Code Solution:
For vibe coding (where you describe what you want in natural language and the AI generates/refines code), the most powerful models as of June 2024 are:
1. GPT-4o (OpenAI)
- Best for: General-purpose coding, full-stack apps, debugging, and rapid prototyping.
- Strengths:
- Excels at React, Python, Node.js, SQL, and even low-level C/Rust.
- Handles complex multi-file projects (e.g., "Build a Next.js app with Supabase auth and Stripe payments").
- Real-time voice/image input (great for "draw a UI, then code it").
- Weaknesses: Expensive, rate-limited for free users.
2. Claude 3.5 Sonnet (Anthropic)
- Best for: Long-context refactoring, legacy codebase understanding, and clean, readable code.
- Strengths:
- 200K token context (can ingest entire repos).
- Artifacts (live preview of React/HTML code).
- Better at explaining and documenting code than GPT-4o.
- Weaknesses: Slower for quick hacks, less voice integration.
3. Gemini 1.5 Pro (Google)
- Best for: Massive codebase analysis (up to 1M tokens).
- Strengths:
- Can process entire Android/iOS repos at once.
- Strong at Kotlin/Swift/Java and Google Cloud integrations.
- Weaknesses: Less creative for greenfield projects.
4. Llama 3 70B (Meta, open-source)
- Best for: Local/offline coding with Ollama or LM Studio.
- Strengths:
- Fast for Python scripts, CLI tools, and automation.
- No API costs, fully private.
- Weaknesses: Struggles with frontend frameworks compared to GPT-4o/Claude.
Quick Pick Guide:
- Fastest prototyping: GPT-4o (ChatGPT Plus/Cursor).
- Best for legacy code: Claude 3.5 Sonnet (Claude.ai/Cursor).
- Free & open-source: Llama 3 70B (run locally).
- Massive repos: Gemini 1.5 Pro (Google AI Studio).
For vibe coding, Claude 3.5 Sonnet edges out GPT-4o for readability and refactoring, while GPT-4o wins for speed and new projects.