Best AI for coding: Claude, GPT or Gemini, and which agent?

No single AI wins every coding task. Anthropic, OpenAI and Google each offer a top model for long, hard coding work, a cheaper model for everyday edits, and a coding agent: Claude Code, Codex or Google Antigravity. Pick the family by the agent you like and the model by the task, then test on your own code.

Which AI is best for coding right now?#

New models arrive every few months, so any ranking goes stale fast. What holds longer is how each vendor sorts its own lineup. This is how their model pages and coding docs describe the newest models, checked on 2026-11-03:

The top models of all three vendors aim at the same work: hard, multi-step coding. So the step from an everyday model to a top one often matters more than the step between families.

Not every model in the table runs on 5abeer. These are the ones that do, from each family, at our price per million tokens:

If two versions of one model appear, the higher number is the newer one. On 5abeer the default model is claude-sonnet-5.5, and claude-opus-5.5 and claude-fable-5.1 are there for the hardest problems. To choose within one family, see Which Claude model to use and Which GPT model to use.

Which coding agent should you use?#

The model does the thinking, and the agent decides what it can reach: your files, terminal and git history.

So choosing the agent mostly chooses the family. Anthropic says it doesn't support routing Claude Code to non-Claude models through any gateway, and Codex runs GPT models here. OpenCode is the exception: an open-source agent that works with any provider you give it a key for. If you pay for Cursor now, A cheaper Cursor alternative compares it with these agents.

How do you test two of them on your own code?#

An afternoon on your own repository tells you more than any ranking:

1. Pick three real tasks from your backlog: a small bug, a feature that touches several files, and a refactor. Write down what "done" means for each, such as the tests that must pass.
2. Create one key per provider. Each 5abeer key covers one provider, and your dashboard shows usage and cost per key (Track your usage), so each agent's bill stays separate. Give each key a spend limit, so a test can't overrun (Control every key).
3. Run each task in two agents with the family's everyday model: Sonnet in Claude Code and Sol in Codex, for example. Start each run from the same commit on a fresh branch, with the same prompt.
4. Compare three things: whether the tests passed on the first try, how many follow-up prompts it took, and what the finished task cost on its key.
5. Rerun only the failures on the top model (Opus, Astra or Argon). If it fixes them, keep it for that kind of task, and leave everyday work on the cheaper model.

What does a month of AI coding cost?#

You pay in one of two ways: a plan with a fixed monthly price and usage limits, or an API key billed per token. These are the vendors' own monthly plans:

Claude Code comes with Anthropic's Pro, Max and Ultra plans, not with Free. OpenAI includes Codex in every ChatGPT plan, Free included, and Google lets personal accounts use Antigravity on any plan, including the free tier.

On a key you pay per token, and every agent turn resends the conversation, the files it reads and the output of its commands. Here is a month of steady work, twenty million tokens in and two million out, on the default model:

And the same month on claude-opus-5.5:

The gap between the two is why the test starts on the everyday model. Cached input is billed at a lower rate, and Claude Code caches repeated context on its own, so real sessions usually cost less (Prompt caching). Through 5abeer, every model priced per token costs less on the API than its official price, as both lines show. For when a plan beats a key, see The cheapest way to use Claude Code.

5abeer's Bundle plans are Pro, Max (formerly Max 5x) and Ultra (formerly Max 20x), and every one of them runs Claude Code, Codex, Google Antigravity and OpenCode. 5abeer's Max has 5 times the limits of 5abeer's Pro, and 5abeer's Ultra has 20 times, with a 5-hour limit and a weekly limit (Subscription limits). These are 5abeer's plans, not Anthropic's or OpenAI's plans with the same names: 5abeer's Pro is not Claude Pro or ChatGPT Pro, and 5abeer's Max and Ultra are not Anthropic's Max and Ultra. They cost less than the official price, as on the pricing page:

How do you run these agents through 5abeer?#

5abeer is an independent service, not affiliated with OpenAI, Anthropic or Google. Its API follows the OpenAI, Anthropic Messages and Gemini formats, so Claude Code, Codex and OpenCode work with a 5abeer key as they ship, and Google Antigravity runs on a plan:

On a plan: you turn your plan on for each agent in the 5abeer AI app, as in What each plan runs. Plans are for the supported apps, and to use the models from your own code you need an API key.

With a key: Claude Code reads the base URL and the key from the env section of ~/.claude/settings.json. Keep them in that user file, not in a project's .claude/settings.json, which usually goes into the repository:

{
  "env": {
    "ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL": "https://api.5abeer.ai",
    "ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN": "YOUR_5ABEER_API_KEY",
    "ANTHROPIC_MODEL": "claude-sonnet-5.5"
  }
}

Codex reads a custom provider from ~/.codex/config.toml and takes the key from the environment variable that env_key names:

model = "gpt-6.1-sol"
model_provider = "khabeer"

[model_providers.khabeer]
name = "5abeer"
base_url = "https://api.5abeer.ai/v1"
env_key = "KHABEER_API_KEY"
wire_api = "responses"

Full steps are in Claude Code setup, Codex CLI setup and OpenCode setup.

FAQ#

Is one AI best at every coding task?#

No. Even within one vendor, the top model can be wasted on a one-line fix, and the everyday model can stall on a change across many files. Match the model to the task, and keep the top one for the tasks the cheaper one fails.

Is Claude or GPT better for coding?#

Both vendors build their top model for complex coding, so it depends on your code and the agent you prefer. On a Bundle plan you can run Claude Code and Codex on the same project and compare.

Which model should I start coding with?#

The everyday model: Sonnet in Claude Code, Sol in Codex. Move up to Opus or Astra for a problem across many files or when the first answer falls short, then move back. Anthropic's and OpenAI's model pages point unsure users to a top model (Opus or Astra); starting lower is about cost.

Can Claude Code run GPT or Gemini models?#

Not with Anthropic's support. For GPT models use Codex, for Gemini models use Google Antigravity or Gemini CLI with a key, and for all three in one agent use OpenCode.

Do scripts and CI need a 5abeer API key?#

Yes. 5abeer plans are for the supported apps, so a script or a CI job needs a 5abeer API key. The GitHub setup is in Claude Code in GitHub Actions.

Can I change the model in the middle of a task?#

Yes. In Claude Code, /model switches the model during a session, and a switch to Opus also applies to the subagents that inherit the session's model. In Codex, /model changes the model too.

Sources#

Checked on 2026-11-03:

• Anthropic: Models overview, Claude pricing, and the Claude Code docs: Overview, Costs, Settings, GitHub Actions and LLM gateways
• OpenAI: Models, ChatGPT desktop app, Codex CLI, Codex pricing and Advanced configuration
• Google: Gemini models, Latest model, the Antigravity FAQ and Gemini CLI
• OpenCode: Docs

Get started#

Compare paying by plan and by token in AI subscription vs API, or set up Codex on a key with Codex CLI with an API key.