipPrice note: Above 200K prompt tokens: $4 / $18. |
| Grok 4.7xAI | $2 | $6 | xAI API | xAI's recommended model for code and chat (500K context)Price note: At or above 200K prompt tokens: $4 / $12. |
| Grok 4.5xAIPrevious gen | $2 | $6 | xAI API | Existing integrations; Grok 4.7 lists the same headline price |
| Muse WonderMeta | $4 | $20 | Meta Model API and Muse Code | Meta's newest API model (1M context) |
| Muse Spark 1.3Meta | $1.25 | $4.25 | Meta Model API | Lower-cost Meta API model (1M context) |
| Mistral Large 4MistralPreview | $1.36 | $4.18 | Mistral API (public preview) | Mistral's largest model (1M context, 52B active)Price note: Public preview price as listed on October 23, 2026. |
| Mistral Medium 3.5Mistral | $1.50 | $7.50 | Mistral API; open weights | Mid-size Mistral with Modified MIT weights (256K context) |
| Kimi K3.1 ProMoonshot AI | $2 | $10 | Kimi API | Moonshot's newest API model (1M context)Price note: Highspeed variant $4 / $20. As of October 23, 2026, Moonshot says full weights will be released by November 4. |
| Qwen3.8-MaxQwen / Alibaba | $2 | $6 | Alibaba Cloud Model Studio | Alibaba's top hosted Qwen modelPrice note: Model Studio International deployment, up to 1M tokens. |
| GLM-5.3Z.ai | $1.40 | $4.40 | Z.ai API | Z.ai's newest GLM (1M context, 128K output) |
| MiniMax M3.1 FlashMiniMax | $0.15 | $0.60 | MiniMax API; open weights | Low-cost open-weight model from MiniMax |
| Kimi K3Moonshot AI | $3 | $15 | Kimi API and certified inference partners | Long-horizon coding agents |
| MiniMax M3MiniMax | $0.30 | $1.20 | MiniMax API and Token Plan | Agentic coding |
| Qwen3.6Qwen / AlibabaPrevious gen | Check provider | Check provider | Qwen Studio and Alibaba Cloud Model Studio | Local coding assistanceLast verified August 11, 2026 |
| GLM-5.2Z.aiPrevious gen | $1.40 | $4.40 | Z.ai general API and GLM Coding Plan | Long-horizon coding agentsLast verified August 11, 2026 |
| DeepSeek V4DeepSeek | $0.15 to $0.30 | $0.60 to $1.20 | DeepSeek API | Cost-sensitive API workflows |
| Mistral Small 4Mistral AI | $0.15 | $0.60 | Mistral API and Mistral AI Studio | Multimodal document analysis |
| Mistral Large 3Mistral AI | Check provider | Check provider | Mistral AI Studio and selected cloud providers | Enterprise custom modelsLast verified August 11, 2026 |
| Gemma 4Google | No universal Gemma API rate | No universal Gemma API rate | Downloadable model family and Google AI ecosystem | Right-sized open-model experiments |
| gpt-oss-120bOpenAI | No OpenAI API price | No OpenAI API price | Self-hosted or third-party hosting providers | Private-cloud reasoning servicesLast verified August 11, 2026 |
| gpt-oss-20bOpenAI | No OpenAI API price | No OpenAI API price | Self-hosted or third-party hosting providers | Local text reasoningLast verified August 11, 2026 |
| Nemotron 3 SuperNVIDIA | Check provider | Check provider | Downloadable weights, NVIDIA services, and selected hosting providers | Enterprise agent systemsLast verified August 11, 2026 |
Standard API costs per 1M tokens where the provider publishes a comparable USD rate. Open-model rows link to detail pages that separate API pricing from local operating cost. Last verified October 23, 2026; rows checked earlier say so, and each row keeps its own verification date and lifecycle status in the downloadable dataset.
Hosted rows and provider plan prices were rechecked against vendor pages on October 23, 2026. Open-model rows show their own date; rows dated August 11, 2026 were not rechecked in this audit.
GPT-5.5 was retired from ChatGPT, ChatGPT Work, and Codex on October 14, 2026. It remains in the OpenAI API at $5 / $30 per 1M tokens, and OpenAI's deprecations page listed no shutdown date for it as of October 23, 2026.
Claude Haiku 5.5 is priced by prompt length: $0.10 / $0.50 per 1M tokens for prompts up to 100K tokens, and $0.50 / $2.50 for longer prompts.
Claude Haiku 4.5 is still listed as active. Its tentative retirement date ("not sooner than October 15, 2026") passed without a deprecation notice, and Anthropic gives at least 60 days' notice before retiring a public model.
Claude Sonnet 4.5 was deprecated on September 30, 2026. As of October 23, 2026, Anthropic lists November 30, 2026 as its retirement date and Sonnet 5.5 as the replacement.
Gemini 4 Argon costs $2 / $10 per 1M tokens through November 30, 2026, then $4 / $20 from December 1, 2026. Gemini 3.8 Flash and Gemini 3.6 Flash cost $0.75 / $3.75 through December 31, 2026, then $1.50 / $7.50 from January 1, 2027.
Google deprecated Gemini 3.7 Flash and Gemini 3.5 Flash on October 8, 2026. Requests to them are routed to Gemini 3.8 Flash and Gemini 3.6 Flash.
Long prompts cost more on several rows: GPT-6 Astra and GPT-6.1 Sol charge $20 / $75 and $4 / $15 above 272K input tokens, and Grok 4.7 charges $4 / $12 at or above 200K prompt tokens.
DeepSeek charges twice the off-peak rate during peak hours (01:00 to 04:00 and 06:00 to 10:00 UTC, Monday to Friday). The table shows the off-peak to peak range; the dataset records the off-peak rate.
OpenAI's pages differ on the ChatGPT Chat model for Free and Go: the October 7, 2026 release notes say GPT-6 Luna, while a help article lists GPT-5.6 Luna. Codex on Free and Go uses GPT-6 Luna.
Model access in consumer chat plans varies by provider, region, and plan. Check the linked provider page before purchasing.
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Quick Reference Guide
Which AI for Which Task?
Not sure which model to use? This matrix maps common use cases to the best AI models with clear reasoning.
| Use Case | Best Model | Why? | Alternative |
|---|---|---|---|
| Writing long-form content | Claude Sonnet 5.5 | Anthropic's mid-tier model (released September 28, 2026) at $2 / $10 per 1M API tokens, with a 1M-token context window for long drafts. | GPT-6.1 Sol |
| Quick research with sources | Perplexity Pro | Fast web discovery with citations and strong source traceability. | Gemini (Google AI Pro) |
| Advanced reasoning & math | GPT-6 Astra | OpenAI's flagship. At $10 / $50 per 1M API tokens, reserve it for the hardest problems. | Claude Fable 5.1 |
| Code generation & debugging | Claude Opus 5.5 | $4 / $20 per 1M API tokens with a 1M-token context window, and Claude Code is included in every paid Claude plan. | GPT-6.1 Sol |
| Excel/Word automation | Microsoft 365 Copilot | Native integration in Word, Excel, Outlook, and Teams workflows. | ChatGPT |
| Real-time social signals | Grok 4.7 | Strong fit when live X context is central to the workflow. | Perplexity Pro |
| Cost-effective API usage | GPT-6 Luna | OpenAI's cost-sensitive model at $0.10 input and $0.50 output per 1M tokens. Claude Haiku 5.5 lists the same price for prompts up to 100K tokens. | Claude Haiku 5.5 or DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash |
| Privacy-focused browsing | Brave Leo | Browser-native assistant with privacy-first defaults and BYOM flexibility. | Local LLMs |
| Multi-language translation | Gemini 3.8 Flash | Google's top Flash model, multimodal, at $0.75 / $3.75 per 1M tokens through December 31, 2026 ($1.50 / $7.50 from January 1, 2027). | GPT-6.1 Sol |
| Technical documentation | Claude Sonnet 5.5 | A current Claude model for structured technical documentation, with 128K max output for long documents. | GPT-6.1 Sol |
| Brainstorming sessions | ChatGPT Plus | A broad consumer app for quick iteration and idea generation. | Gemini (Google AI Pro) |
| Image-generation briefs | ChatGPT (image tools) | Strong prompt iteration and multimodal planning for visual direction. | Gemini (Google AI Pro) |
Writing long-form content
CreatorsBest:Claude Sonnet 5.5
Anthropic's mid-tier model (released September 28, 2026) at $2 / $10 per 1M API tokens, with a 1M-token context window for long drafts.
Alt:GPT-6.1 Sol
Quick research with sources
ResearchBest:Perplexity Pro
Fast web discovery with citations and strong source traceability.
Alt:Gemini (Google AI Pro)
Advanced reasoning & math
DevelopersBest:GPT-6 Astra
OpenAI's flagship. At $10 / $50 per 1M API tokens, reserve it for the hardest problems.
Alt:Claude Fable 5.1
Code generation & debugging
DevelopersBest:Claude Opus 5.5
$4 / $20 per 1M API tokens with a 1M-token context window, and Claude Code is included in every paid Claude plan.
Alt:GPT-6.1 Sol
Excel/Word automation
CorporateBest:Microsoft 365 Copilot
Native integration in Word, Excel, Outlook, and Teams workflows.
Alt:ChatGPT
Real-time social signals
ResearchBest:Grok 4.7
Strong fit when live X context is central to the workflow.
Alt:Perplexity Pro
Cost-effective API usage
DevelopersBest:GPT-6 Luna
OpenAI's cost-sensitive model at $0.10 input and $0.50 output per 1M tokens. Claude Haiku 5.5 lists the same price for prompts up to 100K tokens.
Alt:Claude Haiku 5.5 or DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash
Privacy-focused browsing
CorporateBest:Brave Leo
Browser-native assistant with privacy-first defaults and BYOM flexibility.
Alt:Local LLMs
Multi-language translation
CorporateBest:Gemini 3.8 Flash
Google's top Flash model, multimodal, at $0.75 / $3.75 per 1M tokens through December 31, 2026 ($1.50 / $7.50 from January 1, 2027).
Alt:GPT-6.1 Sol
Technical documentation
DevelopersBest:Claude Sonnet 5.5
A current Claude model for structured technical documentation, with 128K max output for long documents.
Alt:GPT-6.1 Sol
Brainstorming sessions
CreatorsBest:ChatGPT Plus
A broad consumer app for quick iteration and idea generation.
Alt:Gemini (Google AI Pro)
Image-generation briefs
CreatorsBest:ChatGPT (image tools)
Strong prompt iteration and multimodal planning for visual direction.
Alt:Gemini (Google AI Pro)
Picks are editorial judgments, not benchmark results. Model names and prices were checked against official documentation on October 23, 2026.
1
ChatGPT
OpenAI
Position Most adopted all-purpose assistant
Models GPT-6 Astra · GPT-6.1 Sol · GPT-6 Luna
"OpenAI presents GPT-6 Astra as its flagship ($10 / $50 per 1M tokens), GPT-6.1 Sol as the balanced model ($2 / $10, released September 29, 2026), and GPT-6 Luna for cost-sensitive work ($0.10 / $0.50). GPT-5.5 was retired from ChatGPT, ChatGPT Work, and Codex on October 14, 2026 and remains available in the API."
Official source Checked October 23, 2026
2
Microsoft Copilot
Microsoft
Position Best native fit for Microsoft 365 workflows
Models Copilot across Microsoft 365 consumer plans
"Deep integration with Outlook, Word, Excel, and Teams. Copilot Pro is no longer sold (end of support August 1, 2026); consumer Copilot now comes through Microsoft 365 plans."
Official source Checked October 23, 2026
3
Google Gemini
Google
Position Broad multimodal coverage and a wide price range
Models Gemini 4 Argon · Gemini 3.8 Flash · Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite
"Gemini 4 Argon became generally available on October 13, 2026 and is Google's flagship model: $2 / $10 per 1M tokens through November 30, 2026, then $4 / $20. Gemini 3.8 Flash is Google's top Flash model ($0.75 / $3.75 through December 31, 2026, then $1.50 / $7.50), and 3.5 Flash-Lite ($0.30 / $2.50) covers high-volume work."
Official source Checked October 23, 2026
4
Perplexity
Perplexity
Position Research-first assistant for source-backed discovery
Models Free · Pro · Max · Enterprise Pro · Enterprise Max
"A research-first assistant. Free includes 3 Pro Searches per day and 1 Research run per month; Pro and Max have weekly and monthly limits that Perplexity does not publish as numbers."
Official source Checked October 23, 2026
5
Claude
Anthropic
Position Long-context writing, coding, and agent workflows
Models Claude Fable 5.1 · Opus 5.5 · Sonnet 5.5 · Haiku 5.5
"Anthropic's current API lineup: Fable 5.1 ($10 / $50 per 1M tokens), Opus 5.5 ($4 / $20), Sonnet 5.5 ($2 / $10, released September 28, 2026), and Haiku 5.5 (from $0.10 / $0.50, released October 7, 2026). All four list a 1M-token context window and 128K max output. Sonnet 5 and Haiku 4.5 are now legacy models that remain available."
Official source Checked October 23, 2026
6
Grok
xAI
Position Grok models plus the X Subscription bundle
Models Grok 4.7 · Grok 4.6 · Grok Build 0.1
"xAI (branded SpaceXSI on its own site) lists Grok 4.7, announced September 22, 2026, as its recommended model for code and chat: $2 input and $6 output per 1M tokens under 200K prompt tokens ($4 / $12 at or above 200K), with a 500K-token context window."
Official source Checked October 23, 2026
7
DeepSeek
DeepSeek
Position Low-cost API with MIT-licensed Flash weights
Models DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash · DeepSeek-V4-Pro
"DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash-1017 has served deepseek-flash since October 17, 2026, adds vision, and ships MIT-licensed open weights. Both API models list a 1M-token context window and 384K max output, and cost twice the off-peak rate during peak hours (01:00 to 04:00 and 06:00 to 10:00 UTC, Monday to Friday)."
Official source Checked October 23, 2026
8
Brave Leo
Brave
Position Browser-native assistant with privacy focus
Models Model menu varies by free, premium, and bring-your-own-model options
"Built into Brave with privacy-centric defaults and model flexibility."
Official source Not rechecked in the latest audit
9
Meta Muse and Llama
Meta
Position Hosted Muse models plus open weights under Meta licenses
Models Muse Wonder · Muse Spark 1.3 · Muse Spark Open · Llama 4
"Meta launched Muse Wonder on October 12, 2026 on its Model API and Muse Code ($4 / $20 per 1M tokens, 1M context). Muse Spark Open weights followed on October 15 (816B total, 42B active, 1M context) under a Muse Model License with limited commercial terms. Meta's developer hub still lists Llama 4 as its newest Llama release."
Official source Checked October 23, 2026
10
Mistral AI
Mistral
Position European models with open-weight options
Models Mistral Large 4 (preview) · Medium 3.5 · Small 4
"Mistral Large 4 entered public preview on October 6, 2026 ($1.36 / $4.18 per 1M tokens, 1M context, 1.05T total and 52B active parameters); as of October 23, 2026 its model card lists open weights as coming soon. Medium 3.5 ($1.50 / $7.50) ships open weights under a Modified MIT license, and Small 4 ($0.15 / $0.60) is Apache 2.0."
Official source Checked October 23, 2026
Pricing Guide
AI Model Pricing Comparison
Compare pricing across major AI models. Most offer free tiers with paid upgrades for power users.
| Model | Free Tier | Paid Tier | Price | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ChatGPTChecked October 23, 2026 | ✓ Free tier Free ($0) and Go ($8/mo) include unlimited everyday text chats, subject to abuse safeguards, and Codex with GPT-6 Luna. Ads may appear on both. | Plus ChatGPT Chat on Plus has used GPT-6 Sol since October 7, 2026, with Medium and High reasoning. Plus gets GPT-6 Astra only in Work and Codex. No ads. Pro: $100, $200, or $500/mo Three monthly-only usage tiers with GPT-6 Pro in Chat. Ultrafast speed is only on Pro 500, and Pro plans have no five-hour limit in Codex and Work. | $20/mo | General execution and teams that want the broadest ChatGPT product surface |
| ClaudeChecked October 23, 2026 | ✓ Free tier Free ($0) with limits that reset on a rolling five-hour window. Opus, Fable, and Claude Code are not on Free. | Pro At least five times Free usage per five-hour session, plus a weekly limit. Includes Claude Code. $17/mo with annual billing ($200 up front). Prices exclude tax. Max 5x: $100/mo · Max 20x: $200/mo Monthly billing only. Includes $100 or $200 per month in Claude Platform API credits (not usable in Claude Code or the Claude apps) and a separate weekly Fable limit. | $20/mo | Long-form writing, technical docs, coding, and agent workflows |
| Google GeminiChecked October 23, 2026 | ✓ Free tier Gemini app without a plan: standard limits and a 32K-token context window. | Google AI Pro Four times free limits, a 1M-token context window, Gemini 4 Argon, and Deep Research. Google AI Plus ($4.99/mo) gives twice the free limits and a 128K context window. Google AI Ultra: $99.99 or $199.99/mo Five or twenty times the AI Pro limits, with a 1M-token context window. | $19.99/mo | Google ecosystem power users, high-volume API workloads, multimodal tasks |
| PerplexityChecked October 23, 2026 | ✓ Free tier 3 Pro Searches per day and 1 Research run per month | Pro Higher Pro Search and Research limits plus 4,000 bonus credits. Perplexity shows USD; web checkout offers local currency or USD. Max: $200/mo or $2,000/yr 10,000 monthly credits and 35,000 bonus credits ($167/mo when billed annually). | $17/mo billed annually | Source-backed research, market scanning, and multi-step agentic work |
| Microsoft CopilotChecked October 23, 2026 | ✓ Free tier A limited free Copilot, subject to available capacity | Microsoft 365 Premium Extended Copilot usage and agentic features ($199.99/yr). Personal ($9.99/mo) and Family ($12.99/mo) are the cheaper Microsoft 365 plans. Microsoft 365 Pro: $99.99/mo Monthly billing only, with Microsoft's highest consumer usage limits. | $19.99/mo | Office-heavy organizations and enterprise rollout on Microsoft stack |
ChatGPT
Checked October 23, 2026
✓ Free tier available
Free ($0) and Go ($8/mo) include unlimited everyday text chats, subject to abuse safeguards, and Codex with GPT-6 Luna. Ads may appear on both.
Paid Tier: Plus
ChatGPT Chat on Plus has used GPT-6 Sol since October 7, 2026, with Medium and High reasoning. Plus gets GPT-6 Astra only in Work and Codex. No ads.
Pro: $100, $200, or $500/mo
Three monthly-only usage tiers with GPT-6 Pro in Chat. Ultrafast speed is only on Pro 500, and Pro plans have no five-hour limit in Codex and Work.
Best for:
General execution and teams that want the broadest ChatGPT product surface
Claude
Checked October 23, 2026
✓ Free tier available
Free ($0) with limits that reset on a rolling five-hour window. Opus, Fable, and Claude Code are not on Free.
Paid Tier: Pro
At least five times Free usage per five-hour session, plus a weekly limit. Includes Claude Code. $17/mo with annual billing ($200 up front). Prices exclude tax.
Max 5x: $100/mo · Max 20x: $200/mo
Monthly billing only. Includes $100 or $200 per month in Claude Platform API credits (not usable in Claude Code or the Claude apps) and a separate weekly Fable limit.
Best for:
Long-form writing, technical docs, coding, and agent workflows
Google Gemini
Checked October 23, 2026
✓ Free tier available
Gemini app without a plan: standard limits and a 32K-token context window.
Paid Tier: Google AI Pro
Four times free limits, a 1M-token context window, Gemini 4 Argon, and Deep Research. Google AI Plus ($4.99/mo) gives twice the free limits and a 128K context window.
Google AI Ultra: $99.99 or $199.99/mo
Five or twenty times the AI Pro limits, with a 1M-token context window.
Best for:
Google ecosystem power users, high-volume API workloads, multimodal tasks
Perplexity
Checked October 23, 2026
✓ Free tier available
3 Pro Searches per day and 1 Research run per month
Paid Tier: Pro
Higher Pro Search and Research limits plus 4,000 bonus credits. Perplexity shows USD; web checkout offers local currency or USD.
Max: $200/mo or $2,000/yr
10,000 monthly credits and 35,000 bonus credits ($167/mo when billed annually).
Best for:
Source-backed research, market scanning, and multi-step agentic work
Microsoft Copilot
Checked October 23, 2026
✓ Free tier available
A limited free Copilot, subject to available capacity
Paid Tier: Microsoft 365 Premium
Extended Copilot usage and agentic features ($199.99/yr). Personal ($9.99/mo) and Family ($12.99/mo) are the cheaper Microsoft 365 plans.
Microsoft 365 Pro: $99.99/mo
Monthly billing only, with Microsoft's highest consumer usage limits.
Best for:
Office-heavy organizations and enterprise rollout on Microsoft stack
Pricing snapshot: US list prices checked on each provider's page on October 23, 2026, except where a row says otherwise. Taxes, regional prices, and plan limits vary; confirm on the provider page before buying.
Live references
Check benchmark dashboards and official provider updates
Artificial AnalysisLMArena (arena.ai)Open LLM Leaderboard (Hugging Face)OpenAI ModelsClaude Models OverviewGoogle AI PlansxAI Models & PricingDeepSeek Docs
Links open in a new tab. Provider links checked on October 23, 2026. Leaderboard positions change daily, so quote them with the date you read them.
Blog Post
March 2026 model snapshot
Historical context. Check this page for the current source audit.
Free Tool
AI Plan Comparator: All Tiers, All Providers
ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini & Perplexity pricing compared
The verdict, October 23, 2026
Which model should you choose this week?
- Choose Claude Opus 5.5 if you want a high-end model for coding and agent work without paying top-tier rates: $4 / $20 per 1M tokens, 1M context.
- Choose GPT-6.1 Sol if your stack is already on OpenAI and you want its balanced model at $2 / $10.
- Choose Gemini 4 Argon if you want Google's flagship. Budget at $4 / $20, because the $2 / $10 introductory price ends November 30, 2026.
- Choose GPT-6 Luna or Claude Haiku 5.5 if token cost decides. Both list $0.10 / $0.50 per 1M tokens (Haiku 5.5 for prompts up to 100K tokens).
- Choose DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash if you need a low listed price plus MIT-licensed open weights: $0.15 / $0.60 off-peak, double at peak.
- Choose Claude Fable 5.1 or GPT-6 Astra if cheaper tiers fail your own evals. Both cost $10 / $50 per 1M tokens.
Editorial guidance built on the prices and dates above. Run your own evals before moving a production workload.
Frequently Asked Questions
AI Models: Common Questions
What is the best AI model in 2026?
There is no single best model for every job. As listed on October 23, 2026, Claude Opus 5.5 ranked first on the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index and Gemini 4 Argon ranked first on the LMArena text leaderboard (marked preliminary). For a daily assistant, ChatGPT is the broadest product, Claude suits long documents and coding, and Gemini fits Google-centric work.
What is the cheapest Claude model?
Claude Haiku 5.5, released October 7, 2026. It costs $0.10 input and $0.50 output per 1M tokens for prompts up to 100K tokens, and $0.50 / $2.50 for longer prompts. Claude Haiku 4.5 ($1 / $5) is now a legacy model.
Is GPT-5.5 still available?
Not in ChatGPT. OpenAI retired GPT-5.5 from ChatGPT, ChatGPT Work, and Codex on October 14, 2026. It is still available in the API at $5 input and $30 output per 1M tokens, with no shutdown date listed as of October 23, 2026.
How much does Gemini 4 Argon cost?
In the Gemini API, $2 input and $10 output per 1M tokens through November 30, 2026, then $4 / $20 from December 1, 2026. It is not on the API free tier. In the Gemini app it is part of Google AI Pro, which costs $19.99 per month in the US.
What is the difference between ChatGPT and Claude?
ChatGPT is the broader product: more plan tiers (Free, Go, Plus, Pro at $100, $200, or $500, Business, Enterprise), Codex on every plan including Free, and image, voice, and agent features. Claude is the cleaner fit for long documents, careful writing, and coding with Claude Code, which is included in every paid Claude plan. Choose ChatGPT for breadth; choose Claude for depth-heavy writing and code.
Which AI model is best for coding in 2026?
Separate the model from the tool. On models, Claude Opus 5.5 ($4 / $20) and GPT-6.1 Sol ($2 / $10) are the current picks to test on your own repository. On tools, Claude Code is included in every paid Claude plan, Codex in every ChatGPT plan, GitHub Copilot has a free tier and Pro at $10 per month, and Cursor is now sold through X Subscription (Premium at $30 per month).
Which open-weight models are worth considering?
For permissive licenses, look at DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash-1017 (MIT), Qwen3.8-27B (Apache 2.0), Mistral Small 4 (Apache 2.0), and Gemma 4 (listed as Apache 2.0 on its model card). Meta's Muse Spark Open, released October 15, 2026, and Kimi K3 use custom licenses with commercial conditions, so read the terms before you build on them.
Should I pay for ChatGPT, Claude, Google AI, or Perplexity first?
Pay for ChatGPT first if you want one broad default assistant. Choose Claude first if long-form writing, analysis, and coding matter more. Choose Google AI first if your work already lives inside Google. Choose Perplexity first if research with citations is the real bottleneck.
