---
doc_version: "1.0.0"
last_updated: "2026-07-14T15:00:57.718Z"
title: "Choosing the Right AI Model"
description: "Compare the AI models available in ChatbotIQ (OpenAI GPT-5 family, Anthropic Claude, Google Gemini, and Mistral) to find the right balance of quality, speed, and cost for your use case."
keywords: [AI models, GPT-5, Claude, Gemini, Mistral, model comparison, model selection, ChatbotIQ]
---

ChatbotIQ supports models from four providers: **OpenAI**, **Anthropic**, **Google**, and **Mistral**. Each model offers a different balance of quality, speed, and cost. This guide helps you pick the right one.

---

## The models at a glance

| Model | Provider | Quality | Speed | Best for |
|-------|----------|:-------:|:-----:|----------|
| **GPT-5 Mini** | OpenAI | Good | Fast | General use. The best default choice. |
| **Gemini 3 Flash** | Google | Good | Very fast | Speed-critical applications. |
| **Mistral Small 3.2** | Mistral | Good | Fast | Lightweight tasks. EU-hosted. |
| **Mistral Medium 3.5** | Mistral | Very good | Moderate | Multilingual reasoning, EU-hosted. |
| **GPT-5.2** | OpenAI | Excellent | Moderate | Complex technical questions. |
| **Gemini 3 Pro** | Google | Very good | Moderate | Multilingual and complex tasks. |
| **Claude Sonnet 4.6** | Anthropic | Excellent | Moderate | Nuanced, well-structured responses. |
| **Claude Opus 4.6** | Anthropic | Best | Slower | Highest quality for critical use cases. |

For credit costs per model, see [Plans, Credits & Pricing](/reference/plans-credits-and-pricing/#credit-costs-by-model).

---

## How to think about model choice

### Start with GPT-5 Mini

For most use cases, GPT-5 Mini is the right choice. It's fast, accurate, and costs 1x credits, meaning your monthly credit budget goes furthest. It handles documentation queries, support questions, and general knowledge retrieval very well.

Only upgrade if you have a specific reason.

### When to upgrade

**Choose a more powerful model if:**

- **Your content is highly technical** - complex engineering documentation, legal text, or scientific material benefits from models with stronger reasoning (GPT-5.2, Claude Sonnet 4.6).
- **You need nuanced responses** - if your bot handles sensitive topics (HR policies, medical information), a model like Claude Sonnet 4.6 produces more careful, well-structured answers.
- **Quality is more important than cost** - for customer-facing bots where every answer matters, investing in a higher-quality model can be worth it.
- **Multilingual content** - Gemini 3 Pro and Claude models tend to perform better across languages.

**Stay with GPT-5 Mini if:**

- Your content is straightforward (help articles, FAQs, product docs).
- You're on a budget and want maximum messages per credit.
- Speed matters more than nuance.

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## Quality vs. cost tradeoff

Here's a practical way to think about it:

| Scenario | Recommended model | Why |
|----------|------------------|-----|
| Help center / FAQ bot | GPT-5 Mini | Simple Q&A, high volume, cost matters |
| Technical documentation bot | GPT-5 Mini or GPT-5.2 | Try Mini first; upgrade if answers lack depth |
| Customer support (external-facing) | GPT-5 Mini or Claude Sonnet 4.6 | Mini for volume; Claude for quality |
| Internal knowledge bot | GPT-5 Mini | Team members tolerate less polish |
| Legal / compliance bot | Claude Sonnet 4.6 | Nuance and accuracy are critical |
| Small site, low volume | Claude Opus 4.6 | Few messages = cost doesn't matter, maximize quality |

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## Related

- [Plans, Credits & Pricing](/reference/plans-credits-and-pricing/#credit-costs-by-model) - model pricing
- [Choose and Switch AI Models](/how-to/switch-ai-models/) - step-by-step switching guide
- [Bot Settings Reference](/reference/bot-settings/) - all model-related settings

## Sitemap

Full documentation index: [sitemap.md](/sitemap.md) and [llms.txt](/llms.txt).