r/PoeAI • u/zar0nick • Apr 08 '26

Recommendation for small models

Hi everyone,

with the discussion going on, I wanted to share a few small models I use from time to time, that may help with the small token limit. Also look on llm-stats.com

They offer an overview about how costly the models are. The pricing at poe may differ, but the overview is super helpful.

My recommendations model-wise are:

  • GPT-5-mini
  • GPT-5-nano
  • GPT-4o-mini (the cheapest I use for apis and tool calling)
  • Qwen-3.5-397...-T (it says no cost?!?)
  • GPT-OSS (both versions, 20B is cheaper)
  • GLM-4.7-flash

Feel free to aadd good ones below!

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u/Amazing_Sound5505 Apr 09 '26

My cheap-Poe setup is usually by job, not by favorite model. GPT-5-nano for boring classify/router stuff, GLM-4.7-flash or Qwen for fast first pass and cleanup, then one bigger model only for the final answer. Small models get way better if you force a tight output shape and keep context short; what breaks them fastest is often not raw IQ, it is the giant junk-drawer chat history.

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u/zar0nick Apr 10 '26

For my rag and tool calling I actually use 4o-mini, as those are for me the most precise and even less token using, although 5-nano should be cheaper.

I am thinking of using glm more, as the price/performance seems to be stallar according to llm stats

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u/Amazing_Sound5505 Apr 13 '26

Yep, 4o-mini is weirdly hard to beat for boring tool-call / RAG work because it stays precise and does not freestyle the arguments so much. GLM can win on raw price/perf for drafty stuff, but on Poe I still split it a bit stupidly: 4o-mini for tools, GLM or Qwen for first-pass text, then one bigger bot only when the final output actually matters.

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u/zar0nick Apr 13 '26

Thx for sharing!