Claude — 400K context, reasoning
ChatGPT — Fast, web search built-in
Gemini — 1M context, research mode
Perplexity — Real-time web + citations
DeepSeek — 10–50x cheaper
Cursor — Best IDE (Claude/GPT)
Claude Code — CLI tool, automation
GitHub Copilot — Widest IDE support
Windsurf — Agentic workflows
JetBrains AI — For JetBrains IDEs
Midjourney — Images ($10/mo)
Runway — Video generation
Suno — Music (free tier solid)
ElevenLabs — Voice/narration
NotebookLM — PDF synthesis
Anthropic API — Claude, pay-per-token
OpenAI API — GPT models
Google Vertex — Gemini integration
LangChain — LLM framework (free)
CrewAI — Multi-agent (free)
| Need | Recommendation | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Chat & Q&A | Claude or ChatGPT | Both excellent; Claude for long docs |
| Writing | Claude | Best at nuance and longer content |
| Coding | Cursor or Claude Code | Best IDE or CLI experience |
| Math/Reasoning | Claude Opus or DeepSeek | Strongest logical reasoning |
| Speed | GPT-5.5 or DeepSeek | Sub-second responses |
| Images | Midjourney | Highest quality |
| Budget | DeepSeek V4 | 10–50x cheaper, high quality |
| Factor | Best Option | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| 🏆 Highest Quality | Claude Opus 4.7 | $15/$75 per 1M in/out tokens |
| 🚀 Fastest | GPT-5.5 Instant | $2/$8 per 1M in/out tokens |
| 🎯 Best Balance | Claude Sonnet or GPT-5.5 | $3/$15 or $2/$8 per 1M |
| 💰 Cheapest | DeepSeek V4 | $0.14/$0.28 per 1M in/out tokens |
| 📚 Longest Context | Gemini 3.1 Pro | 1M tokens, $2/$12 per 1M |