Not every workload needs the same AI model
We tested more than 70 AI models and found no single winner. Here is what that means for anyone building a product with AI.
Updated
On 6 October we tested more than 70 AI models on Bridge. One thing became very clear: the best AI model does not exist.
What we found
Some smaller models answered at over 400 tokens per second. A token is a small piece of a word, so that is roughly 300 words every second. Some larger models were much slower.
Some models were cheap and fast. That does not mean we would trust them with a complex job in a live product. Speed is only one part of the decision.
What else to weigh
Speed is only one part of the decision. When you choose a model, also weigh:
- Cost: what each request costs you, and what it costs at scale.
- Reasoning quality: how well it works through a hard problem.
- Instruction following: whether it does what you asked, every time.
- Structured outputs: whether it gives you clean data your system can use.
- Reliability: whether it works when your customers need it.
- Latency: how long a person waits for the answer.
Different jobs need different models
A customer support assistant does not need the same model as a coding assistant. A simple task like pulling names and amounts out of a document should not automatically go to an expensive top-tier model. And the smartest model is not always the right one when your product has to answer in under two seconds.
Why we built Bridge this way
Building an AI product is simple while you use one model. It gets harder as the product grows: different jobs, different models, different bills, and for Nigerian businesses, the problem of paying for AI in dollars.
Bridge gives you one connection to many AI models. To use a different model, you change one word. You manage usage and spending from one place, and you can pay for AI in naira.
Maybe the future is not businesses choosing one AI model. Maybe it is infrastructure that helps them use the right model for each job. That is the direction we are most interested in at Wekoya.
If you are building an AI product, how do you decide which model to use today? We would love to hear how you handle it.
Common questions
Is there a best AI model?
No. In our tests of more than 70 models, no single model won on everything. Some were very fast, some were cheap, and some reasoned better, and the right one depends on the job.
How do I choose an AI model for my product?
Start with the job, not the model. Weigh cost, speed, reasoning quality, how well it follows instructions, whether it gives clean structured output, how reliable it is, and how long your users can wait.
Can I use more than one AI model in the same product?
Yes. A support assistant, a coding assistant and a document-extraction task can each use a different model. With Bridge, they all go through one connection, and you switch models by changing one word.
Can I pay for AI models in naira?
Yes. Bridge lets Nigerian businesses top up by bank transfer and pay for AI usage in naira, with no dollar card.