Models are included when their public model metadata indicates coding, programming, developer, software, or code generation use cases.
Best LLM API Models for Coding
This guide highlights models whose public metadata indicates coding, programming, developer, or software-oriented use cases.
Quick shortlist
Start with DeepSeek V4.1 Flash.
This guide starts with coding-oriented models and practical popularity signals so developers can shortlist options faster.
The ranking is a discovery aid, not a final recommendation. Always compare the model against your workload and verify provider pricing before production use.
Model Ranking
Browse all models| Model | Provider | Prompt | Output | Sample cost | Your Cost | Context | Popularity | Release |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🔥DeepSeek V4.1 Flash | DeepSeek | $0.0158 | $0.891 | $0.46 | $0.46 | 1.05M | #1 | |
| New🔥Step 5 Preview | StepFun | $1 | $2.7 | $2.35 | $2.35 | 1M | #2 | |
| 🔥GLM 5.3 Flash | Z.ai | $0.15 | $0.5 | $0.4 | $0.4 | 1.05M | #3 | |
| 🔥Hy4 preview | Tencent | $0.7506 | $2.2509 | $1.88 | $1.88 | 1.05M | #5 | |
| 🔥Claude Opus 5.5 | Anthropic | $4 | $20 | $14 | $14 | 1M | #8 | |
| 🔥DeepSeek V4 Flash 0731 | DeepSeek | $0.016 | $0.64 | $0.34 | $0.34 | 1.05M | #9 | |
| 🔥GLM 5.3 | Z.ai | $0.12 | $4.8 | $2.52 | $2.52 | 1.05M | #10 | |
| NewPareto 26.9 | unbiased | $2.5 | $7.5 | $6.25 | $6.25 | 262.14K | ||
| NewGemini 4 Argon | $2 | $10 | $7 | $7 | 1.05M | |||
| NewGemini 4 Argon (batch) | $1 | $5 | $3.5 | $3.5 | 1.05M | |||
| NewClaude Haiku 5.5 | Anthropic | $0.1 | $0.5 | $0.35 | $0.35 | 1M | ||
| NewClaude Haiku 5.5 (batch) | Anthropic | $0.05 | $0.25 | $0.17 | $0.17 | 1M | ||
| NewMistral Large 4 | Mistral | $0.68 | $2.09 | $1.73 | $1.73 | 1.05M | ||
| NewApodex 1.1 Mini (free) | Apodex | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | 262.14K | ||
| NewPareto 26.10 Preview | unbiased | $0.8 | $3.2 | $2.4 | $2.4 | 1.05M | ||
| NewGPT-6.1 Sol | OpenAI | $2 | $10 | $7 | $7 | 1.05M | ||
| NewGPT-6.1 Sol (batch) | OpenAI | $1 | $5 | $3.5 | $3.5 | 1.05M | ||
| Space Bunny Alpha | stealth | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | 1M | ||
| Claude Opus 5.5 (batch) | Anthropic | $2 | $10 | $7 | $7 | 1M | ||
| Grok 4.7 | SpaceXAI | $2 | $6 | $5 | $5 | 500K | ||
| Ternary Bonsai 2 27B | PrismML | $0.075 | $0.5 | $0.33 | $0.33 | 262.14K | ||
| Pareto | unbiased | $2.5 | $7.5 | $6.25 | $6.25 | 262.14K | ||
| Union Alpha | stealth | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | 262.14K | ||
| DeepSeek V4.1 Flash (batch) | DeepSeek | $0.112 | $0.336 | $0.28 | $0.28 | 1.05M | ||
| Nex-N2.5-Mini | Nex AGI | $0.025 | $0.1 | $0.08 | $0.08 | 262.14K | ||
| Nex-N2.5-Mini (free) | Nex AGI | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | 262.14K | ||
| Nex-N2.5-Pro | Nex AGI | $0.075 | $0.25 | $0.2 | $0.2 | 262.14K | ||
| Nex-N2.5-Pro (free) | Nex AGI | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | 262.14K | ||
| GPT-6 Astra | OpenAI | $10 | $50 | $35 | $35 | 1.05M | ||
| GPT-6 Astra (batch) | OpenAI | $5 | $25 | $17.5 | $17.5 | 1.05M | ||
| Muse Spark 1.3 Contributor | Meta | $0.1 | $0.2 | $0.2 | $0.2 | 1.05M | ||
| Muse Spark 1.3 | Meta | $1.25 | $4.25 | $3.38 | $3.38 | 1.05M | ||
| Gemini 3.8 Flash | $0.75 | $3.75 | $2.62 | $2.62 | 1.05M | |||
| Gemini 3.8 Flash (batch) | $0.375 | $1.875 | $1.31 | $1.31 | 1.05M | |||
| Claude Fable 5.1 | Anthropic | $10 | $50 | $35 | $35 | 1M | ||
| Claude Fable 5.1 (batch) | Anthropic | $5 | $25 | $17.5 | $17.5 | 1M | ||
| Granite 4.2 8B | IBM | $0.06 | $0.25 | $0.18 | $0.18 | 131.07K | ||
| Qwen3.8 Flash | Qwen | $0.15 | $0.47 | $0.39 | $0.39 | 1M | ||
| GLM 5.3 Flash (batch) | Z.ai | $0.06 | $0.2 | $0.16 | $0.16 | 1.05M | ||
| Muse Spark 1.2 Contributor | Meta | $0.1 | $0.2 | $0.2 | $0.2 | 1.05M | ||
| Ox Alpha | stealth | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | 1.05M | ||
| GLM 5.3 (batch) | Z.ai | $0.45 | $2 | $1.45 | $1.45 | 1.05M | ||
| Qwen3.8 27B | Qwen | $0.04 | $2.3 | $1.19 | $1.19 | 1M | ||
| Qwen3.8 27B (free) | Qwen | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | 262.14K | ||
| Gemini 3.7 Flash | $0.75 | $3.75 | $2.62 | $2.62 | 1.05M | |||
| Gemini 3.7 Flash (batch) | $0.375 | $1.875 | $1.31 | $1.31 | 1.05M | |||
| Seed 2.1 Turbo | ByteDance Seed | $0.5 | $2.5 | $1.75 | $1.75 | 262.14K | ||
| Seed-2.0-Code | ByteDance Seed | $0.5 | $3 | $2 | $2 | 262.14K | ||
| Grok 4.6 | SpaceXAI | $2 | $6 | $5 | $5 | 500K | ||
| LFM2.5-2.6B (free) | LiquidAI | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | 65.54K |
Pricing FAQ
How is the sample workload cost calculated?
The sample workload uses 1,000,000 input tokens plus 500,000 output tokens, then applies each model's normalized USD price per 1 million tokens.
Why do input and output token prices matter separately?
Many applications are output-token heavy, while retrieval and classification workloads may be input-token heavy. Comparing both prices helps avoid picking a model that is cheap for the wrong workload shape.
Should I verify prices before production use?
Yes. AI Model Matrix normalizes public pricing metadata for comparison, but provider availability, limits, and prices can change. Always verify the final contract or provider dashboard before production use.
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