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Autonomous agent workflows, tool calling, multi-step tasks. Ranked by quality, cost, and real-world performance.
16 models compared · Data powered by Artificial Analysis
Ranked comparison of 16 AI models for ai agents tasks. Claude Fable 5 leads on quality (score 60), while Gemini 3.5 Flash 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 Fable 5 Anthropic | Frontier | 60 | $10.00 / $50.00 | $78.00 |
| 2 | GPT-5.6 Terra OpenAI | Premium | 57 | $2.50 / $15.00 | $22.50 |
| 3 | Claude Opus 4.8 Anthropic | Frontier | 56 | $5.00 / $25.00 | $39.00 |
| 4 | GPT-5.6 Sol OpenAI | Frontier | 55 | $5.00 / $30.00 | $45.00 |
| 5 | GPT-5.5 OpenAI | Premium | 55 | $5.00 / $30.00 | $45.00 |
| 6 | Claude Opus 4.7 Anthropic | Premium | 54 | $5.00 / $25.00 | $39.00 |
| 7 | Claude Sonnet 5 Anthropic | Premium | 53 | $2.00 / $10.00 | $15.60 |
| 8 | GPT-5.4 OpenAI | Mid-Range | 51 | $2.50 / $15.00 | $22.50 |
| 9 | GPT-5.6 Luna OpenAI | Mid-Range | 50 | $1.00 / $6.00 | $9.00 |
| 10 | Gemini 3.5 Flash Google | Budget | 50 | $1.50 / $9.00 | $13.50 |
| 11 | Gemini 3.1 Pro Google | Frontier | 47 | $2.50 / $15.00 | $22.50 |
| 12 | Claude Sonnet 4.6 Anthropic | Mid-Range | 47 | $3.00 / $15.00 | $23.40 |
| 13 | Gemini 3 Flash Google | Budget | 46 | $0.07 / $0.30 | $0.49 |
| 14 | DeepSeek V4 Pro DeepSeek | Mid-Range | 44 | $0.43 / $0.87 | $1.82 |
| 15 | MiniMax M3 MiniMax | Mid-Range | 44 | $0.30 / $1.20 | $1.98 |
| 16 | Grok 4 xAI | Premium | 37 | $3.00 / $15.00 | $23.40 |