Which AI model is best for coding in 2026?

Claude Opus 4.6 edges out GPT-5.4 for practical coding work. Its 65.4% Terminal-Bench score and included Claude Code CLI — which can read your entire repo, run shell commands, and make multi-file edits — give it a real workflow advantage. GPT-5.4 scores 74.9% on SWE-bench (a different benchmark), but Claude wins in day-to-day agent-based coding sessions.

What is the cheapest AI API in 2026?

Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite is the cheapest at $0.25/1M input tokens — 120x cheaper than GPT-5.4's $30/1M. For standard Gemini 3.1 Pro, input costs $2/1M. Claude Opus 4.6 at $5/1M is the middle ground offering a strong quality-to-cost ratio. GPT-5.4 at $30/1M is the most expensive for input.

ChatGPT 5.4 vs Claude Opus 4.6: which should I choose?

It comes down to your workflow. Choose GPT-5.4 if you need image generation, voice mode, Computer Use API, or deep enterprise integrations. Choose Claude Opus 4.6 if you prioritise coding, long-document analysis (1M context with no quality loss), or want the cheapest API input at $5/1M. Both $20/month subscriptions offer strong value — they're complementary rather than substitutes.

Is Gemini 3.1 better than ChatGPT?

Gemini 3.1 Pro beats GPT-5.4 on reasoning (94.3% GPQA vs ~78%), raw output speed (114.8 t/s vs 82.1 t/s), and API cost ($2/1M vs $30/1M). GPT-5.4 leads on coding benchmarks, enterprise adoption (68% market share), and multimodal capabilities. Gemini 3.1 is still in Preview as of March 2026, which is a consideration for production use.

How much does Claude Pro cost per month?

Claude Pro costs $20/month — the same as ChatGPT Plus. It includes Claude Opus 4.6 with 200K context, Claude Code CLI, and priority access. Anthropic also offers a Claude Max plan at $100/month with higher usage limits and a Fast mode option ($30/$150 per 1M tokens) for lower-latency responses.

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ChatGPT 5.4 vs Claude Opus 4.6 vs Gemini 3.1AI Model Comparison Tool

Benchmarks, pricing, and speed data from March 2026. Pick a category or use case to narrow the comparison — or scan all specs side-by-side in the table below.

Updated March 24, 2026 · By Jim Liu

TL;DR — Key takeaways

GPT-5.4Best for enterprises, image gen, and voice. Priciest API at $30/1M input.
Claude 4.6Best for coding and long docs. Cheapest input at $5/1M, fastest TTFT at 1.91s.
Gemini 3.1Best reasoning (94.3% GPQA), fastest output (114.8 t/s), cheapest API ($2/1M).

Use-case recommender

Pick your primary use case and we will highlight the best model for it.

OpenAI

GPT-5.4

Released March 5, 2026

Pricing

Subscription$20/mo (Plus) · $200/mo (Pro)

API input

$30 / 1M tokens

API output$15 / 1M tokens

Standard tier

Speed

Output speed

82.1 t/s

Time to first token

195.78s

Coding

Score

Top coder74.9% SWE-bench

Reasoning

Score

Strong (broad)

Context

Window

272K (1M experimental)

+Computer Use API (browser + desktop)

+Largest ecosystem (800M+ users)

+68% enterprise market share

+Best multimodal (image gen + voice)

−Highest API input cost ($30/1M)

−Slowest TTFT at 195.78s

Anthropic

Claude Opus 4.6

Released February 4, 2026

Pricing

Subscription$20/mo (Pro) · $100/mo (Max)

API input

$5 / 1M tokens

API output$25 / 1M tokens

Fast mode: $30/$150 per 1M

Speed

Output speed

40.4 t/s (101 t/s fast)

Time to first token

Fastest TTFT1.91s

Coding

Score

65.4% Terminal-Bench

Reasoning

Score

OSWorld 72.7%

Context

Window

Best recall1M tokens (no degradation)

+Cheapest API input at $5/1M tokens

+Fastest TTFT at 1.91s

+Best long-context recall (76% MRCR v2)

+Claude Code CLI included with Pro

−Slower standard output (40 t/s)

−Fast mode expensive ($150/1M out)

Google

Gemini 3.1 Pro

Released February 19, 2026

Pricing

SubscriptionFree tier available

API input

Cheapest$2 / 1M tokens

API output$12 / 1M tokens

Flash-Lite: $0.25 in / $1.50 out

Speed

Output speed

Fastest output114.8 t/s

Time to first token

25.50s

Coding

Score

Mid-tier

Reasoning

Score

Best reasoner94.3% GPQA Diamond

Context

Window

1M tokens (64K output cap)

+Cheapest API at $2/1M input

+Fastest output at 114.8 t/s

+Best reasoning (94.3% GPQA)

+Native video + audio + text multimodal

−Still Preview, not GA

−64K output token cap

−Mid-tier coding performance

How we tested

Speed and TTFT figures are median values from 50+ API calls via the Artificial Analysis benchmark suite (March 2026). Coding scores reflect SWE-bench Verified (GPT-5.4) and Terminal-Bench (Claude 4.6). Reasoning uses GPQA Diamond. Long-context recall uses MRCR v2. All API pricing sourced from official provider pages as of March 24, 2026.

Spec	GPT-5.4	Claude Opus 4.6	Gemini 3.1 Pro
Provider	OpenAI	Anthropic	Google
Released	March 5, 2026	February 4, 2026	February 19, 2026
Sub (base)	$20/mo (Plus)	$20/mo (Pro)	Free tier available
API input	$30 / 1M tokens	$5 / 1M tokens	$2 / 1M tokens
API output	$15 / 1M tokens	$25 / 1M tokens	$12 / 1M tokens
Context	272K (1M experimental)	1M tokens (no degradation)	1M tokens (64K output cap)
Output speed	82.1 t/s	40.4 t/s (101 t/s fast)	114.8 t/s
TTFT	195.78s	1.91s	25.50s
Coding	74.9% SWE-bench	65.4% Terminal-Bench	Mid-tier
Reasoning	Strong (broad)	OSWorld 72.7%	94.3% GPQA Diamond

Frequently asked questions

Which AI model is best for coding in 2026?: Claude Opus 4.6 edges out GPT-5.4 for practical coding work. Its 65.4% Terminal-Bench score and included Claude Code CLI — which can read your entire repo, run shell commands, and make multi-file edits — give it a real workflow advantage. GPT-5.4 scores 74.9% on SWE-bench (a different benchmark), but Claude wins in day-to-day agent-based coding sessions.
What is the cheapest AI API in 2026?: Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite is the cheapest at $0.25/1M input tokens — 120x cheaper than GPT-5.4's $30/1M. For standard Gemini 3.1 Pro, input costs $2/1M. Claude Opus 4.6 at $5/1M is the middle ground offering a strong quality-to-cost ratio. GPT-5.4 at $30/1M is the most expensive for input.
ChatGPT 5.4 vs Claude Opus 4.6: which should I choose?: It comes down to your workflow. Choose GPT-5.4 if you need image generation, voice mode, Computer Use API, or deep enterprise integrations. Choose Claude Opus 4.6 if you prioritise coding, long-document analysis (1M context with no quality loss), or want the cheapest API input at $5/1M. Both $20/month subscriptions offer strong value — they're complementary rather than substitutes.
Is Gemini 3.1 better than ChatGPT?: Gemini 3.1 Pro beats GPT-5.4 on reasoning (94.3% GPQA vs ~78%), raw output speed (114.8 t/s vs 82.1 t/s), and API cost ($2/1M vs $30/1M). GPT-5.4 leads on coding benchmarks, enterprise adoption (68% market share), and multimodal capabilities. Gemini 3.1 is still in Preview as of March 2026, which is a consideration for production use.
How much does Claude Pro cost per month?: Claude Pro costs $20/month — the same as ChatGPT Plus. It includes Claude Opus 4.6 with 200K context, Claude Code CLI, and priority access. Anthropic also offers a Claude Max plan at $100/month with higher usage limits and a Fast mode option ($30/$150 per 1M tokens) for lower-latency responses.