Choosing a model

Written By Paolo Rufrano

Last updated 1 day ago

Percy Chat carries models from more than a dozen providers, and new ones appear as they're released. Picking the right one is the single biggest lever you have over answer quality, speed and cost.

Opening the model picker

Click the button at the bottom-right of the chat box. It shows the provider logo and the name of the model currently answering. A panel slides in from the right titled Select a model, scrolled to whichever model you're using now.

Your choice sticks. It carries across new chats until you change it again.

Finding a model

Search. Type into Search models... to filter by name.

Filters. Click Filters to narrow by:

  • Provider, such as OpenAI, Anthropic or Google

  • Accepts (Input), either Text or Images. Filter to Images when you need to send a photo or screenshot.

  • Generates (Output), for what the model can produce

  • Capabilities, currently Advanced thinking, for models that can reason before answering

  • Availability. On the Free plan, Show all models reveals models you'd need a paid plan for, so you can see what's there.

A badge on the Filters button counts how many are active. Clear all resets them.

Views. Toggle between a grid of cards and a compact table using the buttons at the top. The table is faster to scan once you know what you're looking for.

Pinning your favourites

Click the pin icon on any model to pin it. Pinned models get their own Pinned section at the top of the list and stay visible no matter what filters you have on. If you rotate between three or four models, pin them once and stop scrolling.

Reading a model card

Each card shows the model name, provider, context length and small capability icons:

  • Image icon: the model accepts images, so you can attach photos, screenshots and diagrams

  • Brain icon: the model supports Advanced thinking

It may also carry a badge: Free, Credits, Pro or New. Those affect what you're charged and whether you can use the model at all, so they have their own article. See Model badges: Free, Credits, Pro and New.

The defaults

  • Free plan: Percy Chat Router, which picks a capable free model for you automatically. It costs no credits.

  • Paid plans: Gemini 3 Flash, a fast general-purpose model.

Both are good starting points. Reach for a bigger model when the answer matters more than the speed.

Why some models aren't in the list

Image-generation models don't appear in the chat model picker. Generating images happens in the Image Gallery, which has its own model selector. See Generating and editing images.

Greyed-out models are ones your plan or credit balance doesn't currently cover. Hover over the badge to see why.

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