The best AI for research
Which model to use for research, why, and how to try it without paying for three separate subscriptions.
Model data updated: 2026-10-04
Top pick: ChatGPT
Broad general knowledge and a habit of laying out trade-offs rather than picking blindly.
The most widely used general-purpose assistant, with the broadest ecosystem of tools and integrations.
- Balanced quality across almost every task
- Strongest tool and plugin ecosystem
- Reliable multimodal (image) understanding
| Representative model | Provider | Context | Input | Output |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GPT-5.6 Terra | OpenAI | 128K | $0.50 | $1.50 |
per 1M tokens. Prices are the providers’ list prices in USD per million tokens and can change at any time. Use them for comparison, not billing.
Also good
Gemini
Strong price-to-performance with fast responses and generous free access — the model behind Blend’s free trial.
Claude
Favoured for long documents, careful reasoning and natural writing, with very large context windows.
Try this question
Compare these three options and tell me which fits my case.
In Blend you do not have to choose manually — Auto sends this kind of question to the model above.
ChatGPT models you can use in Blend
| Model | Context | Input | Output | Images |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GPT-5.6 Terra | 128K | $0.50 | $1.50 | Yes |
| GPT-5.2 | 128K | $0.50 | $1.50 | Yes |
| GPT-5.4 mini | 128K | $0.50 | $1.50 | Yes |
| GPT-5.4 nano | 128K | $0.50 | $1.50 | Yes |
Blend currently exposes 4 ChatGPT models with published pricing or context figures.
Tasks where ChatGPT is the first pick
Frequently asked
The best AI for research
ChatGPT (OpenAI). Broad general knowledge and a habit of laying out trade-offs rather than picking blindly. In Blend you do not have to choose manually — Auto sends this kind of question to the model above.
Try this question
Compare these three options and tell me which fits my case.
Can I ask ChatGPT and Gemini the same question at once?
Yes. Blend sends one question to both and puts the answers side by side, and a second model can fact-check the first. There is a free daily tier with no signup.
Blend — one question, multiple AIs, better answers
Related comparisons
- The best AI for coding
- The best AI for writing
- The best AI for translation
- The best AI for studying
- ChatGPT vs Claude
- ChatGPT vs Gemini
Model capabilities and prices change often. Figures come from Blend’s automatically synced registry and are shown for comparison. All model prices · Terms · Privacy Policy · Refund