Which reasoning model should I start with to keep costs down?

Start with GLM-5.1 or GPT-5.4 Mini for low-cost analytical work. GLM-5.1 is $1 / $3.20 per 1 million tokens, and GPT-5.4 Mini is $0.75 / $4.50.

When should I use Perplexity Reasoning or Deep Research?

Use Perplexity Reasoning or Deep Research when the answer depends on current web information or citations. They add a fee of $5 per 1K requests on top of token pricing, so they are best for deliberate research tasks.

What is the best premium reasoning option on magicdoor.ai?

Claude Opus 5 is a premium option for difficult synthesis and polished reasoning. Claude Sonnet 5 is the more balanced daily premium choice.

Reasoning Models Comparison - Choose the Right AI for Complex Problems

Reasoning Models Comparison

Magicdoor's reasoning options are not all trying to do the same job. Some are premium all-rounders, some are lower-cost analytical tools, and some are best used only when live web research is necessary.

Current reasoning-oriented lineup

Model	Price (input / output per 1M tokens)	Best used for
Claude Opus 5	$5 / $25	Premium synthesis, difficult reasoning, polished writing
Claude Sonnet 5	$2 / $10	Strong general reasoning and everyday professional work
GPT-5.5	$5 / $30	Coding, structured analysis, all-round flagship work
GPT-5.4 Mini	$0.75 / $4.50	Lower-cost day-to-day reasoning
Grok 4.5	$2 / $6 below 200K prompts; $4 / $12 at 200K+	Reasoning with a 500K context window and text/image input
GLM-5.1	$1 / $3.20	Budget reasoning and analytical first passes
Perplexity Reasoning	$2 / $8 + request pricing	Web-backed answers with citations
Perplexity Deep Research	$3 / $15 + request pricing	Slower, more comprehensive research with sources

How to choose

Use Claude Opus 5 when stakes are high

This is the model to reach for when quality matters more than speed or cost.

Use GPT-5.5 for strong all-round analytical work

If you want one flagship model that handles coding, reasoning, planning, and problem solving well, GPT-5.5 is a practical default.

Use Claude Sonnet 5 for everyday professional tasks

It is often the best balance between quality, writing fluency, and cost.

Use GPT-5.4 Mini or GLM-5.1 to keep costs down

These are useful when you need reasoning often but do not want to spend flagship-model rates on every turn.

Use Perplexity models when the answer must be current

If the task depends on up-to-date facts, the Perplexity models are usually the right first step. Then switch to Claude or GPT for synthesis.

Practical decision tree

Need a premium pass on difficult work? Use Claude Opus 5.
Need a flagship generalist? Use GPT-5.5.
Need strong quality at a more moderate price? Use Claude Sonnet 5.
Need cheap analytical iterations? Use GLM-5.1 or GPT-5.4 Mini.
Need live web-backed research? Use Perplexity Reasoning or Deep Research.

Good multi-model workflows

Research workflow

Use Perplexity Reasoning or Deep Research.
Switch to Claude Sonnet 5, Claude Opus 5, or GPT-5.5 for synthesis.

Cost-conscious workflow

Start with GLM-5.1 or GPT-5.4 Mini.
Escalate only the hard parts to GPT-5.5 or Claude Opus 5.

Writing-heavy workflow

Use Perplexity for current facts if needed.
Use Claude Sonnet 5 or Claude Opus 5 for the final draft.

Bottom line

There is no single winner for every reasoning task.

Claude Opus 5 is the premium option.
GPT-5.5 is the strongest all-round flagship.
Claude Sonnet 5 is a great daily default.
GPT-5.4 Mini and GLM-5.1 are the budget picks.
Perplexity handles current-information work.

The best results usually come from combining them rather than treating one model as the answer to everything.