This is not a takedown. Artificial Analysis is the source. Models & Makers is an index that snapshots their board and hangs makers plus startup credits next to it.
If you came from a "[us] vs [them]" template expecting a winner, here it is: for evals, they win. They run them. We copy the file. For "what moved this week, who ships the models, and which startup credit is real," we have pages they do not. Different products. Same numbers at the top of the LLM table, because we ingested theirs.
The 11 Aug 2026 board both of us are talking about
From content/leaderboard_data.json (updated_at 11 Aug 2026, 08:06 UTC):
| Rank | Model | Company | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Claude Opus 5 (Adaptive Reasoning, Max Effort) | Anthropic | 63.1 |
| 2 | Claude Opus 5 (Adaptive Reasoning, Xhigh Effort) | Anthropic | 62.5 |
| 3 | Claude Fable 5 (Adaptive Reasoning, Max Effort, Opus 4.8 Fallback) | Anthropic | 62.1 |
| 4 | Claude Opus 5 (Adaptive Reasoning, High Effort) | Anthropic | 61.5 |
| 5 | GPT-5.6 Sol (max) | OpenAI | 60.9 |
Qwen3.8 Max is rank 9 at 58.1. We label that row Open Weights from the name. AA may ship a more precise license field; if they do and we disagree, theirs is the eval, ours is the inference. See /methodology.
Live copy of the file: /leaderboard. Source site: artificialanalysis.ai.
Side by side
| Artificial Analysis | Models & Makers | |
|---|---|---|
| Evals | They run the harness | We do not |
| LLM table | Canonical | Snapshot of theirs |
| Image / video / audio boards | Theirs | Snapshotted too |
| Weekly movers | Their product | /movers from current vs previous JSON |
| Makers | Not the job | /makers, public votes |
| Startup credits | Not the job | /perks, apply links behind sign-in or newsletter confirm |
| Thin model-vs-model URLs | Their pages | /compare/* is noindex; long-form on /posts |
| Publish / updated dates | On their pages | In the journal byline and in page chrome |
We are closer to a newspaper that reprints a statistical office than to a second statistical office.
When to use AA
You are choosing a model and you need the Intelligence Index, speed, or their price views. You want the methodology behind the use. You want to cite the lab, not a reprint.
Go there first. Link them if you quote a score. We do.
When to use Models & Makers
You already trust AA (or you are about to) and you also need:
- A dated stamp you can screenshot. The byline on this page is the point.
- What moved since the previous file. That is /movers, not a vibe.
- Who the makers are, with a vote. Directory, not an eval.
- A credits row with a number from
content/perks.json, not "apply and see." Sign in on /perks. We do not paste raw apply URLs.
The weekly pack is /edition. Same snapshot, fewer URLs.
What this comparison is not
It is not "we are more accurate." We cannot be. We do not run the evals.
It is not "AA is missing makers, therefore they are worse." They did not claim makers.
It is not a pricing review of AA. We do not have their contract on file. If you need AA's own plans, read their site. Inventing a dollar figure here would be a lie.
For the broader set of sites people mean when they say "AA alternative" (Arena, Hugging Face, OpenRouter), use Artificial Analysis alternatives. For picking by job, Best AI model comparison tools in 2026.
Frequently asked questions
Do you compete with Artificial Analysis?
On evals, no. On "one URL for board plus makers plus credits," yes, in the sense that a newspaper competes with the statistical office for attention, not for the census.
Why is /compare noindex?
Thin auto scorecards. They leaked duplicate titles and empty calories. The indexable compares are journal posts with a table and a date.
Will the #1 on this page match AA tomorrow?
Only if the snapshot has moved and we have ingested it. Check updated_at on /leaderboard. If this post's updated date is behind that stamp, the table here is stale. Trust the live board.
Can I quote your rank as if you ran the test?
No. Quote AA. Mention we indexed the file if you need a date.
Bottom line
Artificial Analysis produces the scores. We reprint them, date them, and put makers and perks in the next column. Use them for the use. Use us for the index. If you only have time for one URL and the question is "who is #1," go to AA. If the question is "who is #1, what moved, and is there a credit," start here and keep the outbound link.