Best LLM for math & multi-step reasoning
Word problems, formal proofs, multi-step calculation, chain-of-thought tasks.
Why this ranking is opinionated
Reasoning-trained models (with thinking traces) outperform general models by large margins here. Token cost is higher because of long internal reasoning. Benchmarks like GSM8K and MATH are predictive.
Top 5 recommendations
ranked by monthly cost at this workload- · Cheapest qualifying option at this workload (~$0.00/mo).
- · 262,144 tokens of context — far above this use case's 32,000-token minimum.
- · Supports preferred capabilities: tools.
- · ~$0.00/mo (+0% over the cheapest option).
- · 131,072 tokens of context — far above this use case's 32,000-token minimum.
- · Supports preferred capabilities: tools.
- · ~$0.00/mo (+0% over the cheapest option).
- · Missing preferred: tools — may need a workaround.
- · ~$0.00/mo (+0% over the cheapest option).
- · Missing preferred: tools — may need a workaround.
- · ~$0.00/mo (+0% over the cheapest option).
- · 1,048,576 tokens of context — far above this use case's 32,000-token minimum.
- · Supports preferred capabilities: tools.
Frequently asked questions
What makes a good LLM for math & multi-step reasoning?
Reasoning-trained models (with thinking traces) outperform general models by large margins here. Token cost is higher because of long internal reasoning. Benchmarks like GSM8K and MATH are predictive.
What capabilities matter most for math & multi-step reasoning?
For math & multi-step reasoning the typical filters are: no specific capability requirement, and a context window of at least 32k tokens. The ranking on this page weights monthly cost (at the workload defaults shown above) most heavily, then capability fit.
What is currently the cheapest LLM for math & multi-step reasoning?
At the typical workload defaults, Trinity Large Thinking (free) from Arcee AI ranks cheapest right now (~$0 / month). Plug your own monthly token volumes into the calculator on this page for a workload-specific number.
Is the cheapest LLM always the right choice for math & multi-step reasoning?
Not always. Cheap models often trade off reasoning quality, tool reliability, or context size. Use the cheapest as a baseline and benchmark against a tier-up model on your own evaluation set before committing to a contract — quality differences compound over millions of tokens.