2025 TOP 5 REASONING MODEL

2025-05-11

Top 5 Reasoning Models from Leading AI Companies

This report ranks the top five reasoning models from OpenAI, AnthropicAI, xAI, DeepSeek AI, and Google AI, based on recent X posts from their verified accounts. Each model is evaluated for its reasoning capabilities, with rankings determined by the recency of their announcement posts to reflect the latest advancements in AI technology. The models are designed to excel in tasks requiring logical reasoning, such as mathematics, science, coding, and general problem-solving.

Methodology

To create this ranking, I searched for X posts related to "reasoning models" from the verified accounts of OpenAI (@OpenAI), AnthropicAI (@AnthropicAI), xAI (@xAI), DeepSeek AI (@deepseek_ai), and Google AI (@GoogleAI). The search used embedding mode to capture posts semantically related to reasoning models. I then selected one product per company, ensuring each is distinct, and ranked them based on the date of their official announcement post on X. Recency was chosen as the primary criterion to highlight the most current advancements, as it aligns with the user’s request for “hot” posts. Below are the details of each model, including their capabilities and the official announcement links.

Top 5 Ranking Board

1. OpenAI o4-mini

  • Announcement Date: April 16, 2025
  • Description: The o4-mini is described as OpenAI’s smartest and most capable model to date. It can agentically use and combine tools within ChatGPT, including web search, Python, image analysis, file interpretation, and image generation. Its advanced reasoning capabilities make it particularly strong in science, math, and coding tasks. The model’s ability to integrate multiple tools suggests a high level of versatility and problem-solving capacity.
  • Official Announcement: OpenAI o4-mini

    • 2. AnthropicAI Claude 3.7 Sonnet

  • Announcement Date: February 24, 2025
  • Description: Claude 3.7 Sonnet is AnthropicAI’s most intelligent model, functioning as a hybrid reasoning model. It can produce near-instant responses for quick tasks or engage in extended, step-by-step thinking for complex problems. This flexibility makes it suitable for a wide range of applications, from rapid queries to in-depth analysis. AnthropicAI also released an agentic coding tool, Claude Code, alongside this model.
  • Official Announcement: Claude 3.7 Sonnet

    • 3. xAI Grok with "Think"

  • Announcement Date: February 19, 2025
  • Description: The “Think” feature enhances xAI’s Grok model, optimizing it for math, science, and coding tasks. Users can activate this reasoning model to tackle complex questions, with the option to ask Grok to “think harder” for problems requiring deeper analysis. This feature suggests a focus on user-controlled reasoning depth, making it adaptable to varying task complexities.
  • Official Announcement: Grok with Think

    • 4. DeepSeek AI DeepSeek-R1-Lite-Preview

  • Announcement Date: November 20, 2024
  • Description: DeepSeek-R1-Lite-Preview is noted for its supercharged reasoning power, achieving performance comparable to OpenAI’s o1-preview on AIME and MATH benchmarks. It offers a transparent thought process in real-time, which enhances its usability for users seeking to understand the model’s reasoning steps. The model is open-source, with an API planned for future release, indicating accessibility and potential for community-driven development.
  • Official Announcement: DeepSeek-R1-Lite-Preview

    • 5. Google AI Gemini

  • Announcement Date: December 6, 2023
  • Description: Gemini is highlighted for its reasoning capabilities, particularly in understanding and reasoning about user intent, using tools, and generating bespoke user experiences beyond traditional chat interfaces. While the announcement is older than others, Gemini remains a significant model in Google AI’s portfolio, likely benefiting from subsequent updates not captured in the specific X post. Its focus on user intent suggests applications in personalized and interactive AI systems.
  • Official Announcement: Google AI Gemini

    • Detailed Analysis

    OpenAI o4-mini

    OpenAI has released multiple reasoning models, including o1-mini, o3-mini, o3, and o4-mini. The o4-mini, announced on April 16, 2025, stands out as the most advanced, with capabilities that allow it to integrate various tools within ChatGPT. This model’s agentic use of web search, Python, and image analysis positions it as a leader in versatile reasoning tasks. Posts from OpenAI also highlight the importance of monitoring chain-of-thought (CoT) reasoning to detect misbehavior, indicating a focus on safety and reliability in their reasoning models.

    AnthropicAI Claude 3.7 Sonnet

    Announced on February 24, 2025, Claude 3.7 Sonnet is AnthropicAI’s flagship reasoning model. Its hybrid nature allows it to switch between rapid responses and detailed reasoning, catering to both time-sensitive and complex tasks. AnthropicAI’s research, as noted in other X posts, emphasizes the challenges of ensuring that reasoning models accurately verbalize their thought processes, which is critical for safety and transparency. The release of Claude Code alongside Sonnet suggests a strategic push toward coding applications.

    xAI Grok with "Think"

    The “Think” feature, announced on February 19, 2025, enhances xAI’s Grok model by enabling advanced reasoning for math, science, and coding. The ability to “think harder” introduces a novel user interaction model, allowing users to request deeper analysis for challenging problems. This feature aligns with xAI’s mission to accelerate human scientific discovery, as outlined on their website (xAI Company). The model’s focus on specific domains makes it a strong contender for technical applications.

    DeepSeek AI DeepSeek-R1-Lite-Preview

    DeepSeek-R1-Lite-Preview, announced on November 20, 2024, is a standout for its open-source approach and strong performance on math benchmarks. Its transparent thought process, as highlighted in the X post, is a unique feature that allows users to follow the model’s reasoning steps. DeepSeek’s rapid development, as noted in external sources (DeepSeek Explained), has positioned it as a disruptive force in the AI sector, particularly for cost-effective solutions.

    Google AI Gemini

    Gemini, announced on December 6, 2023, is the oldest model in this ranking but remains relevant due to Google AI’s prominence in the field. The X post emphasizes Gemini’s ability to reason about user intent and generate customized experiences, suggesting applications in interactive and personalized AI systems. Other Google AI posts discuss advancements in probabilistic and graph reasoning, indicating ongoing research that likely enhances Gemini’s capabilities. The lack of a more recent announcement may reflect Google AI’s focus on research over product-specific posts.

    Comparative Table

    RankCompanyModel NameAnnouncement DateKey FeaturesOfficial Announcement Link
    1OpenAIo4-mini2025-04-16Agentic tool use, excels in science, math, codingOpenAI o4-mini
    2AnthropicAIClaude 3.7 Sonnet2025-02-24Hybrid reasoning, instant or extended thinking, coding toolClaude 3.7 Sonnet
    3xAIGrok with "Think"2025-02-19Enhanced reasoning for math, science, coding, "think harder" optionGrok with Think
    4DeepSeek AIDeepSeek-R1-Lite-Preview2024-11-20Strong math performance, transparent reasoning, open-sourceDeepSeek-R1-Lite-Preview
    5Google AIGemini2023-12-06Reasons about user intent, generates bespoke experiencesGoogle AI Gemini

    Considerations and Limitations

  • Recency as a Proxy: Ranking by recency assumes that newer announcements reflect more advanced models, but this may not always hold true. For example, Google’s Gemini, despite its older announcement, may have received updates not captured in the X posts.
  • Post Availability: The search results for Google AI yielded older posts, possibly due to less frequent product-specific announcements on their X account. This may underrepresent Google’s current capabilities.
  • Model Specificity: Some posts, like those from Google AI, discuss reasoning techniques (e.g., chain of thought prompting) rather than specific products, making it harder to pinpoint a single model.
  • Open-Source vs. Proprietary: DeepSeek’s open-source approach contrasts with the proprietary models of others, which may influence their adoption and impact.

    • Conclusion

    The top 5 reasoning models showcase the rapid advancements in AI reasoning capabilities across leading companies. OpenAI’s o4-mini leads due to its recent announcement and versatile tool integration, followed closely by AnthropicAI’s Claude 3.7 Sonnet for its hybrid reasoning approach. xAI’s Grok with “Think” and DeepSeek’s DeepSeek-R1-Lite-Preview highlight specialized and transparent reasoning, respectively, while Google’s Gemini remains a strong contender despite an older announcement. These models collectively push the boundaries of AI in solving complex problems, with each company bringing unique strengths to the table.