Startups need AI that is fast, reliable, and won't destroy the runway. Claude Sonnet 4.6 is the best daily-driver: top coding scores, 1M context, and $3/1M input. For rapid content generation, Gemini 3.1 Flash is half the price. For deep research, Claude Opus 4.7 is the premium option when quality demands it.
The shortest way to see the safest default, the lower-cost option, and the specialist pick before you read deeper.
Claude Sonnet 4.6 is the safest overall answer here when you want the strongest default instead of the lowest list price.
Switch the scoring lens to see whether the top answer changes when you care more about cost, speed, or long-document work.
Anthropic / Premium / Mar 23, 2026
Best daily driver for coding and writing — the model most developers actually reach for.
Ranks models by the broadest mix of coding, writing, research, and long-context usefulness.
You specifically need desktop-control capabilities (GPT-5.4) or the absolute highest coding ceiling (Opus 4.6).
The fastest way to see where the recommendation shifts when your priority changes.
79.6% on SWE-bench — second only to Opus 4.6, with 1M context at $3/1M
Default model in Cursor and Windsurf, the two most popular AI coding editors
Best writing quality in its price tier — tone, long-form clarity, editorial polish
Claude Opus 4.6 is 1.2% better on SWE-bench for the most demanding coding tasks
GPT-5.4 is the better pick when desktop/computer-use control is the priority
UseRightAI recommendations are based on practical decision factors people actually feel in day-to-day use.
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Most startups should build on Claude Sonnet 4.6 as their primary model — it covers coding, writing, and research at $3/1M input. Add Gemini 3.1 Flash for high-volume tasks. Upgrade to Claude Opus 4.7 only when the specific task justifies the cost.
Claude Haiku ($0.80/1M input), GPT-5.2 Mini, and Gemini 3.1 Flash are the cheapest frontier-class options for startups. Llama 4 Scout is free if you self-host or use Groq.
Both. Claude Sonnet 4.6 leads on coding and writing quality. GPT-5.4 is preferred if your product is OpenAI-native (Codex, ChatGPT integrations) or requires computer-use. Many startups use Claude for primary tasks and OpenAI for specific integrations.
Meta: Llama 3.1 8B Instruct is the lower-cost option to start with when you still need useful output at scale.
DeepSeek V3 is the better pick when response speed matters more than maximum reasoning depth.
Gemini 3.1 Flash is the best one-model default for cost-sensitive startup teams.
GPT-5.2 Mini is a better fit if your startup is more technical than content-heavy.
GPT-5.4 only makes sense as the default when the cost of wrong answers is already high.
Use a cheap broad model for repeated internal prompts, drafts, and quick analysis.
Add one premium model later for roadmap bets, technical planning, or customer-facing work.
The right startup stack is usually two models, not one premium default forced onto every task.
