Choosing a model

How to pick the right AI model for your study.

QuestionPunk offers models from multiple AI providers including Anthropic Claude, OpenAI GPT, Google Gemini, and more. This guide explains how to choose the right model for your study.

aimodels5-15 minutesIntermediateResearchersProduct teams

Steps

  1. Understand the options
    QuestionPunk supports 130+ models across 16 providers:
    Anthropic Claude (default): Claude Haiku 4.5 (default, fast and economical), Sonnet 4.6 (balanced speed and depth), and Opus 4.6 (richest follow-ups for deep qualitative work). Thinking-enabled variants are also available for extended reasoning.
    OpenAI: GPT-5.4 (latest flagship), GPT-5.4 Pro, GPT-5.4 Mini/Nano, plus GPT-5.3, 5.2, 5.1, and 5 series models, GPT-4.1 family, GPT-4o, o3, o3 Mini, o3 Pro, o4 Mini, and specialized Codex and Chat variants.
    Google: Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview, Gemini 3 Pro Preview, Gemini 3 Flash Preview, Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite Preview, Gemini 2.5 Flash/Pro, plus Gemma 4 and Gemma 3 open models.
    Meta: Llama 4 Maverick, Llama 4 Scout, Llama 3.3, 3.2, and 3.1 models.
    Mistral: Large 3, Medium 3.1, Small 4, Nemo, Ministral 3, Pixtral, Devstral, Codestral, and Saba models.
    DeepSeek, Qwen, Nvidia, StepFun, AllenAI, Arcee, LiquidAI, TNG, Upstage, Venice, and Zhipu are also available, including free-tier options.
  2. Select in survey settings
    Choose the model in the AI interviewer settings for each interview question. You can set different models for different interview questions within the same survey.
  3. Pilot and compare
    Run a short A/B pilot with different model settings to compare output quality before sending to your full sample.

QuestionPunk supports 130+ models across 16 providers including Anthropic, OpenAI, Google (Gemini), Meta (Llama), Mistral, DeepSeek, Qwen, Nvidia, StepFun, AllenAI, Arcee, LiquidAI, TNG, Upstage, Venice, and Zhipu. The default model is Claude Haiku 4.5, which offers fast responses at low cost.

For most studies, Claude Haiku 4.5 or Sonnet 4.6 provides the best balance of quality and speed. Opus 4.6 delivers the richest, most nuanced follow-ups for complex qualitative research. Thinking-enabled model variants are available for tasks that benefit from extended reasoning.

Zero-cost models include Google Gemma 3 (12B), DeepSeek R1 0528, and OpenAI gpt-oss (20B/120B). Many other open-weight models — including additional Gemma 3 variants, Llama 4, and Mistral Small — are available at very low cost. Premium models from Anthropic and OpenAI offer the highest quality.

Run a short pilot with 5-10 respondents using different model settings to compare output quality before committing to your full sample.

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