AI Model Review

Can an open-source Chinese model beat the closed flagships from OpenAI and Anthropic on availability? Based on our independent testing, the new Kimi K3 (released July 16, 2026) took 2nd place out of 47 models. The only model above it is GPT-5.6 Sol, which is blocked in restricted markets – which makes Kimi K3 the strongest model available without a VPN in markets where the Western flagships are restricted.

DeepSeek is a Chinese AI startup that has become one of the industry’s leading players in just two years. In April 2026 DeepSeek released V4 – a generation of models that competes with GPT-5.4 and Claude Opus 4.6 on quality while costing 10–50 times less.

GigaChat is a generative AI model from Sber – Russia’s largest bank and technology group. Its defining feature is that it’s a genuinely Russian-language model, trained on Russian data with a deep understanding of cultural context, slang, and the realities of the Russian language. And it works without a VPN.

YandexGPT is a family of generative language models from Yandex, available through Alice, Yandex Browser, the Yandex Cloud API, and other ecosystem services. By February 2026, Yandex introduced the new Alice AI model family, which together with YandexGPT forms a powerful platform for working with the Russian language.

Grok by Elon Musk’s SpaceXAI (formerly xAI) is an AI system that stands out from competitors (ChatGPT, Claude) by skipping heavy content filters and giving direct, real-time access to X (Twitter) data. In June 2026, SpaceX acquired xAI, creating SpaceXAI – a company spanning rocketry, the Starlink satellite network, and AI. Grok has outgrown its “chatbot” label and become a full agent ecosystem: the latest model, Grok 4.5 (June 2026, 1.5 trillion parameters), ranks in the top 6 worldwide on our benchmark.

Gemini is Google’s generative AI ecosystem, which by February 2026 has become a key tool for companies deeply integrated with Google services. Its main advantage is seamless integration with Google Workspace (Docs, Sheets, Gmail, Drive) and instant access to real-time data through Google Search.

By mid-2026 the AI-tool market has grown specialized: ChatGPT’s grip has loosened, and professionals work with a “stack” of several models rather than a single one. Perplexity has carved out the niche of a smart navigator in an ocean of information – and over the past year it has grown from a search box into a browser and a working assistant.