Reasoning guide

Best reasoning models

This page ranks models that explicitly expose reasoning-related support and then sorts them by context and live pricing signals that matter for analytical workloads.

Live signalExplicit reasoning or include_reasoning support in the live catalog
Live signalContext room for multi-step prompts and evaluation traces
Live signalPaid pricing visibility for sustained analytical workloads
Live signalUseful for research, planning, and higher-complexity tasks
Fast answer

Start with the live shortlist, then validate the route

TVP treats a model as reasoning-capable when the live catalog reports reasoning-related supported parameters such as reasoning or include_reasoning.

Data source and freshness

Catalog-backed, not a static price sheet

TVP refreshes this page from the live OpenRouter model catalog. This render used 428 public model records and was synchronized Jul 14, 2026, 9:32 PM UTC. Pricing, availability, and context values can change.

Verify the exact route before sending production traffic, then use the linked model and provider pages as the source for current values. Read the TVP data methodology.

Shortlist

Top live candidates right now

x-ai

xAI: Grok 4.20

Grok 4.20 is a reasoning model from xAI with industry-leading speed and agentic tool calling capabilities. It combines the lowest hallucination rate on the market with strict prompt adherance, delivering...

Context2,000,000
Input$1.25
Output$2.50

2,000,000 token context plus reasoning support makes it a stronger fit for analytical and multi-step tasks.

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x-ai

xAI: Grok 4.20 Multi-Agent

Grok 4.20 Multi-Agent is a variant of xAI’s Grok 4.20 designed for collaborative, agent-based workflows. Multiple agents operate in parallel to conduct deep research, coordinate tool use, and synthesize information...

Context2,000,000
Input$1.25
Output$2.50

2,000,000 token context plus reasoning support makes it a stronger fit for analytical and multi-step tasks.

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openai

OpenAI: GPT-5.6 Luna

GPT-5.6 Luna is a fast, cost-efficient model in OpenAI's GPT-5.6 series. It is suited for high-volume, latency-sensitive tasks such as chat, classification, and lightweight agentic workflows, providing capable reasoning for...

Context1,050,000
Input$1.00
Output$6.00

1,050,000 token context plus reasoning support makes it a stronger fit for analytical and multi-step tasks.

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openai

OpenAI: GPT-5.6 Luna Pro

GPT-5.6 Luna Pro is the same underlying model as [GPT-5.6 Luna](TVP catalog), served with `reasoning.mode` set to `pro` for higher-quality responses on complex tasks. Learn more in OpenAI's docs: https://developers.openai.com/api/docs/guides/reasoning#reasoning-mode

Context1,050,000
Input$1.00
Output$6.00

1,050,000 token context plus reasoning support makes it a stronger fit for analytical and multi-step tasks.

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openai

OpenAI: GPT-5.4

GPT-5.4 is OpenAI’s latest frontier model, unifying the Codex and GPT lines into a single system. It features a 1M+ token context window (922K input, 128K output) with support for...

Context1,050,000
Input$2.50
Output$15.00

1,050,000 token context plus reasoning support makes it a stronger fit for analytical and multi-step tasks.

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FAQ

What buyers usually ask

What counts as a reasoning model here?

TVP treats a model as reasoning-capable when the live catalog reports reasoning-related supported parameters such as reasoning or include_reasoning.

Who should use reasoning models?

Reasoning models are a fit for tasks where the cost of a bad answer is higher than the cost of a slower or more expensive call, such as research, planning, or complex debugging.

Next step

Use the guide, then validate the route in live TVP data.

TVP keeps the shortlist connected to the current catalog, provider coverage, and token pricing so buyers can move from research to routing without starting over.