AI Model Comparison Guide
You open the model picker and see five options. Each has different strengths, context windows, and price points. This guide tells you which model to use for which task, when to switch, and how much it costs.
What You Will Walk Away With
Section titled “What You Will Walk Away With”- A clear default model recommendation for each tool
- Decision criteria for when to switch models
- Pricing breakdowns per request type
- A model routing strategy you can use immediately
Quick Selection Guide
Section titled “Quick Selection Guide”| Task | Recommended Model | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Complex coding (default) | Claude Opus 4.6 | Top SWE-Bench scores, best agentic performance |
| Everyday coding (budget) | Claude Sonnet 4.5 | Excellent quality at one-fifth the cost |
| All Codex tasks | GPT-5.4 | Default model across all Codex and ChatGPT surfaces |
| Bug fixing, UI work (Cursor) | GPT-5.2 | Specialized for bug fixes and frontend |
| Speed-critical (Cursor) | Cursor Composer 2 | Frontier coding model, MoE architecture |
| Large codebase (>200K tokens) | GPT-5.4, Gemini 3 Pro, or Sonnet 4.5 | 1M token context windows |
| Multimodal (images, video) | Gemini 3 Pro | Best image/video analysis |
| Architecture and design | Claude Opus 4.6 | Deepest reasoning capabilities |
| Budget | Primary Model | Alternative |
|---|---|---|
| Premium (best quality) | Claude Opus 4.6 | GPT-5.4 |
| Standard | Claude Sonnet 4.5 | GPT-5.2 |
| Speed-focused (Cursor) | Cursor Composer 2 | Sonnet 4.5 |
| Cost-sensitive | Cursor Composer 2 | Claude Sonnet 4.5 |
| Enterprise/Multimodal | Gemini 3 Pro | Sonnet 4.5 |
Model Specifications
Section titled “Model Specifications”Full Comparison Table
Section titled “Full Comparison Table”| Model | Provider | Context | Output Limit | SWE-Bench | Input $/1M | Output $/1M | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Claude Opus 4.6 | Anthropic | 200K | 64K | Best | $5 | $25 | Standard |
| Claude Sonnet 4.5 | Anthropic | 1M | 64K | Strong | $3 | $15 | Standard |
| GPT-5.4 | OpenAI | 1M | — | 57.7% Pro | $2.50 | $10 | Standard |
| GPT-5.2 | OpenAI | 200K+ | — | 77.9% | $1.25 | $10 | Standard |
| Cursor Composer 2 | Cursor | 200K | — | 61.7 T-Bench | $0.50 | $2.50 | Fast |
| Gemini 3 Pro | 1M | — | Good | $2 | $12 | Standard |
Claude Opus 4.6 (Anthropic)
Section titled “Claude Opus 4.6 (Anthropic)”The default recommendation for complex coding tasks.
- Released: February 2026
- Context window: 200K tokens with 64K output limit
- Key strength: Top SWE-Bench scores, best agentic performance across hundreds of tools
- Available in: Claude Code (default), Cursor (model picker), Anthropic API
When to use: Architecture decisions, complex debugging, multi-step autonomous tasks, security audits, system design. This is your default model — start here and only switch when you have a specific reason.
Pricing: $5 / $25 per 1M tokens (input/output). Effort parameter allows adjustable reasoning depth for cost control.
Claude Sonnet 4.5 (Anthropic)
Section titled “Claude Sonnet 4.5 (Anthropic)”The budget-conscious workhorse with a massive context window.
- Released: September 2025
- Context window: 1M tokens (5x larger than Opus 4.6)
- Key strength: Excellent coding at one-fifth the cost. Best value per token.
- Available in: Claude Code, Cursor, Anthropic API
When to use: Everyday coding tasks, when budget matters, when you need more than 200K tokens of context (large codebase analysis), or when Opus 4.6 quota is exhausted.
Pricing: $3 / $15 per 1M tokens (input/output).
GPT-5.4 (OpenAI)
Section titled “GPT-5.4 (OpenAI)”The default model across all Codex and ChatGPT surfaces.
- Released: March 2026
- Context window: Up to 1M tokens
- Key strength: First general-purpose model with native computer-use capabilities (75% OSWorld). Incorporates GPT-5.3-Codex coding abilities plus improved tool use.
- Available in: Codex App, Codex CLI, Codex IDE, Codex Cloud, ChatGPT, API
- Benchmarks: 57.7% SWE-bench Pro, 75% OSWorld, 83% GDPval
When to use: All Codex workflows — this is the new default. Also strong for tasks involving computer use, spreadsheets, presentations, and documents. GPT-5.4 Pro variant available for maximum performance.
Pricing: $2.50 / $10 per 1M tokens (input/output). Also available via Codex subscription plans.
GPT-5.2 (OpenAI)
Section titled “GPT-5.2 (OpenAI)”Bug fixing and UI generation specialist.
- Released: November 2025
- Context window: 200K+ tokens with compaction for extended tasks
- SWE-Bench: 77.9%
- Key strength: Specialized for bug identification and frontend work. 24+ hour task endurance.
- Available in: Cursor, GitHub Copilot
When to use: Targeted bug fixing, UI component generation, frontend-heavy features. Available in Cursor’s model picker for specialized tasks.
Pricing: $1.25 / $10 per 1M tokens (input/output).
Gemini 3 Pro (Google)
Section titled “Gemini 3 Pro (Google)”Best multimodal model with extreme context.
- Released: November 2025
- Context window: 1M tokens
- Key strength: Best image, audio, and video analysis. Deep Think mode for complex reasoning.
- Available in: Cursor (model picker), direct API
When to use: Tasks requiring more than 200K tokens of context, multimodal analysis (diagrams, screenshots, video walkthroughs), or when you need Deep Think reasoning mode.
Pricing: $2 / $12 per 1M tokens (input/output).
Cursor Composer 2 (Cursor)
Section titled “Cursor Composer 2 (Cursor)”Frontier coding model built in-house by Cursor.
- Released: March 2026
- Architecture: Mixture-of-Experts (MoE) built on Kimi K2.5, enhanced with Cursor’s RL training
- Context window: 200K tokens
- Benchmarks: 61.3 CursorBench, 61.7 Terminal-Bench 2.0, 73.7 SWE-bench Multilingual
- Available in: Cursor only
When to use: Fast local iteration in Cursor. Optimized for multi-file edits, code generation, refactoring, and long task chains. Beats Claude Opus 4.6 on Terminal-Bench 2.0 while costing a fraction of the price.
Pricing: $0.50 / $2.50 per 1M tokens (standard), $1.50 / $7.50 (fast variant with same intelligence).
Model Routing Strategy
Section titled “Model Routing Strategy”Use this decision tree for day-to-day work:
- Start with your tool’s default: Opus 4.6 for Claude Code, GPT-5.4 for Codex
- Need speed in Cursor? Switch to Composer 2
- Need budget savings? Switch to Composer 2 or Sonnet 4.5
- Context exceeds 200K? Use GPT-5.4, Sonnet 4.5, or Gemini 3 Pro (1M context)
- Bug fixing or UI in Cursor? Consider GPT-5.2
- Need multimodal analysis? Gemini 3 Pro
- Everything else? Stay with the default
Cost Analysis
Section titled “Cost Analysis”Average Cost Per Request
Section titled “Average Cost Per Request”| Request Type | Opus 4.6 | Sonnet 4.5 | GPT-5.2 | Gemini 3 Pro |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Simple completion (1K tokens) | ~$0.03 | ~$0.02 | ~$0.01 | ~$0.01 |
| Standard refactor (10K tokens) | ~$0.30 | ~$0.18 | ~$0.11 | ~$0.14 |
| Large analysis (50K tokens) | ~$1.50 | ~$0.90 | ~$0.55 | ~$0.65 |
| Complex architecture (100K tokens) | ~$3.00 | ~$1.80 | ~$1.10 | ~$1.30 |
Subscription Context
Section titled “Subscription Context”| Plan | Price | Models Included | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pro | $20/month | All models, ~500 fast requests | Everyday development |
| Ultra | $200/month | All models, ~10K requests | Power users |
Model switching is free within your plan. You pay per request, not per model choice.
| Plan | Price | Primary Model | Messages/5hrs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pro | $20/month | Sonnet 4.5 (Opus limited) | 10-40 |
| Max 5x | $100/month | Full Opus 4.6 | 50-200 |
| Max 20x | $200/month | Full Opus 4.6 | 200-800 |
To use Opus 4.6 extensively, Max 5x or higher is recommended.
| Plan | Price | Model | Access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plus | $20/month | GPT-5.4 | Basic Codex access |
| Pro | $200/month | GPT-5.4 | Full Codex with Cloud |
Codex uses GPT-5.4 as the default across all surfaces.
Performance Benchmarks
Section titled “Performance Benchmarks”| Category | Opus 4.6 | Sonnet 4.5 | GPT-5.4 | GPT-5.2 | Gemini 3 Pro | Composer 2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SWE-Bench | Best | Strong | 57.7% Pro | 77.9% | Good | 73.7 Multi |
| Code generation | Excellent | Very good | Very good | Good | Good | Very good |
| Bug detection | Excellent | Very good | Very good | Excellent | Good | Good |
| Architecture | Excellent | Very good | Good | Fair | Good | Fair |
| Computer use | No | No | 75% OSWorld | No | No | No |
| Context window | 200K | 1M | 1M | 200K+ | 1M | 200K |
| Cost efficiency | Premium | Best value | Good value | Budget | Good value | Cheapest |
Model Selection Checklist
Section titled “Model Selection Checklist”-
Identify your primary tool: Cursor, Claude Code, or Codex
-
Start with the default model: Opus 4.6 (Claude Code), GPT-5.4 (Codex), or best available (Cursor)
-
Evaluate task complexity: Simple tasks do not need the most expensive model
-
Check context requirements: Files exceeding 200K tokens need Sonnet 4.5 or Gemini 3 Pro
-
Consider budget: Track with
/cost(Claude Code), Settings > Usage (Cursor), or Codex dashboard -
Adjust as needed: Switch models based on task, not habit
Best Practices
Section titled “Best Practices”- Default to the best model for tasks that matter — architecture, security review, complex debugging
- Downgrade for routine work — simple fixes, boilerplate, formatting do not need Opus 4.6
- Use speed models for iteration — Composer 2 in Cursor for rapid trial-and-error cycles
- Monitor costs weekly — Track which models provide the best ROI for your workflow
- Stay updated — Model capabilities and pricing change frequently. Check the Updates page