Last Updated: November 21, 2025
Major Models Overview
| Model | Developer | Latest Version | Context Window | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GPT-4 Turbo | OpenAI | GPT-4 Turbo (Nov 2023+) | 128K tokens | General tasks, creative writing, code |
| Claude 3 Opus | Anthropic | Claude 3 Opus (March 2024) | 200K tokens | Complex analysis, long documents, coding |
| Claude 3 Sonnet | Anthropic | Claude 3 Sonnet | 200K tokens | Balanced speed/intelligence |
| Gemini Ultra | Gemini 1.5 Pro | 1M tokens | Multimodal, long context, analysis | |
| Llama 2 70B | Meta | Llama 2 (July 2023) | 4K tokens | Open source, self-hosting |
| Mistral Large | Mistral AI | Mistral Large | 32K tokens | European alternative, efficiency |
| Perplexity | Perplexity AI | Multiple models | Varies | Real-time search, citations |
Capability Comparison
| Capability | GPT-4 | Claude 3 Opus | Gemini Ultra |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coding | Excellent | Excellent | Very Good |
| Math/Reasoning | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent |
| Creative Writing | Excellent | Outstanding | Very Good |
| Analysis | Very Good | Outstanding | Excellent |
| Following Instructions | Very Good | Excellent | Good |
| Image Understanding | Very Good | Excellent | Excellent |
| Multilingual | Very Good | Good | Excellent |
| Speed | Fast | Medium (Sonnet: Fast) | Fast |
| Honesty/Accuracy | Good | Excellent | Good |
| Safety/Refusals | Moderate | Conservative | Moderate |
Pricing Comparison (per 1M tokens)
| Model | Input Cost | Output Cost | Free Tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| GPT-4 Turbo | $10 | $30 | Limited via ChatGPT free |
| GPT-3.5 Turbo | $0.50 | $1.50 | Unlimited via ChatGPT |
| Claude 3 Opus | $15 | $75 | Limited free messages |
| Claude 3 Sonnet | $3 | $15 | Available |
| Claude 3 Haiku | $0.25 | $1.25 | API only |
| Gemini 1.5 Pro | $7 (128K), $3.50 (>128K) | $21 (128K), $10.50 (>128K) | 60 requests/min free |
| Mistral Large | $8 | $24 | Trial credits |
| Llama 2 70B | Free (self-host) | Free (self-host) | Open source |
Strengths & Weaknesses
| Model | Key Strengths | Notable Weaknesses |
|---|---|---|
| GPT-4 | Versatile, plugin ecosystem, large community | Can be verbose, occasional hallucinations |
| Claude 3 Opus | Nuanced understanding, long context, thoughtful | Slower, more expensive, sometimes over-cautious |
| Claude 3 Sonnet | Fast, good balance, affordable | Less capable than Opus for complex tasks |
| Gemini Ultra | Massive context, multimodal, integrated with Google | Newer, less polished, availability limited |
| Llama 2 | Open source, customizable, privacy | Requires infrastructure, less capable |
| Mistral | European data residency, efficient | Smaller ecosystem, newer platform |
Use Case Recommendations
| Use Case | Best Choice | Alternative | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Code Generation | GPT-4 Turbo | Claude 3 Opus | Strong coding capabilities, wide language support |
| Long Document Analysis | Gemini 1.5 Pro | Claude 3 Opus | 1M token context, excellent comprehension |
| Creative Writing | Claude 3 Opus | GPT-4 | Nuanced, natural prose, character depth |
| Research & Citations | Perplexity | Gemini (Google Search) | Real-time info, source citations |
| Customer Support Chatbot | GPT-3.5 Turbo | Claude 3 Haiku | Cost-effective, fast responses |
| Complex Reasoning | Claude 3 Opus | GPT-4 | Superior analytical capabilities |
| Privacy-Sensitive Work | Llama 2 (self-hosted) | Mistral (European) | Data control, compliance |
| Multimodal Tasks | Gemini Ultra | GPT-4 Vision | Native multimodal architecture |
| Budget Projects | Claude 3 Haiku | GPT-3.5 | Low cost, decent performance |
| Translation | Gemini | GPT-4 | Multilingual strength |
API Access & Platforms
| Model Family | Chat Interface | API | Integrations |
|---|---|---|---|
| GPT-4 | ChatGPT, ChatGPT Plus | OpenAI API | Microsoft Copilot, many third-party |
| Claude | Claude.ai, Claude Pro | Anthropic API, AWS Bedrock | Notion, Slack (limited) |
| Gemini | Google Bard/Gemini | Google AI Studio, Vertex AI | Google Workspace, Android |
| Llama | Various (Hugging Face, etc.) | Self-hosted, Together AI | Open source ecosystem |
| Mistral | Le Chat | Mistral API, Azure | Growing ecosystem |
Safety & Alignment
GPT-4: RLHF + Rule-based
Reinforcement learning from human feedback with moderation
Claude: Constitutional AI
Self-supervised learning based on principles, more cautious
Gemini: Multiple safety filters
Adjustable safety settings, integrated with Google Safety
Llama: Community-driven
Base model, safety depends on implementation
Benchmark Scores (Approximations)
| Benchmark | GPT-4 | Claude 3 Opus | Gemini Ultra |
|---|---|---|---|
| MMLU (General Knowledge) | 86.4% | 86.8% | 90.0% |
| HumanEval (Coding) | 67.0% | 84.9% | 74.4% |
| MATH (Problem Solving) | 52.9% | 60.1% | 53.2% |
| GSM8K (Grade School Math) | 92.0% | 95.0% | 94.4% |
| TruthfulQA (Truthfulness) | ~60% | ~68% | ~64% |
Training Data Knowledge Cutoff
GPT-4 Turbo: April 2023
Some versions with later cutoffs
Claude 3: August 2023
Most recent training data
Gemini: April 2023
Can access real-time Google Search
Llama 2: July 2023
Open source, static knowledge
Perplexity: Real-time
Always current via web search
Model Selection Checklist
Context length needed?
Gemini (1M) > Claude (200K) > GPT-4 (128K)
Budget constraints?
Haiku/GPT-3.5 for cost, Opus for quality
Speed requirements?
GPT-3.5, Claude Haiku, Gemini Flash fastest
Privacy/compliance needs?
Consider self-hosted Llama or Mistral
Multimodal (images)?
GPT-4V, Claude 3, Gemini all support vision
Real-time information?
Use Perplexity or Gemini with search
Creative tasks?
Claude 3 Opus excels at nuanced writing
Code generation?
GPT-4 or Claude 3 Opus both excellent
Emerging Models to Watch
GPT-5 (OpenAI)
Expected major upgrade, release TBD
Llama 3 (Meta)
Next open source iteration
Grok (xAI)
Elon Musk's AI, real-time X integration
Inflection Pi
Personal AI assistant focus
Cohere Command
Enterprise-focused with RAG capabilities
💡 Pro Tip:
Don't rely on a single model! Use GPT-4 for quick tasks and plugins, Claude 3 Opus for complex analysis and writing, and Gemini for huge documents. For production apps, test multiple models on your specific use case before committing. Context length and pricing often matter more than benchmark scores!