The picks

For every kind of AI work: the best value for money, the best there is, the best with open weights where there is one, and the cheapest that still works. Each is a single ranking with a single stated rule, rebuilt every night from the boards and the price lists.

Text

Work done in words: the everyday model, the one that writes code, the one that can be sent off to finish a job, and the one that does the mathematics.

General

Which model to reach for when the job is not a specialised one. 141 measured, 112 of them for sale, and 33 of those stand on two or more of these boards — only those can be picked.

Coding

Which model should write and fix code. 113 measured, 108 of them for sale, and 64 of those stand on two or more of these boards — only those can be picked.

Agents

Which model can call tools and finish a job. 112 measured, 107 of them for sale, and 55 of those stand on two or more of these boards — only those can be picked.

Reasoning

Which model can do the mathematics and the science. 196 measured, 184 of them for sale, and 144 of those stand on two or more of these boards — only those can be picked.

Voice

Speaking, listening, and holding a conversation aloud — three different markets that are easy to mistake for one.

Speech generation

Which model reads your text out loud. 31 measured, 12 of them you can buy today.

The market in halves

The same question asked of each side of the industry. Open weights are measured far less often than closed ones, so that block is the thinnest on the page, and it is last for that reason.

Open weights

Which model to run yourself, or buy from whoever you like. 117 measured, 100 of them for sale, and 70 of those stand on two or more of these boards — only those can be picked.

Proprietary

Which model behind an API is worth the money. 150 measured, 139 of them for sale, and 108 of those stand on two or more of these boards — only those can be picked.

Every pick has to be something you can buy today: a model with no seller and no published price is not an answer to what should I use. Prices are the standard lane, never a batch or promotional rate. Figures read 2026-10-31.