Best-of guide
Best AI models for model routing
Routing is picking the next model, tool, or workflow. This page frames the job and the shortlist — it is not a trophy ranking.
| Task | Jev | LLM router |
|---|---|---|
| Classification | Structured decision with a bounded label set | Possible, usually via generated text or JSON schema |
| Model routing | Native fit: pick a route, return a typed choice | Possible, but you pay generation cost for a decision |
| AI agents | Use as a judge / router / gate, not as the actor | Use as planner, writer, tool-caller, and explainer |
| RAG | Score, filter, or route retrieved chunks | Synthesize an answer from retrieved context |
| Chat | Not the job. No free-form conversation | Primary job |
| Writing | Not the job. No prose generation | Primary job |
| Coding | Not the job, unless you only need a pass/fail or route | Generate, explain, and iterate on code |
What routing is
Routing is picking the next hop: which model, which tool, escalate, or stop. A router that writes an essay is the wrong shape. You want a fast, typed choice.
The shortlist
| Option | Job | Cost shape |
|---|---|---|
| Jev | Vendor story: typed choice over routes you define | Published input-only list price — vendor claim |
| LLM + closed enum / tools | Same team, same request, good enough at low QPS | Input + output on a generator |
| Gateway / policy routers | Pick a model by rules, spend caps, or a small classifier | Usually a platform fee, not a second foundation model |
| Hard-coded rules | The branch is obvious (language, file type, user plan) | Cheapest. Still correct more often than people admit |
How to choose
- If a regex or a plan flag is enough, stop. Do not route with a model.
- If you already call GPT / Claude / Gemini and the router is occasional, add an enum to that call. See Jev vs LLM.
- If the router sits in front of several expensive generators all day, Jev is in the conversation. So is a dedicated gateway. Bake them off on your routes.
- If the “route” is really “write the next step,” you need an agent model, not a router. That page is not this page — and Jev for agents is explicit that Jev is the gate, not the actor.
What this is not
A ranked “top 10 routing models” list. We do not have labeled, multi-vendor latency and accuracy rows yet. The URL is here so the job has a home. The winner is the cheapest correct branch on your traffic.