> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.kymaapi.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Choosing a Model

> How to pick the right Kyma model without memorizing the whole catalog.

Kyma exposes active models through one OpenAI-compatible endpoint. The hard part is not integration — it is choosing the right model for the job.

If you just want the short version:

* Use **`qwen-3.6-plus`** for the best default
* Use **`kimi-k2.6`** for tool-heavy agents
* Use **`deepseek-r1`** for hard reasoning
* Use **`gemini-2.5-flash`** for 1M context

See [which model should I use?](/models/recommended) for the full decision page.

## Quick decision guide

| If you need...          | First pick         | Alias          | Why                                                   |
| ----------------------- | ------------------ | -------------- | ----------------------------------------------------- |
| Safest default          | `qwen-3.6-plus`    | `best`         | Best overall quality across common tasks              |
| Tool-heavy agents       | `kimi-k2.6`        | `agent`        | Best first pick for tools, long sessions, screenshots |
| Deep reasoning          | `deepseek-r1`      | `reasoning`    | Best for logic, math, and difficult analysis          |
| Fast coding loops       | `qwen-3-32b`       | `fast`         | Lower latency for code/debug loops                    |
| Code-specialized output | `qwen-3-coder`     | `code`         | Code-focused model with longer context                |
| Long documents          | `gemini-2.5-flash` | `long-context` | 1M context window                                     |
| Vision                  | `gemma-4-31b`      | `vision`       | Cheapest strong multimodal option                     |
| Balanced open model     | `llama-3.3-70b`    | `balanced`     | Good compromise between quality and cost              |
| Live web search         | `sonar`            | `search`       | Real-time web search with citations for current info  |
| Cheap automation        | `glm-4.5-air`      | —              | Cost-sensitive agentic workloads                      |

## Use cases that matter

### 1. I just need one model

Start with `qwen-3.6-plus`.

That is the right answer most of the time if you are building:

* a chatbot
* a coding assistant
* an internal copilot
* a general-purpose product feature

### 2. I am building an agent

Start with `kimi-k2.6`.

If your agent:

* calls tools
* works across multiple steps
* reads screenshots or other visual context
* needs long sessions

then `kimi-k2.6` is the best first pick.

If you want a text-only engineering alternative, try `glm-5.1`.

### 3. I care about cost

Start with `deepseek-v3` for strong value.

If the workload is more repetitive and automation-heavy than quality-sensitive, consider:

* `glm-4.5-air`
* `gpt-oss-120b`

### 4. I need deep reasoning

Use `deepseek-r1`.

This is the right pick for:

* hard analysis
* logic-heavy tasks
* math
* planning where quality matters more than speed

### 5. I need long context

Use `gemini-2.5-flash`.

If you want cheaper long-context throughput and do not need multimodal input, look at `glm-4.7-flash`.

### 6. I need live web data

Use `sonar` (alias `search`).

It runs a real-time web search on every request and returns a current, cited answer — for news, prices, releases, and anything that changes after a model's training cutoff. For deeper multi-step research and longer reports, use `sonar-pro`.

Both bill a small flat web-search fee on top of tokens (see [pricing](/pricing#web-search)), and neither supports tool calling — the search happens internally, so you just ask a question.

## Multimodal

Image and video models bill per call (or per second of video) instead of per token, and run through a separate async endpoint - see [`/v1/images/generations`](/api-reference/images-generations) and [`/v1/videos/generations`](/api-reference/videos-generations).

### Image (per-image pricing)

| Model                                                           | Best for                                 | Price           |
| --------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------- | --------------- |
| [`flux-1.1-ultra`](/models/image-generation#flux-1-1-ultra)     | Cinematic photo, hero shots, editorial   | \$0.081 / image |
| [`flux-kontext-pro`](/models/image-generation#flux-kontext-pro) | Image-to-image edit, inpaint, refinement | \$0.054 / image |
| [`ideogram-v3`](/models/image-generation#ideogram-v3)           | Typography, packaging, posters, logos    | \$0.108 / image |
| [`recraft-v3`](/models/image-generation#recraft-v3)             | Vector illustration, brand assets        | \$0.054 / image |

### Video (per-second pricing)

| Model                                            | Best for                               | Duration | Price          |
| ------------------------------------------------ | -------------------------------------- | -------- | -------------- |
| [`kling-2.5-pro`](/models/kling-2.5-pro)         | Budget cinematic, brand b-roll         | 5 or 10s | \$0.0945 / sec |
| [`kling-3-pro`](/models/kling-3-pro)             | Premium cinematic, hero brand video    | 3-15s    | \$0.1512 / sec |
| [`kling-3-pro-audio`](/models/kling-3-pro-audio) | Cinematic with native audio + dialogue | 3-15s    | \$0.2268 / sec |
| [`seedance-2-pro`](/models/seedance-2-pro)       | Multi-shot action, social with audio   | 4-15s    | \$0.4096 / sec |
| [`seedance-2-fast`](/models/seedance-2-fast)     | Social shorts, rapid iteration         | 4-15s    | \$0.3266 / sec |

All five video models accept an `image_url` to switch into image-to-video mode without changing the model ID.

## Canonical sources

For the current live catalog, use:

* [`GET /v1/models`](/api-reference/models-list)
* [`/models/overview`](/models/overview)
* [`/models/recommended`](/models/recommended)
* [model aliases](/guides/model-aliases)

## Switching models

You do not need to change your integration. Just change the `model` parameter:

```python theme={null}
response = client.chat.completions.create(
    model="kimi-k2.6",  # was: "qwen-3.6-plus"
    messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "Write a Python function"}]
)
```

Or use an alias:

```python theme={null}
response = client.chat.completions.create(
    model="agent",  # resolves to kimi-k2.6
    messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "Plan the refactor and call tools as needed"}]
)
```

## Discover models programmatically

```bash theme={null}
curl https://kymaapi.com/v1/models
```

Examples:

```bash theme={null}
# Agent-friendly models
curl "https://kymaapi.com/v1/models?recommended_for=agent&tools=true"

# Long-context models
curl "https://kymaapi.com/v1/models?min_context_window=128000"

# Vision-capable models
curl "https://kymaapi.com/v1/models?vision=true"
```