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Autonomous agent workflows, tool calling, multi-step tasks. Ranked by quality, cost, and real-world performance.
22 models compared · Data powered by Artificial Analysis
Ranked comparison of 22 AI models for ai agents tasks. Claude Opus 5 leads on quality (score 61), while GPT-5.6 Luna provides the most affordable entry point.
AI agent frameworks call models in tight loops: decide next action, execute tool, check result, repeat. The model driving those loops needs fast, reliable tool-calling more than raw benchmark scores. Latency and cost per call matter as much as quality.
For production agent workflows, pair a capable primary model (Claude Sonnet 5, GPT-5.6 Terra) with a fast, cheap subagent model (GPT-5.6 Luna, Gemini 3 Flash) for delegated tasks. This two-tier approach cuts costs 50-70% while keeping quality where it matters.
Context window size is non-negotiable for agents. Most agent frameworks need 64K+ tokens for reliable multi-step tool execution. If your model's context is smaller, the agent will drop tool history and fail mid-task. Stick to 128K+ for production use.
| # | Model | Tier | Quality | Price (In/Out) | Est. Cost (100/mo) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Claude Opus 5 Anthropic | Frontier | 61 | $5.00 / $25.00 | $39.00 |
| 2 | Claude Fable 5 Anthropic | Frontier | 60 | $10.00 / $50.00 | $78.00 |
| 3 | GPT-5.6 Sol OpenAI | Frontier | 59 | $5.00 / $30.00 | $45.00 |
| 4 | Kimi K3 Moonshot AI | Frontier | 57 | $3.00 / $15.00 | $23.40 |
| 5 | Claude Opus 4.8 Anthropic | Frontier | 56 | $5.00 / $25.00 | $39.00 |
| 6 | Gemini 3.7 Flash Google | Mid-Range | 56 | $0.75 / $3.75 | $5.85 |
| 7 | GPT-5.6 Terra OpenAI | Premium | 55 | $2.00 / $12.00 | $18.00 |
| 8 | GPT-5.5 OpenAI | Premium | 55 | $5.00 / $30.00 | $45.00 |
| 9 | Claude Opus 4.7 Anthropic | Premium | 54 | $5.00 / $25.00 | $39.00 |
| 10 | Grok 4.5 xAI | Premium | 54 | $2.00 / $6.00 | $10.80 |
| 11 | Claude Sonnet 5 Anthropic | Premium | 53 | $2.00 / $10.00 | $15.60 |
| 12 | GPT-5.4 OpenAI | Mid-Range | 51 | $2.50 / $15.00 | $22.50 |
| 13 | GPT-5.6 Luna OpenAI | Budget | 51 | $0.20 / $1.20 | $1.80 |
| 14 | GLM-5.2 Z AI | Mid-Range | 51 | $0.50 / $2.00 | $3.30 |
| 15 | Gemini 3.6 Flash Google | Mid-Range | 50 | $1.50 / $7.50 | $11.70 |
| 16 | Gemini 3.5 Flash Google | Budget | 50 | $1.50 / $9.00 | $13.50 |
| 17 | Gemini 3.1 Pro Google | Frontier | 47 | $2.50 / $15.00 | $22.50 |
| 18 | Claude Sonnet 4.6 Anthropic | Mid-Range | 47 | $3.00 / $15.00 | $23.40 |
| 19 | Gemini 3 Flash Google | Budget | 46 | $0.07 / $0.30 | $0.49 |
| 20 | DeepSeek V4 Pro DeepSeek | Mid-Range | 44 | $0.43 / $0.87 | $1.82 |
| 21 | MiniMax M3 MiniMax | Mid-Range | 44 | $0.30 / $1.20 | $1.98 |
| 22 | Grok 4 xAI | Premium | 43 | $3.00 / $15.00 | $23.40 |