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Code generation, debugging, refactoring, code review. Ranked by quality, cost, and real-world performance.
9 models compared · Data powered by Artificial Analysis
Ranked comparison of 9 AI models for coding tasks. Claude Opus 4.5 leads on quality (score 72), while DeepSeek R1 (Free) provides the most affordable entry point.
Choosing the right AI model for coding tasks requires balancing code quality, context understanding, and cost. The best coding models need strong instruction following, familiarity with modern frameworks, and the ability to handle complex multi-file edits.
For professional development work, we recommend models with quality scores above 55, as they consistently produce more accurate code with fewer bugs. Models with reasoning capabilities tend to excel at debugging and architectural decisions, though they cost more per token.
If you're running an AI coding agent that handles many tasks daily, consider using a premium model for complex tasks and a budget model for simple edits and lookups. This "tiered" approach can cut costs by 60-80% while maintaining quality where it matters.
| # | Model | Tier | Quality | Price (In/Out) | Est. Cost (100/mo) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Claude Opus 4.5 Anthropic | Frontier | 72 | $15.00 / $75.00 | $175.50 |
| 2 | GPT-5.3 OpenAI | Frontier | 70 | $2.00 / $10.00 | $23.40 |
| 3 | Grok 4 xAI | Premium | 68 | $3.00 / $15.00 | $35.10 |
| 4 | Claude Sonnet 4.5 Anthropic | Premium | 67 | $3.00 / $15.00 | $35.10 |
| 5 | Gemini 3 Pro Google | Premium | 65 | $2.00 / $12.00 | $27.00 |
| 6 | GPT-5 OpenAI | Mid-Range | 60 | $1.25 / $10.00 | $21.38 |
| 7 | Claude Sonnet 4.1 Anthropic | Mid-Range | 58 | $3.00 / $15.00 | $35.10 |
| 8 | DeepSeek V3.2 DeepSeek | Mid-Range | 55 | $0.25 / $0.38 | $1.36 |
| 9 | DeepSeek R1 (Free) DeepSeek | Free | 50 | Free / Free | Free |