ModelSpec is an analysis of alternatives for AI models: it decides which models fit a job from your requirements, sourced benchmarks and real cost, and shows its work.
General assistant on a budget
Find an active assistant that keeps one task at or under $0.05 without ignoring response quality.
Worked example as of 2026-09-23, from the public data image.
At most $0.05 a task; quality still ranked.
Requirements
model.class = text-generator: A conversational assistant needs a text-generating model.model.lifecycle = active: An active model is still supported by its lab or provider.offering.cost_per_task <= 0.05: The offering must stay within the per-task budget.
Preferences
chat_preference: Prefer stronger assistants among offerings inside the budget.-offering.cost_per_task: Prefer the cheaper task among offerings inside the budget.
Applied template spec
spec_version- 1
where- model.class = text-generator
- model.lifecycle = active
- offering.cost_per_task <= 0.05
optimizeweightschat_preference- 0.5
-offering.cost_per_task- 0.5
Worked answer
Decision status: partial.
Tied on the evidence
google/gemini-3-8-flashgoogle/gemini-3-7-flash
probability bands: a model joins the leader when P(its score >= the leader's) >= 0.25 under the score posteriors; a weighted capability with an 80% interval wider than 2.8 is not enough evidence
Tie-breakers describe members of the tie. They do not establish a winner.
- Most independently measured tie-breaker: google/gemini-3-8-flash
This is a partial answer. Unknown facts or missing objective evidence can leave eligible candidates unranked.
probability bands: a model joins the leader when P(its score >= the leader's) >= 0.25 under the score posteriors; a weighted capability with an 80% interval wider than 2.8 is not enough evidence
Score and score interval use the objective's dimensionless normalised units. Cost per task is for the engine-selected offering and the applied spec's task size. When task size is omitted, the engine uses its documented default. P(best) is the engine probability. Unavailable means the engine did not return a value. Thin evidence is undetermined and is not a recommendation.
Best band
| Model | Score | Score interval | P(best) | Cost per task, USD | Capability estimates and intervals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
google/gemini-3-8-flash | 0.5 | [0.415207, 0.584793] | 0.578125 | 0.045 |
|
google/gemini-3-7-flash | 0.469767 | [0.384974, 0.55456] | 0.34375 | 0.045 |
|
Rest band
| Model | Score | Score interval | P(best) | Cost per task, USD | Capability estimates and intervals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
google/gemini-2-5-flash | 0.407801 | [0.331894, 0.483709] | 0.078125 | 0.022 |
|
Unknown requirements
Some candidates may qualify. Missing facts:
chat_preferenceoffering.cost_per_task
Engine warnings
- not_separable
Decision dec_31e56e608d050b9f9287f060 on public snapshot snap_05a963d2477ac2fb.
What this template teaches
The budget is a Must; inside it, cost and quality share the ranking equally.
The live board uses current data. Its answer can change as evidence changes.
Human lookup is free on Decide. CLI, API, and MCP access requires a key. Access and pricing.