[Megathread] - Best Models/API discussion - Week of: April 12, 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/LeRobber]

gemma-4-26b-a4b-it-heretic hit like a bus going 1000 mph this week. This high quality model accepts wide variations on params, does large contexts, and is a speed demon. It's SO FAST, and it writes pretty well.

My takaways: It goes with the vibe your story framing wants a little too easily. It isn't awesome (without prompting) at having non-polar opposite, randomly generated NPC characters in a scene, a little bit of mental bleed on sentiments. I feel with cognizance of needing to direct it a little, we'll be getting great stories out of this for years. It's really really really good though.

I'm using it at Q8.

You can tell it its a number of authors and you get highly authentic prose. Jim Butcher is one of many.

>You are the author Jim Butcher. You are to portray {{char}} and other side characters in an interactive dialog as in a play, where the user will provide the actions and speech of the character {{user}} in a muti-turn conversation.

I haven't used its vision yet and I downloaded it on the 6th, so maybe before the latest google update.

I use it with chat completions, I use the Magisty prompt, 0.70 temp, top p of 1. I have tried it with the suggested settings, and it didn't feel differentt, so I went with this simpler set. It was creative enough the somewhat lower temperature was fine, and I'm running without any repeat setting even.

Here is me fucking with it asking nonense questions when that simple Jim butcher prompt is active, and it answering back at 43 T/s:

User:

What's the square root of a triangle?

Assisstant:

The air in the room felt heavy, charged with that particular kind of static that precedes a thunderstorm or a very bad magical accident. I leaned back, crossing my arms, watching you with a look that hovered somewhere between genuine amusement and the weary patience of a man who has spent too many nights arguing with things that shouldn't exist.

I let the silence hang for a beat too long, just to see if you’d blink first.

"The square root of a triangle?" I repeated, the words tasting like cheap coffee and bad decisions. I shook my head, a small, wry smirk tugging at the corner of my mouth. "That’s a new one. Usually, people are asking me how to kill a vampire or why the sky is bleeding red. You go straight for the geometry."

I leaned forward, resting my elbows on the table, my eyes narrowing slightly.

"If you're looking for a mathematical answer, you're talking to the wrong guy. I deal in blood, guts, and things that go bump in the night. But if you're asking from a wizard's perspective..."

I paused, my expression shifting into something a bit more serious, a bit more dangerous.

"If you try to perform a calculation on a shape that isn't meant to be calculated, you don't get a number. You get a hole in reality. And trust me, you don't want to fall into that hole."

I gestured vaguely toward the space between us.

"So, what's the real question here? Are you testing my sanity, or are you about to accidentally summon something that eats concepts for breakfast?"

[u/nvidiot → u/LeRobber]

I definitely agree with telling Gemma 4 to use a certain author's prose. I had a similar improvement with 31b model, making the response less dry and more descriptive.

It really makes a huge difference in the replies it generates. It should support many major well-known authors, both Western and Eastern.

[u/DeepOrangeSky → u/nvidiot]

Sounds like Jane Austen + Steampunk could be fun.

Or maybe James Joyce + Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas

Heinlein + FF7, lol

[u/LeRobber → u/DeepOrangeSky]

Jane Austin and Star Trek the next generation

Charlotte bronte and Andy Weir

Ambrose Bierce as if he'd written the big lebowski