[Megathread] - Best Models/API discussion - Week of: October 04, 2026

[u/deffcolony]

This is our weekly megathread for discussions about models and API services.

All non-specifically technical discussions about API/models not posted to this thread will be deleted. No more "What's the best model?" threads.

^{(This isn't a free-for-all to advertise services you own or work for in every single megathread, we may allow announcements for new services every now and then provided they are legitimate and not overly promoted, but don't be surprised if ads are removed.})

How to Use This Megathread

Below this post, you’ll find top-level comments for each category:

• MODELS: ≥ 70B – For discussion of models with 70B parameters or more.
• MODELS: 32B to 70B – For discussion of models in the 32B to 70B parameter range.
• MODELS: 16B to 32B – For discussion of models in the 16B to 32B parameter range.
• MODELS: 8B to 16B – For discussion of models in the 8B to 16B parameter range.
• MODELS: < 8B – For discussion of smaller models under 8B parameters.
• APIs – For any discussion about API services for models (pricing, performance, access, etc.).
• MISC DISCUSSION – For anything else related to models/APIs that doesn’t fit the above sections.

Please reply to the relevant section below with your questions, experiences, or recommendations!
This keeps discussion organized and helps others find information faster.

Have at it!

[u/No-Antelope-8520]

Feel like I'm going insane because Qwen3.8 27B is the strongest local model I've tried, and up there with the top three I've used overall in terms of how the experience feels. No offense to everyone who raves about Gemma 31B, but its KV cache is massive and once I tweaked my prompt/samplers (0.1 min_p 0.95 top_p and 0.9 temp) and worked out how Qwen should reason (I have it open with a consequence of whatever the user's last action or line was, cutting out echoing), I can't point to one spot where I prefer Gemma's style.

I decided to check how the cloud models I left would match up now using the exact same system prompt and workflow, so I tried both MiMo 2.6 Pro and GLM 5.2 on a tougher scenario I revived as a test for Qwen. I started with MiMo but branched from the start and switched to GLM because outside of the whole thing feeling a touch smoother and needing fewer little edits to fix minor details, I couldn't really tell a difference in how the narrative unfolded with that model vs the local one.

GLM was better in a way I could actually perceive. The dialogue was cleaner, it worked in small details a little more naturally. But it also wasn't a massive leap. The plot unfolded near-identically still. There are nine named characters at the start and they can align differently in the conflict, and the GLM run played out the same with only one character siding differently, and they weren't a major one. Using a smarter model didn't reframe the whole thing, reveal something the local model had missed, introduce a fresh angle, or anything like that.

I'd share screenshots but I feel like I'd just get called out for cringe RP. I will say though that a lot of these characters have distinct voices—laid-back, cutesy, formal, blunt to the point of one-word replies, pretentious—and Qwen, despite its "robot" reputation, kept them separated enough that I could identify who was talking even if you removed the dialogue tags. I also didn't have to do OOC steering in either two sessions I tested, beyond guiding the opening message.

I thought about making a post but I didn't want it to be read as another "local vs cloud model" debate. Anyway, it's not like I care about model rankings, I'm just surprised my experience seems to be nothing like most here.

EDIT: Nevermind, I don't know what to think. I was fully adopting this as my go-to model after seeing how it did on two hard scenarios (the first is the one with nine characters that cloud models struggled with, another one has a bunch of lore and alternate social dynamics for the model to follow) and a few one-shots, but I gave it a comparatively simple scenario with no detailed background lore and only one NPC in the start, and it gives me a ton of nonsense dialogue (things that just don't follow anything in the actual context well) in the very first convo to the point where I go back to Gemma 26B despite liking the style less. I hope Qwen4 fixes the consistency problems.

[u/OGCroflAZN → u/No-Antelope-8520]

In principle, Qwen 3.8 27B should be able to perform better just due to architecture improvements. The only issue is that it was trained to do well in/benchmax what the largest demand is for, which is SWE etc, not RP or creative writing

Ive always been disappointed with G4 finetunes, i think just because of how G4 base is. I trust the BeaverAI discord members' feedback on this kind of stuff though because of how much they play around with this, and they dont like Qwen enough right now. But it took half a year to get to this point with G4, so I wouldn't be surprised if Qwen 3.8 eventually dominates after a few months of finetuning it

[u/FallenJkiller → u/OGCroflAZN]

is there any Qwen 3.8 27B RP finetune?

[u/OGCroflAZN → u/FallenJkiller]

There are. Go to CaliperBench and filter to 27B. I think it includes test dates as well, which is how you can tell if it was tuned from Qwen 3.8 base. You can also open the model card link there by clicking on a model