The Hottest AI Models of 2025 and How to Use Them

AI models are emerging rapidly from various sources, including major tech companies like Google and innovative startups like OpenAI. With so many new models being released, it can be challenging to determine which one best fits your needs.

The promotion of these AI models often relies on industry benchmarks, but these technical performances frequently do not translate into practical applications for users in the real world. To help ease your decision-making process, we have compiled a detailed overview of the most advanced AI models available since 2024, outlining their best-use cases and how to access them. This list will be regularly updated as new models launch.

There is an astonishing number of AI models available today—over a million, with platforms like Hugging Face hosting more than 1.4 million. Consequently, this overview may not encompass all high-performing models, but it highlights some of the latest and most impactful.

AI Models Released in 2025

Google Gemini 2.5

The Gemini 2.5 Pro Experimental is a reasoning model by Google intended for creating web applications and code agents. Although powerful, it does fall short compared to other models, like Claude Sonnet 3.7, on certain coding benchmarks. Accessing this model requires a monthly subscription of $20 for Gemini Advanced.

ChatGPT-4o Image Generator

OpenAI has enhanced its GPT-4o model to also generate images. This updated version gained popularity for its ability to transform images into a unique anime style reminiscent of Studio Ghibli. Users must subscribe to ChatGPT Plus for a minimum of $20 per month to utilize this feature.

Stability AI’s Stable Virtual Camera

Stability AI offers a model that can create 3D scenes and camera angles from a single 2D image. While impressive, it struggles with more complicated scenes that include elements like people or moving water. The model is available for noncommercial research on Hugging Face.

Cohere’s Aya Vision

Cohere has released a multimodal model called Aya Vision, which excels in tasks like captioning images and answering questions about photos. It also supports multiple languages better than many other AI models. Aya Vision can be accessed for free via WhatsApp.

OpenAI’s GPT 4.5 “Orion”

The Orion model by OpenAI is touted as their largest model yet, showcasing strong world knowledge and emotional intelligence. However, in specific benchmarks, it has been outperformed by newer reasoning models. It is available through a $200-per-month subscription.

Claude Sonnet 3.7

Anthropic claims Claude Sonnet 3.7 is the industry’s first hybrid reasoning model, capable of quick responses and deeper thinking when required. Users can set a time limit for how long the model thinks. Access to Sonnet 3.7 is available to all Claude users, but heavier users will need to subscribe to the $20/month Pro plan.

xAI’s Grok 3

Grok 3 is the flagship model from xAI, the startup founded by Elon Musk. It claims strong performance in math, science, and coding compared to other models. It is accessible through X Premium, which costs $50 monthly. Elon Musk has vowed to improve Grok’s political neutrality after users expressed concerns over its previous biases.

OpenAI o3-mini

This smaller version of OpenAI’s reasoning model is optimized for STEM-related tasks. Although it isn’t as powerful as some other models, its reduced size means it comes at a significantly lower cost. The o3-mini is available for free but may require a subscription for heavy users.

OpenAI Deep Research

OpenAI’s Deep Research model is designed for in-depth topic research, offering clear citations for accuracy. Only available with the ChatGPT Pro subscription at $200 a month, it's recommended for various research purposes, though users should be cautious of AI inaccuracies.

Mistral Le Chat

Mistral’s Le Chat is a multimodal AI personal assistant available in app form. It is claimed to respond faster than other chatbots and offers a paid version featuring current journalism from the AFP. Early tests have shown strong performance but also some errors relative to ChatGPT.

OpenAI Operator

OpenAI's Operator acts as a personal intern to help manage tasks independently, like grocery shopping. Access requires a $200 per month subscription. Although promising, AI agents like Operator are still experimental. A reviewer noted that the Operator autonomously decided to purchase a dozen eggs for $31 using the reviewer’s credit card.

Google Gemini 2.0 Pro Experimental

This flagship model from Google is said to excel at coding and general knowledge. With an extensive context window of 2 million tokens, it assists users in quickly processing large amounts of text. A Google One AI Premium subscription of $19.99 per month is required for access.

AI Models Released in 2024

DeepSeek R1

This Chinese AI model has garnered attention for its strong performance in coding and mathematics, while also being open source and free to run locally. However, it comes with concerns regarding integration with Chinese government censorship and data privacy issues.

Gemini Deep Research

The Gemini Deep Research model from Google summarizes search results into concise, well-cited documents, making it a useful tool for students needing quick summaries. However, users should beware that its quality does not match that of peer-reviewed studies. A $19.99 subscription is necessary for access.

Meta Llama 3.3 70B

The latest in Meta’s Llama AI family, the 3.3 70B version is both efficient and cost-effective for math and general knowledge tasks. It is currently free and open source.

OpenAI Sora

The Sora model generates realistic videos from text prompts. While capable of creating complete scenes, it often suffers from issues related to realistic physics. Access is limited to paid versions of ChatGPT, starting at $20 per month.

Alibaba Qwen QwQ-32B-Preview

This model competes with OpenAI’s standards on certain benchmarks, especially in math and coding. Despite being labeled a reasoning model, it still has room for improvements in common-sense reasoning. It's free and open source but includes government censorship.

Anthropic’s Computer Use

Designed to take control of devices for tasks such as coding or booking travel, Claude's Computer Use remains in beta. Pricing is based on API usage, costing $0.80 per million tokens for input and $4 per million tokens for output.

xAI’s Grok 2

Elon Musk's enhanced version of Grok 2 claims to be three times faster than its predecessor. Free users have limited access while subscribers to X’s plans enjoy more extensive usage. xAI has also launched an image generator called Aurora, which creates highly realistic images.

OpenAI o1

This family of models aims to provide better responses through a hidden reasoning feature, excelling particularly in coding and safety. Access requires subscribing to ChatGPT Plus at $20 monthly.

Anthropic’s Claude Sonnet 3.5

According to Anthropic, this model is best in class, particularly for coding tasks. While it can understand images, it does not possess image generation capabilities. Access is free on Claude, although power users will need a $20 monthly subscription.

OpenAI GPT 4o-mini

This model is promoted as OpenAI’s fastest and most affordable option, ideal for tasks like powering customer service bots. It is available on ChatGPT’s free tier but is better suited for simple tasks.

Cohere Command R+

Designed for enterprise applications, Cohere’s Command R+ excels in complex retrieval-augmented generation tasks, effectively locating and citing specific information. However, it does not entirely eliminate AI's hallucination issues.

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