The AI landscape has enough models that choosing the right one for the right task actually matters. Here's the practical guide.
| Task | Best Model | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Complex coding | Claude 3.7 Sonnet | Longer context, cleaner code |
| Quick coding | GPT-4o mini / Gemini Flash | Speed + cost |
| Multi-step reasoning | Claude (extended thinking) / o3 | Reasoning chains |
| Document analysis | Claude (200K context) | Long context handling |
| Image understanding | Gemini 2.0 / GPT-4o | Vision capabilities |
| Privacy-sensitive | Llama 3 (local via Ollama) | Data never leaves |
| High volume/low cost | Gemini Flash / Claude Haiku | Price per token |
| Creative writing | Claude / GPT-4o | Both excellent |
| Data analysis (Python) | GPT-4o with code interpreter | Tool use + execution |
Primary: Claude 3.7 Sonnet (extended thinking for hard problems) Secondary: GPT-4o (when OpenAI tool ecosystem needed) Local fallback: Llama 3 70B (private codebase work)
Document reading: Claude (best at long documents, high fidelity to source) Web research: Perplexity (built-in citations) or Claude/GPT with web search Synthesis: Claude Opus (most nuanced reasoning)
Long-form writing: Claude (more nuanced, less generic feel) Quick content: GPT-4o (fast, good enough quality) Structured data generation: Any model with good JSON mode
Cheapest (fast, good enough):
Gemini Flash: ~$0.075 per 1M tokens
Claude Haiku: ~$0.25 per 1M tokens
Best value (capable, reasonable cost):
GPT-4o mini: ~$0.15 per 1M tokens input
Claude Sonnet: ~$3 per 1M tokens input
Best (capable, expensive):
GPT-4o: ~$2.5 per 1M tokens input
Claude Opus: ~$15 per 1M tokens input
o3: significant premium for reasoning
Don't be married to one model. Build with model-agnostic abstractions:
// Build a wrapper — swap models without rewriting
const client = new LLMClient({
provider: 'anthropic', // Change to 'openai', 'google' easily
model: 'claude-3-5-sonnet-20241022'
});The "best" model shifts every quarter. Your architecture shouldn't require rewriting when you switch.