Leading AI models using real user tasks and preference scoring. ChatGPT unexpectedly ranked 8th, trailing behind models from DeepSeek, Mistral, Google, and xAI.
Gemini 2.5 Pro received the highest performance ratings, followed closely by DeepSeek v3 and DeepSeek R1, which users preferred for reasoning depth, consistency, and speed-to-answer.
The results reflect a growing shift in user sentiment: high-performance, lower-cost alternatives are increasingly challenging OpenAI’s dominance. For enterprises evaluating multi-model strategies, this shows the competitive landscape is diversifying rapidly, especially with Chinese and open-weight models gaining traction.
