Checked Oct 17, 2026
Top 10 AI models right now
The models worth knowing in October 2026, from Google, Anthropic, OpenAI, DeepSeek, xAI. Filter by what you need, then open any model for its prices, limits, a cost estimator and how to start.
- GoogleArena #1Gemini 4 ArgonComplex multi-step work: software engineering, legal and finance analysis, and long multimodal documents.$2 in$10 out1M ctxDetails
- AnthropicArena #3Claude Opus 5.5Long-running agentic coding and knowledge work. Anthropic's suggested starting point.$4 in$20 out1M ctxDetails
- AnthropicArena #6Claude Fable 5.1The hardest reasoning, research and long-running agentic coding.$10 in$50 out1M ctxDetails
- GoogleArena #9Gemini 3.8 FlashFast, affordable agents, coding and business workflows at scale.$0.75 in$3.75 out1M ctxDetails
- OpenAIArena #22GPT-6.1 SolNear-flagship coding and business agents at a fifth of the flagship price.$2 in$10 out1.05M ctxDetails
- OpenAIArena #30GPT-6 AstraThe hardest coding, computer-use and professional work, when quality matters more than cost.$10 in$50 out1.05M ctxDetails
- AnthropicArena #36Claude Sonnet 5.5Fast, lower-cost everyday coding and document work.$2 in$10 out1M ctxDetails
- DeepSeekArena #56DeepSeek V4 ProLow-cost agentic coding and tool use, with MIT-licensed open weights.$1.32 in$3.96 out1M ctxDetails
- xAIArena #89Grok 4.7Coding and knowledge work, including agent tasks that run for hours.$2 in$6 out500K ctxDetails
- OpenAIArena #215gpt-oss-120bCheap or self-hosted reasoning and agents on a single GPU, when open weights matter.$0.15 in$0.60 out128K ctxDetails
Prices are standard API prices per 1M tokens in US dollars, read from each maker's site. "Arena" ranks are from the public LMArena text leaderboard (Oct 15, 2026), where people vote on blind answers; each model's best-placed setting is shown.The bar shows relative cost (3 input tokens per output token).
Side by side
| Model | Input / 1M | Output / 1M | Context | Weights | Arena |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| gpt-oss-120bOpenAI | $0.15 | $0.60 | 128K | Open | #215 |
| Gemini 3.8 FlashGoogle | $0.75 | $3.75 | 1M | Closed | #9 |
| DeepSeek V4 ProDeepSeek | $1.32 | $3.96 | 1M | Open | #56 |
| Grok 4.7xAI | $2 | $6 | 500K | Closed | #89 |
| Gemini 4 ArgonGoogle | $2 | $10 | 1M | Closed | #1 |
| GPT-6.1 SolOpenAI | $2 | $10 | 1.05M | Closed | #22 |
| Claude Sonnet 5.5Anthropic | $2 | $10 | 1M | Closed | #36 |
| Claude Opus 5.5Anthropic | $4 | $20 | 1M | Closed | #3 |
| Claude Fable 5.1Anthropic | $10 | $50 | 1M | Closed | #6 |
| GPT-6 AstraOpenAI | $10 | $50 | 1.05M | Closed | #30 |
Cheapest first. Standard API prices in US dollars per million tokens, before tax.
How we chose these 10
We started from the public LMArena text leaderboard (416 models, Oct 15, 2026), where people vote on blind answers from two models. We took the current flagship and best-value models from Google, Anthropic and OpenAI, which all rank in its top 40, the flagships from xAI and DeepSeek, and gpt-oss-120b, OpenAI's open model that runs on a single GPU.
We only list models whose API price we've checked on the maker's site. Meta's Muse models also rank near the top; their prices are now in the token calculator, and we're reviewing them for this list. This is a shortlist, not a ranking of our own: we haven't tested these models hands-on yet, so we don't score them.
Prices come from each maker's own pricing page and are dated. Specs and "what it's good at" come from the makers' announcements and docs, linked on every model page. If you need the full list of models we price, use the token cost calculator.
Spotted an outdated price? Tell us at hello@askgpu.com.
Free in AI models
14 free plans, credits and trials, each checked on the provider's site.