Capability tiers
End users pick a tier, not a specific model — so prompts and agent configs stay portable when the model behind a tier changes.Smartest
Deepest reasoning for complex, multi-step work.
Balanced
The best everyday default — strong quality at moderate cost.
Fastest
Quick and cheap for simple, high-volume tasks.
Model matrix
Each provider fills the same three tiers. The number next to each model is its relative cost — a multiple of Claude Opus 4.8 (1×), blended across input and output tokens (assuming a ~3:1 input-to-output mix), so every model sits on one scale. Figures are public list prices as of July 2026; actual billing is usage-based.
Using models with agents
How a configured agent locks its chats to a single model.