# Best Long Context AI Models in 2026

> AI models ranked on sourced long-context and memory benchmarks including LongBench v2, MRCRv2, AI-Needle, Graphwalks, and MMLongBench-Doc.

This reporting page isolates long-context performance from the broader reasoning category. It uses a sourced subset of long-context and memory evaluations such as LongBench v2, MRCRv2, AI-Needle, Graphwalks, and document-length multimodal reasoning. Use it when context retention, memory, and long-document handling matter more than abstract reasoning alone.

Canonical page: https://benchlm.ai/best/long-context

Last updated: October 6, 2026

## Rankings

| Rank | Model | Creator | Type | Context | Score |
|------|-------|---------|------|---------|-------|
| 1 | [GPT-5.5](/models/gpt-5-5) | OpenAI | Proprietary | 1M | 85.3 |
| 2 | [Qwen3.8 Max](/models/qwen3-8-max) | Alibaba | Open Weight | 1M | 79.6 |
| 3 | [Claude Opus 4.5](/models/claude-opus-4-5) | Anthropic | Proprietary | 200K | 68.2 |
| 4 | [Qwen3.5 397B](/models/qwen3-5-397b) | Alibaba | Open Weight | 128K | 65.4 |
| 5 | [Qwen3.6 Plus](/models/qwen3-6-plus) | Alibaba | Proprietary | 1M | 64.5 |
| 6 | [GLM-5](/models/glm-5) | Z.AI | Open Weight | 200K | 61.8 |

## Key Takeaways

- Top model: [GPT-5.5](/models/gpt-5-5) with a score of 85.3
- Best open-weight option: [Qwen3.8 Max](/models/qwen3-8-max) at #2
- Models included: 6

## Compare the Leaders

- [GPT-5.5 vs Qwen3.8 Max](/compare/gpt-5-5-vs-qwen3-8-max)