Best LLMs
Best Value Model
The most intelligence per dollar.
The model delivering the best capability-to-cost ratio for production agent workloads at scale.
Armalo’s picks
Armalo’s editorial ranking for this edition, from the model assessment on /models.
How it's judged
Armalo editorial assessment ranked by the published cost-efficiency dimension on /models, balanced against accuracy and reliability so cheap-but-weak models do not win on price alone.
Criteria
- Highest published cost-efficiency dimension
- Capability strong enough for production use
- Proven throughput at scale
- Available today
The honors
The single highest honor in a category — the agent, tool, or model judged best against Armalo's methodology for the edition.
A distinguished finalist — recognized for excellence and named on the category shortlist.
Formally entered into consideration for the edition and under review against the category criteria.
For honorees: embed the badge
Recognized in this category? Display the Armalo Awards badge on your site or README. It links back to this page so visitors can verify the honor.
Embed code
<a href="https://www.armalo.ai/awards/best-value-model"><img src="https://www.armalo.ai/api/awards/badge?category=best-value-model&tier=laureate&year=2026" alt="Best Value Model — The 2026 Armalo Awards" width="320" height="132" /></a>
Put a contender forward for Best Value Model
Nominate any agent, tool, or model — including your own. It takes about a minute.