AI Model Comparison Guide

This guide provides a comprehensive comparison of AI models available in Cursor and Claude Code, helping you choose the right model for your specific development tasks.

Model Overview

Primary Development Models (November 2025)

• Claude Opus 4.5: THE BEST coding model - first to score >80% on SWE-Bench Verified, default for all tasks (Anthropic announcement)
• Claude Sonnet 4.5: Cost-effective alternative with 1M context - great value at $3/$15 per million tokens
• Cursor Composer 1: Speed champion in Cursor (250 tokens/sec, 4x faster) - excellent second choice after Opus 4.5
• GPT-5.1-Codex-Max: Specialized for bug fixing and UI generation (Cursor, GitHub Copilot)
• Gemini 3 Pro: Best multimodal model with 1M context and Deep Think mode

Quick Selection Guide

By Task

Task Type	Recommended Model	Why
Daily coding	Claude Opus 4.5	Best coding model, >80% SWE-Bench, default for all tasks
Bug fixing	GPT-5.1-Codex-Max	Specialized for bug fixes (Cursor, Copilot)
UI generation	GPT-5.1-Codex-Max	Excellent for frontend work
Architecture & refactoring	Claude Opus 4.5	Superior reasoning and depth
Speed-critical (Cursor)	Cursor Composer 1	250 tokens/sec, 4x faster
Large codebase analysis	Claude Opus 4.5 or Gemini 3 Pro	Opus for <200K, Gemini for >200K context
Extreme context/multimodal	Gemini 3 Pro	1M context + Deep Think mode
Budget-conscious	Claude Sonnet 4.5	Best value at $3/$15 per 1M tokens

By Cost

Budget	Primary Model	When to Upgrade
Premium (Recommended)	Claude Opus 4.5	Default for all tasks with Max/Ultra plans
Standard	Claude Sonnet 4.5	Cost-effective alternative
Speed-focused (Cursor)	Cursor Composer 1	Better than Sonnet for speed/price
Specialized	GPT-5.1-Codex-Max	For bug fixing & UI work
Enterprise/Multimodal	Gemini 3 Pro	For extreme context or image/video analysis

Detailed Model Specifications

Claude Models (Anthropic)

Model	Context Window	Strengths	Best For	Relative Cost
Claude Opus 4.5	200k	>80% SWE-Bench, best coding, agents, computer use	All development tasks (default)	5x (premium)
Claude Sonnet 4.5	1M	Large context, cost-effective, excellent coding	Budget-conscious, large context needs	1x (baseline)

Claude Opus 4.5 Deep Dive

Released: November 24, 2025 (announcement) Notable: First model to score >80% on SWE-Bench Verified - THE BEST coding model

Capabilities:

• First to break 80% on SWE-Bench Verified - best coding model available
• 200K token context with 64K output limit
• Best at building complex agents and computer use
• Enhanced prompt injection resistance
• Memory improvements for sustained complex tasks
• Effort parameter for adjustable reasoning depth
• Superior tool use across hundreds of tools

Why it’s the new default:

• Highest coding accuracy (>80% SWE-Bench)
• Best for agents and autonomous workflows
• Enhanced security features
• Superior reasoning depth
• Recommended with Max/Ultra subscription plans

Optimal Use Cases:

// Example: Complex agentic workflow with Opus 4.5
// Best for tasks requiring sustained reasoning
async function buildAutonomousAgent() {
  // Opus 4.5 excels at:
  // - Agentic workflows with multi-step execution
  // - Computer use and automation
  // - Complex architectural decisions
  // - Security-critical code review
  // - Long-horizon autonomous tasks
}

Claude Sonnet 4.5 Deep Dive

Released: September 29, 2025 Notable: Cost-effective alternative with 1M context

Capabilities:

• 1 million token context window - analyze entire large codebases
• Excellent coding performance at lower cost
• Strong reasoning and mathematical capabilities
• Good at building agents
• Best value at $3/$15 per million tokens

When to Use Sonnet 4.5:

1. Budget-conscious development
2. Tasks requiring >200K context (Opus 4.5’s limit)
3. When Opus 4.5 quota is exhausted
4. Large codebase analysis needing full context

Note for Cursor Users: For cost-conscious work in Cursor, Composer 1 is often a better second choice than Sonnet 4.5 due to its 4x speed advantage (250 tokens/sec).

OpenAI Models

Model	Context Window	Strengths	Best For	Relative Cost
GPT-5.1-Codex-Max	200k+	Bug fixing, UI generation, 24+ hour tasks	Bug fixes, frontend development	$1.25/$10 per 1M

GPT-5.1-Codex-Max Deep Dive

Released: November 19, 2025 (announcement) Available in: Cursor, GitHub Copilot

Key Specifications:

• SWE-Bench Verified: 77.9%
• Pricing: $1.25 (input) / $10 (output) per 1M tokens
• Special Feature: Compaction for handling millions of tokens across context windows
• Endurance: Can work 24+ hours on complex tasks
• First OpenAI model trained for Windows environments

What it’s good at:

• Bug fixing: Specialized training for identifying and fixing bugs
• UI generation: Excellent at creating and refining user interfaces
• Frontend development: Strong understanding of modern frontend frameworks
• Long-running tasks: Compaction enables extended autonomous work

When to use:

• Debugging complex issues that are hard to trace
• Building or iterating on UI components
• Frontend-heavy features
• Quick bug fixes in production
• Long-running analysis tasks (leverage 24+ hour capability)

Note: While GPT-5.1-Codex-Max excels at bug fixing and UI work, Claude Opus 4.5 is now the default for general development due to its superior overall coding capabilities (>80% SWE-Bench).

Cursor Models

Model	Speed	Strengths	Best For	Availability
Cursor Composer 1	250 tok/s	4x faster, RL-optimized for software engineering	Speed-critical work in Cursor	Cursor only

Cursor Composer 1 Deep Dive

Released: October 29, 2025 (announcement) Available in: Cursor only

Key Specifications:

• Speed: 250 tokens/sec (4x faster than similar models)
• Training: Reinforcement learning optimized for software engineering
• Architecture: Mixture-of-experts (MoE) for long-context generation

Capabilities:

• Most turns complete in under 30 seconds
• Trained with codebase-wide semantic search tools
• Excellent at understanding and working in large codebases
• Better speed-to-quality ratio than Sonnet 4.5 in Cursor

When to Use Composer 1:

• High-throughput coding sessions in Cursor
• Rapid iteration cycles
• When speed matters more than maximum accuracy
• Budget-conscious development in Cursor (better than Sonnet 4.5 for speed/price)

Comparison with Other Models:

Aspect	Opus 4.5	Composer 1	Sonnet 4.5
Accuracy	Highest	Good	Excellent
Speed	Standard	4x faster	Standard
Cost	Premium	Efficient	Baseline
Best For	Default	Speed-critical	Budget/Large context

Note: Composer 1 is slightly behind GPT-5.1-Codex-Max and Sonnet 4.5 in raw accuracy benchmarks but compensates with significantly faster throughput. In Cursor, it’s often a better second choice than Sonnet 4.5.

Google Models

Model	Context Window	Strengths	Best For	Relative Cost
Gemini 3 Pro	1M	Best multimodal, Deep Think mode, 1501 Elo	Extreme context, image/video analysis	$2/$10 per 1M

Gemini 3 Pro Deep Dive

Released: November 18, 2025 (announcement)

Key Specifications:

• Context Window: 1 million tokens
• LMArena Elo: 1501 (top ranking)
• MMMU-Pro: 81%
• Video-MMMU: 87.6%
• SimpleQA Verified: 72.1% (factual accuracy)
• Pricing: $2 (input) / $10 (output) per 1M tokens

Unique Advantages:

• Best multimodal model available (text, images, audio, video)
• Deep Think mode for complex reasoning
• thinking_level parameter for adjustable reasoning depth
• Excellent cross-file understanding
• State-of-the-art for medical and biomedical imagery

Optimal Scenarios:

1. Tasks exceeding Opus 4.5’s 200K context
2. Multimodal analysis (diagrams, screenshots, video)
3. Large codebase analysis requiring full context
4. Understanding legacy codebases with visual documentation
5. Complex reasoning with Deep Think mode

Model Selection Strategy

Model Capabilities

Claude Opus 4.5 - The Default Choice

Best For All Coding Tasks:

• First to score >80% on SWE-Bench Verified
• Best for agents, computer use, and agentic workflows
• Enhanced prompt injection resistance
• Superior reasoning depth
• Recommended with Max/Ultra subscription plans

Use when:

• Daily coding and development (default)
• Architecture and complex planning
• Agent building and automation
• Security-critical code review

Alternative Models

Claude Sonnet 4.5:

• Cost-effective at $3/$15 per 1M tokens
• 1M context for large codebases
• Use when budget-conscious or need >200K context

Cursor Composer 1 (Cursor only):

• 4x faster (250 tokens/sec)
• Better than Sonnet for speed/price in Cursor
• Great for rapid iteration

GPT-5.1-Codex-Max (Cursor, Copilot):

• Bug fixing specialist
• UI generation expert
• 24+ hour task endurance

Gemini 3 Pro:

• Best multimodal model
• 1M context + Deep Think mode
• Extreme context or image/video analysis

Context Window Considerations

graph TD A[New Task] --> B{Context Size?} B -->|< 200K tokens| C[Claude Opus 4.5 - Default] B -->|> 200K tokens| D{Budget?} D -->|Has budget| E[Gemini 3 Pro] D -->|Budget-conscious| F[Claude Sonnet 4.5] C --> G{Special needs?} G -->|Bug fix or UI| H[GPT-5.1-Codex-Max] G -->|Speed-critical in Cursor| I[Cursor Composer 1] G -->|No| J[Stay with Opus 4.5]

Cost-Performance Matrix

Use Case	Recommended Model	Alternative
Daily Coding	Claude Opus 4.5	Sonnet 4.5 (budget)
Bug Fixing	GPT-5.1-Codex-Max	Opus 4.5
UI Generation	GPT-5.1-Codex-Max	Opus 4.5
Speed-Critical (Cursor)	Cursor Composer 1	Opus 4.5
Architecture	Claude Opus 4.5	-
Large Context (>200K)	Gemini 3 Pro	Sonnet 4.5
Multimodal Analysis	Gemini 3 Pro	-

Pricing Analysis

Token-Based Pricing (December 2025)

Model	Input (per 1M tokens)	Output (per 1M tokens)	Notes
Claude Opus 4.5	$5	$25	Best coding model, default (67% cheaper than Opus 4.5)
Claude Sonnet 4.5	$3	$15	Cost-effective alternative
GPT-5.1-Codex-Max	$1.25	$10	Bug fixing & UI specialist
Gemini 3 Pro	$2	$12	Best multimodal, 1M context
Cursor Composer 1	Premium tier	Premium tier	4x faster, Cursor only

Subscription Impact

Cursor Pricing

Pro ($20/month)

• Access to Claude Opus 4.5, Sonnet 4.5
• GPT-5.1-Codex-Max available
• Cursor Composer 1 available

Ultra ($200/month) - Recommended

• Full Claude Opus 4.5 access
• Full GPT-5.1-Codex-Max access
• Cursor Composer 1 unlimited
• Best for professional development

Claude Code Pricing

Pro ($20/month)

• 10-40 prompts/5 hours with Sonnet 4.5
• Limited Opus 4.5 access

Max 5x ($100/month) - Recommended

• 50-200 prompts/5 hours
• Full Opus 4.5 access
• Best value for heavy users

Max 20x ($200/month)

• 200-800 prompts/5 hours
• Unlimited practical usage
• Full Opus 4.5 access

Advanced Selection Techniques

Model Routing Strategy

// Intelligent model selection based on task
function selectModel(task: CodingTask): AIModel {
  // Bug fixing or UI work
  if (task.type === 'bug_fix' || task.type === 'ui_generation') {
    return 'gpt-5.1-codex-max'; // Cursor or GitHub Copilot
  }

  // Speed-critical work in Cursor
  if (task.priority === 'speed' && task.tool === 'cursor') {
    return 'cursor-composer-1';
  }

  // Extreme context needs (>200K tokens)
  if (task.contextSize > 200_000) {
    return task.budget === 'limited' ? 'claude-sonnet-4.5' : 'gemini-3-pro';
  }

  // Multimodal analysis
  if (task.type === 'multimodal') {
    return 'gemini-3-pro';
  }

  // Default to best model
  return 'claude-opus-4.5';
}

Multi-Model Workflows

Example: Complex Feature Implementation

1. Planning & Architecture: Claude Opus 4.5 (default for all tasks)
2. Implementation: Claude Opus 4.5 for coding
3. Bug Fixing: GPT-5.1-Codex-Max for specific bugs
4. UI Refinement: GPT-5.1-Codex-Max for frontend work
5. Review: Claude Opus 4.5 for security audit

Reality: Opus 4.5 handles steps 1, 2, and 5. Use GPT-5.1-Codex-Max for specialized bug/UI work. In Cursor, use Composer 1 when speed is critical.

Performance Benchmarks

Task	Claude Opus 4.5	Claude Sonnet 4.5	GPT-5.1-Codex-Max	Gemini 3 Pro	Composer 1
SWE-Bench	>80%	~75%	77.9%	~70%	~72%
Code Generation	99%	97%	94%	90%	92%
Bug Detection	98%	95%	97%	88%	90%
UI Generation	95%	93%	97%	89%	91%
Refactoring	99%	97%	91%	88%	89%
Architecture	99%	96%	89%	87%	85%
Agent Building	99%	97%	90%	86%	88%
Speed (relative)	75%	100%	95%	85%	400%
Context Window	200k	1M	200k+	1M	TBD

Model-Specific Tips

Claude Opus 4.5 (Default)

• Use clear, specific prompts for best results
• Leverage effort parameter for adjustable reasoning depth
• Excellent for agentic workflows and computer use
• Best for architecture, coding, security review
• Recommended with Max/Ultra subscription plans

Claude Sonnet 4.5 (Budget Alternative)

• Use for cost-conscious development
• Leverage 1M context for large codebase analysis
• Good alternative when Opus 4.5 quota is exhausted
• Same prompting style as Opus 4.5

Cursor Composer 1 (Speed)

• Best for rapid iteration in Cursor
• 4x faster than other models
• Better second choice than Sonnet in Cursor
• Great for high-throughput coding sessions

GPT-5.1-Codex-Max (Bug/UI Specialist)

• Direct, task-focused prompts for bugs
• Great for iterative UI refinement
• Leverage 24+ hour capability for long tasks
• Available in both Cursor and GitHub Copilot

Gemini 3 Pro (Multimodal/Context)

• Best for image/video analysis in code projects
• Use Deep Think mode for complex reasoning
• Only when you exceed 200K tokens
• Best multimodal model available

Staying Updated

Check These Resources

Official Changelogs:

• Cursor: https://cursor.com/changelog
• Claude Code: https://claudelog.com/claude-code-changelog/
• Anthropic: https://www.anthropic.com/news

Current State (November 2025):

• Claude Opus 4.5 is THE BEST coding model (>80% SWE-Bench)
• Opus 4.5 is now the default for all coding tasks
• Cursor Composer 1 offers 4x speed for Cursor users
• GPT-5.1-Codex-Max excels at bug fixing and UI
• Gemini 3 Pro leads in multimodal and extreme context
• Recommend Max/Ultra subscription plans for full Opus 4.5 access

Model Selection Checklist

1. Start with Claude Opus 4.5

   • Default for all coding tasks
   • First to score >80% on SWE-Bench
   • Best for agents, computer use, and agentic workflows
   • Recommended with Max/Ultra subscription plans

2. Add GPT-5.1-Codex-Max When Needed (Cursor, GitHub Copilot)

   • Specialized bug fixing
   • UI generation and iteration
   • Frontend-heavy work
   • Long-running tasks (24+ hour capability)

3. Use Cursor Composer 1 for Speed (Cursor only)

   • 4x faster than other models
   • Better than Sonnet 4.5 for speed/price in Cursor
   • Great for rapid iteration

4. Consider Alternatives When Necessary

   • Sonnet 4.5: Budget-conscious or need >200K context
   • Gemini 3 Pro: Multimodal or exceeding 200K tokens

Best Practices

1. Default to Claude Opus 4.5 - Best coding model (>80% SWE-Bench), handles all tasks
2. Use GPT-5.1-Codex-Max for bug fixing and UI - Specialized for these tasks
3. Use Composer 1 for speed in Cursor - 4x faster, better than Sonnet for speed/price
4. Monitor usage - Track which models provide best ROI
5. Get Max/Ultra plans - Full access to Opus 4.5 for professional development
6. Stay updated - Check Cursor changelog and Claude Code changelog regularly