Best AI Model for Agents and Bulk Work (2026)
Ranked by Agent Arena, which scores models on multi step tool use in real agent sessions. For bulk jobs, the value picks matter most.
Best quality
Highest Agent Arena score. Shown as a 0 to 100 relative score.
Highest Agent Arena rating of the 24 models we price. $8.00 per 1M tokens blended.
Ranked 2 of 24, relative score 91. $4.00 per 1M tokens blended.
Ranked 3 of 24, relative score 88. $20.00 per 1M tokens blended.
Best value
Relative score divided by blended price. Only models at or above the median of the models we price qualify.
Relative score 48 for $1.50 per 1M tokens, 5x cheaper than Claude Opus 5.5.
Relative score 47 for $2.00 per 1M tokens, 4x cheaper than Claude Opus 5.5.
Relative score 91 for $4.00 per 1M tokens, 2x cheaper than Claude Opus 5.5.
About the 0 to 100 score: Relative score: 100 is the top model we price on Agent Arena, 0 is the 50th ranked model on the full leaderboard. Raw scores differ by leaderboard, so we rescale them.
Leaderboard used: Agent Arena.
Scores: LMArena Agent Arena, leaderboard published Oct 14, 2026, via the LMArena leaderboard dataset (CC BY 4.0). Prices: our API prices table. Checked Oct 16, 2026.
How we pick
Quality is the LMArena score for each task, built from blind side by side human votes. Where a model is listed at several effort levels we use its best one. Value divides the score above the 50th ranked model on that leaderboard by the blended price, (3 x input + output) / 4 per 1M tokens, and only counts models at or above the median score of the models we price. Local picks use the same Text Arena score and the Q4 download size. Close scores are often inside the margin of error, so treat ranks 1 to 3 as a shortlist, not a final verdict.
Other good references: SWE-bench for fixing real code issues, Aider leaderboards for code editing, and each provider's model card.
FAQ
Which model is best for AI agents?
Claude Opus 5.5 has the top Agent Arena score among the models we price. Gemini 3.8 Flash is the best value.
What is the cheapest model for bulk jobs?
See the value picks here, then sort our API prices table by cheapest. For very large batches, also check each provider's batch discount.
Other tasks
Coding · Chat · Creative writing · Roleplay and characters · Reasoning and math · Vision · Long documents · Local and private
Compare every price on API prices, or find what runs on your own hardware with the local model finder.