Which AI model should I use? Choosing it yourself vs using Tierpik

ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok, Perplexity and Copilot each offer several models, and most let you set how hard the model thinks. The right choice depends on the task and on the plan you pay for, because every choice draws on that plan's usage limits differently.

How choosing it yourself usually goes

You guess. It's easy to leave the strongest model on for everything. It works, but it uses the most of your limit, including on tasks a lighter model handles well.
You ask the chatbot. It answers from what it learned in training, which can be older than the current line-up, and it can't see which plan you're on.
You read posts and threads. They're often written for an older line-up or a different plan, and rarely say when they were last true.

What Tierpik does instead

You type the task in your own words. Tierpik picks one answer for your plan:

the model, and the exact setting (effort, thinking level or mode)
where to find it in the app
which usage limit it draws from
what to step up to if it falls short

It covers 6 apps, 26 plans from Free to the top tier, and 31 kinds of task. Model and plan data: checked 10 Nov 2026.

Side by side

	Choosing yourself	Tierpik
Accounts for your plan	Only if you check	Yes, for the plan you pick
Gives the setting, not just the model	Rarely	Yes
Says which limit it uses	Rarely	Yes
Shows when its information was checked	Rarely	Yes (10 Nov 2026)
Account needed	No	No sign-up

When choosing yourself is fine

If you do the same kind of work every day and already know which model handles it, you may not need Tierpik for that. It helps most when the task changes, when you hit limits, or after an app changes its line-up.

Limits of Tierpik

Tierpik's data is dated, so it can lag behind a change an app makes today. Your typed task is read in your browser and isn't sent anywhere. If a pick falls short, use the step-up it shows.

Try Tierpik

Tierpik team