Part of Best LLM for Vision & Documents
Best LLM for Charts & Diagrams
Gemini 3.8 Flash is the provisional first pick for Charts & Diagrams as of October 21, 2026, while independent task measurements are still limited.[1][2] It ranks #2 of 75 on LMArena Vision's diagram category (Elo 1333), based on blind human preference for interpreting charts and diagrams. Claude Opus 5.5 scores within two points, so read the top two as close rather than as a measured gap. Claude Opus 5.5 is the next-ranked alternative. It ranks #4 of 75 on LMArena Vision's diagram category (Elo 1330), based on blind human preference for interpreting charts and diagrams.
- Best open-weight pick: GLM 5.3 Flash (#8)
- Compare Gemini 3.8 Flash vs Claude Opus 5.5 →
About this recommendation
- Updated
- Evidence through
- Sources
- 12
- Revision
- v102
Decision audit
Why this result
Inspect the inputs and the computed order behind the recommendation.
Models screened
24
live candidates
Evaluation feeds
5
task-weighted
Winner coverage
45%
intended feed weight
Largest provider share
3 of 8
Anthropic
Google: Gemini 3.8 Flash leads the measured task comparison with limited independent task measurements. Community volume, release age and usage popularity add no ranking points. The leading scores are close under this policy.
Real-world track record is still developing. The recommendation can lead on independent measurements while practitioner reports accumulate.
Sources evaluated
These are the weights used in scoring. Missing measurements are omitted from each model’s average. A feed with no result for any model released in the last 60 days is stale and does not score until it catches up.
| Evaluation feed | Weight | Winner result | Field measured |
|---|---|---|---|
| LMArena Vision DiagramsObserved 2026-10-19 · evaluation date not supplied · high effort | 46% | #2 | 24/24 |
| LMArena Document | 31% | not measured | 8/24 |
| VLMEvalKit tasksdisabled; last successful check unknownunavailable | 0% | feed unavailable | 0/24 |
| LMArena VisionObserved 2026-10-19 · evaluation date not supplied · high effort | 23% | #8 | 24/24 |
| Structured-output evaldisabled; last successful check unknownunavailable | 0% | feed unavailable | 0/24 |
Provider concentration
Each exact model is scored separately; provider identity is not a ranking input.
- Anthropic3 models
- Google2 models
- Meta1 model
- OpenAI1 model
- Z.ai1 model
Decision table
Every published model is shown in computed order. Practitioner sources are distinct community threads, not the citations repeated in the prose below.
Google · coverage 45% · provisional evidence
#2 LMArena Vision Diagrams · #8 LMArena Vision
Anthropic · coverage 45% · close score · provisional evidence
#4 LMArena Vision Diagrams · #6 LMArena Vision
Anthropic · coverage 65% · provisional evidence
#2 LMArena Document · #7 LMArena Vision Diagrams
Google · coverage 45% · provisional evidence
#4 LMArena Vision · #11 LMArena Vision Diagrams
OpenAI · coverage 45% · provisional evidence
#5 LMArena Vision · #12 LMArena Vision Diagrams
Meta · coverage 45% · provisional evidence
#6 LMArena Vision · #15 LMArena Vision Diagrams
Anthropic · coverage 45% · provisional evidence
#9 LMArena Vision Diagrams · #28 LMArena Vision
Z.ai · coverage 45% · provisional evidence
#20 LMArena Vision Diagrams · #24 LMArena Vision
Task score averages the available, task-weighted measurements. Benchmark positions compare models matched to our catalog. Models measured by at least two independent evaluator families are considered first. Missing tests, practitioner report counts, popularity and release age add no points. Coverage describes evidence breadth, not a probability of correctness. Scores within two points are shown as close under this policy; this is not a statistical confidence interval. When the leading scores are that close, the model measured by more evaluator families ranks first.
- 01
Gemini 3.8 FlashGoogle · $0.83 in / $4.13 out per M tokens · 1.0M context
Gemini 3.8 Flash ranks #2 of 75 on LMArena Vision's diagram category (Elo 1333), based on blind human preference for interpreting charts and diagrams.
Best when: Its strongest result for this task is on LMArena Vision diagrams, which measures interpreting charts and diagrams.No practitioner reports are linked yet, so no cautions are listed. Absence of reports is not evidence of reliability.
- 02
Claude Opus 5.5Anthropic · $4 in / $20 out per M tokens · 1M context
Claude Opus 5.5 ranks #4 of 75 on LMArena Vision's diagram category (Elo 1330), based on blind human preference for interpreting charts and diagrams.
Best when: Its strongest result for this task is on LMArena Vision diagrams, which measures interpreting charts and diagrams.No practitioner reports are linked yet, so no cautions are listed. Absence of reports is not evidence of reliability.
- 03
Claude Fable 5.1Anthropic · $10 in / $50 out per M tokens · 1M context
Ranks #7 on LMArena Vision's diagram category with Elo 1323 and #2 on document tasks, showing strength in structured visual content.
Best when: Choose when your pipeline mixes diagrams with document analysis, as it scores 1513 on document arena tasks.No practitioner reports are linked yet, so no cautions are listed. Absence of reports is not evidence of reliability.
- 04
Gemini 3.7 FlashGoogle · $0.75 in / $3.75 out per M tokens · 1.0M context
Ranks #4 on LMArena's general vision arena (Elo 1295) but falls to #11 on diagram-specific tasks (Elo 1320).
Best when: Use for diverse image understanding beyond charts, as it holds the #4 position in the broader vision arena.Watch out for
- Diagram performance (Elo 1320, rank #11) is notably weaker than its general vision ranking would suggest.
- 05
GPT-6.1 SolOpenAI · $2 in / $10 out per M tokens · 1.1M context
Ranks #5 on LMArena's vision arena (Elo 1294) but drops to #12 on diagram tasks (Elo 1319).
Best when: Its strongest result for this task is on LMArena Vision, which measures reading images, screenshots, and documents.Watch out for
- Diagram-specific ranking (#12) underperforms its general vision standing by 7 positions.
- 06
Muse Spark 1.2Meta · $1.25 in / $4.25 out per M tokens · 1.0M context
Ties for #6 on LMArena's vision arena (Elo 1293) but falls to #15 on diagram tasks (Elo 1316).
Best when: Its strongest result for this task is on LMArena Vision, which measures reading images, screenshots, and documents.Watch out for
- 9-position drop on diagram tasks suggests weaker specialized chart interpretation relative to general vision.
- 07
Claude Sonnet 5.5Anthropic · $2 in / $10 out per M tokens · 1M context
Ranks #9 on LMArena Vision's diagram category (Elo 1321) despite a weaker #28 showing in general vision (Elo 1265).
Best when: Select for diagram-heavy workloads where its specialized ranking (#9) outweighs general vision limitations.No practitioner reports are linked yet, so no cautions are listed. Absence of reports is not evidence of reliability.
- 08
GLM 5.3 FlashZ.ai · $0.041 in / $0.12 out per M tokens · 1.0M context · open-weight
GLM 5.3 Flash ranks #20 of 75 on LMArena Vision's diagram category (Elo 1306), based on blind human preference for interpreting charts and diagrams.
Best when: Its strongest result for this task is on LMArena Vision diagrams, which measures interpreting charts and diagrams.No practitioner reports are linked yet, so no cautions are listed. Absence of reports is not evidence of reliability.
Frequently asked
- What is the best model for Charts & Diagrams?
- Gemini 3.8 Flash ranks first as of October 21, 2026. Gemini 3.8 Flash ranks #2 of 75 on LMArena Vision's diagram category (Elo 1333), based on blind human preference for interpreting charts and diagrams.[1]
- What is the best alternative to Gemini 3.8 Flash?
- Claude Opus 5.5 ranks second. Claude Opus 5.5 ranks #4 of 75 on LMArena Vision's diagram category (Elo 1330), based on blind human preference for interpreting charts and diagrams.[2]
- Which open-weight model ranks highest for Charts & Diagrams?
- GLM 5.3 Flash is the highest-ranked open-weight model, at #8. GLM 5.3 Flash ranks #20 of 75 on LMArena Vision's diagram category (Elo 1306), based on blind human preference for interpreting charts and diagrams.[3]
Sources
- 1
“Within the 75 catalog models matched to this evaluation: Ranks #2 of 75 on LMArena Vision's diagram category (Elo 1333), based on blind human preference for interpreting charts and diagrams.”
LMArena Vision diagrams · Benchmark · Oct 19, 2026 - 2
“Within the 75 catalog models matched to this evaluation: Ranks #4 of 75 on LMArena Vision's diagram category (Elo 1330), based on blind human preference for interpreting charts and diagrams.”
LMArena Vision diagrams · Benchmark · Oct 19, 2026 - 3
“Within the 75 catalog models matched to this evaluation: Ranks #20 of 75 on LMArena Vision's diagram category (Elo 1306), based on blind human preference for interpreting charts and diagrams.”
LMArena Vision diagrams · Benchmark · Oct 19, 2026 - 4
“Within the 34 catalog models matched to this evaluation: Ranks #2 of 34 on LMArena's document arena (score 1513), based on blind preference for document tasks.”
LMArena document arena · Benchmark · Sep 13, 2026 - 5
“Within the 75 catalog models matched to this evaluation: Ranks #7 of 75 on LMArena Vision's diagram category (Elo 1323), based on blind human preference for interpreting charts and diagrams.”
LMArena Vision diagrams · Benchmark · Oct 19, 2026 - 6
“Within the 81 catalog models matched to this evaluation: Ranks #4 of 81 on LMArena's vision arena (Elo 1295), based on human preference on image-understanding tasks.”
LMArena vision arena · Benchmark · Oct 19, 2026 - 7
“Within the 75 catalog models matched to this evaluation: Ranks #11 of 75 on LMArena Vision's diagram category (Elo 1320), based on blind human preference for interpreting charts and diagrams.”
LMArena Vision diagrams · Benchmark · Oct 19, 2026 - 8
“Within the 81 catalog models matched to this evaluation: Ranks #5 of 81 on LMArena's vision arena (Elo 1294), based on human preference on image-understanding tasks.”
LMArena vision arena · Benchmark · Oct 19, 2026 - 9
“Within the 75 catalog models matched to this evaluation: Ranks #12 of 75 on LMArena Vision's diagram category (Elo 1319), based on blind human preference for interpreting charts and diagrams.”
LMArena Vision diagrams · Benchmark · Oct 19, 2026 - 10
“Within the 81 catalog models matched to this evaluation: Ranks #6 of 81 on LMArena's vision arena (Elo 1293), based on human preference on image-understanding tasks.”
LMArena vision arena · Benchmark · Oct 19, 2026 - 11
“Within the 75 catalog models matched to this evaluation: Ranks #15 of 75 on LMArena Vision's diagram category (Elo 1316), based on blind human preference for interpreting charts and diagrams.”
LMArena Vision diagrams · Benchmark · Oct 19, 2026 - 12
“Within the 75 catalog models matched to this evaluation: Ranks #9 of 75 on LMArena Vision's diagram category (Elo 1321), based on blind human preference for interpreting charts and diagrams.”
LMArena Vision diagrams · Benchmark · Oct 19, 2026
Rankings synthesized from community evidence and open benchmarks. See methodology. Not driven by vendor marketing.