How we rank AI models
Our rankings summarize what people say after using AI models for real work. Here is exactly how a ranking is made, and where it can go wrong.
1. Collect public comments
Each month we collect public Reddit comments from 17 communities where people discuss AI models, including r/LocalLLaMA, r/ClaudeAI, r/GeminiAI, r/OpenAI, r/ChatGPT, r/singularity, r/SillyTavernAI, r/StableDiffusion, r/WritingWithAI and r/translator. The October 2026 edition covers Aug 29, 2026 to Oct 28, 2026.
2. Keep only real opinions about a specific model and task
We match exact model names and versions (for example "Opus 5.5" or "Gemma 4", not just "Claude" or "Gemini"), then keep comments that give an opinion. A person reads each candidate and decides which task it is about and whether the comment is positive, mixed or negative about each model it names. News, questions, jokes and benchmark screenshots are skipped. Bots are excluded, and each author counts at most three times per task.
The everyday assistant page is the exception: it ranks the apps (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and so on), so plain product names count there.
3. Score
The score is the share of positive opinions, counting mixed as half, with five neutral votes added so a model with three positive comments does not outrank one with forty. A model needs at least 6 opinions on a task to be ranked. Below that it appears under "early reads".
Score = (positive + ½ × mixed + 2.5) ÷ (opinions + 5) × 100
4. Write it up and link the sources
We summarize what people liked and disliked in our own words and link to the original comments so you can check them yourself.
What this can't tell you
- Opinions are not measurements. Users judge on their own prompts, settings and expectations.
- Communities lean. Local-model forums favor open models; a brand's own subreddit attracts both fans and complaints.
- Small samples move. Rankings with fewer than 12 opinions are marked as small samples.
- Models change. Providers update models quietly, so we refresh every month and date every page.
- Hype and astroturfing happen. We cap repeat authors, but we can't verify who is behind every account.
Found a comment we got wrong? Tell us and we'll fix it in the next edition.