Best of
Best AI for pictures, audio and video
Gemini 4 Argon can take in text, pictures, audio, video and files; Qwen3.8 Flash and Nemotron 3.5 Super VL are low-cost options for pictures and video.
Costs here use the prices AI companies charge software developers, so they show relative cost, not your monthly bill. See what ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini charge you.
| Model and our take (editorial) | Type | Smartness | Reads at once* | Essay | Chat | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gemini 4 Argon Google's top model. It can read text, pictures, audio, video and files, at a mid-range price. | Most capable | ★★★★★ | 1,570 pages | $0.01 | $2.62 | $0.07 |
| Muse Wonder Meta's top model for complex personal and work tasks. It understands text, pictures, video, audio and PDFs. | Most capable | Not rated yet | 1,570 pages | $0.03 | $5.25 | $0.15 |
| Gemini 3.8 Flash Google's best fast model: a middle ground between cheap and capable. It understands audio and video too. | Everyday and cheap | ★★★★☆ | 1,570 pages | $0.01 | $1.08 | $0.03 |
| Qwen3.8 Flash A cheap model that understands pictures and video, and can be downloaded and run yourself. | Everyday and cheapfree to download | Not rated yet | 1,500 pages | <1¢ | $0.19 | $0.01 |
| Nemotron 3.5 Super VL A downloadable model that reads documents, screenshots and video at low cost. A free listing exists on OpenRouter. | Free to downloadfree to download | ★★☆☆☆ | 1,570 pages | <1¢ | $0.19 | $0.01 |
| Moondream 3.1 A small model for answering questions about images, describing them and reading text in them. | Single-purposefree to download | Not rated yet | 50 pages | <1¢ | $0.41 | $0.01 |
How we chose: What each model can take in comes from OpenRouter's listing. We have not tested quality on your media.
Why each one
Gemini 4 Argon
Google's top model. It can read text, pictures, audio, video and files, at a mid-range price.
Google's top model. It can read text, pictures, audio, video and files, at a mid-range price.
Muse Wonder
Meta's top model for complex personal and work tasks. It understands text, pictures, video, audio and PDFs.
Meta's top model for complex personal and work tasks. It understands text, pictures, video, audio and PDFs.
Gemini 3.8 Flash
Google's best fast model: a middle ground between cheap and capable. It understands audio and video too.
Google's best fast model: a middle ground between cheap and capable. It understands audio and video too.
Qwen3.8 Flash
A cheap model that understands pictures and video, and can be downloaded and run yourself.
A cheap model that understands pictures and video, and can be downloaded and run yourself.
Nemotron 3.5 Super VL
A downloadable model that reads documents, screenshots and video at low cost. A free listing exists on OpenRouter.
A downloadable model that reads documents, screenshots and video at low cost. A free listing exists on OpenRouter.
Moondream 3.1
A small model for answering questions about images, describing them and reading text in them.
A small model for answering questions about images, describing them and reading text in them.