Best AI models for reasoning
Benchquill ranking for reasoning tasks, with top models, alternatives, benchmark notes, cost, and context tradeoffs.
For reasoning work, compare the task-specific leader against lower-cost alternatives. The best model is the one that passes your own prompt set with the right balance of score, cost, context, and review risk.
Best reasoning models to inspect
| Rank | Model | Provider | Overall | Blended cost | Context |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GPT-5.5 | OpenAI | 94.6 | $23.75/M | 1.05M |
| 2 | Claude Opus 4.7 | Anthropic | 93.8 | $20.00/M | 1M |
| 3 | Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview | 92.4 | $9.50/M | 1M | |
| 7 | DeepSeek V4-Pro | DeepSeek | 87.9 | $0.76/M | 1M |
Benchmarks to check for reasoning
- GPQA Diamond - graduate-level science reasoning and careful multi-step answers.
Category pages should be used as shortlists, not final procurement answers. A coding, reasoning, or math leader can still lose if the workload needs lower latency, stricter data controls, a larger context window, lower blended token cost, or an open-weight deployment path. For source-backed decisions, check the linked benchmark profile, compare at least one premium model against one cheaper route, and rerun your own prompts with real acceptance criteria.