Arena
Arena
A model leaderboard based on real votes; worth checking before choosing a model.
Arena (formerly LMArena, Chatbot Arena) ranks AI models based on user votes from anonymous side-by-side comparisons.
Overview
Arena is a platform that evaluates AI models using votes from real users. The project started as Chatbot Arena at UC Berkeley, was later renamed LMArena, and from 28 January 2026 officially took the name Arena, moving to arena.ai.
How it works is simple: in Battle mode, you enter a request, the system shows answers from two anonymous models, you pick the better answer, and only then are the model names revealed. These votes feed public leaderboards for many categories such as Text, WebDev, Vision, Document, Search and Agent, as well as image and video generation and editing categories.
For businesses, Arena helps answer the question "which model do users currently rate highly for this kind of task" and lets you compare models yourself with your own questions before choosing a paid tool.
Highlights
Anonymous comparison
Two models answer the same request without you knowing their names, making the judgment more objective.
Leaderboards in many categories
Overall, Text, WebDev, Vision, Document, Search, Agent and image and video categories.
Side-by-side comparison with model selection
Besides Battle, you can pick models yourself and compare them side by side.
Based on real votes
Rankings reflect the choices of many users on real tasks.
Update log
A Leaderboard Changelog lets you track when the rankings change.
What it's for
Choose a chatbot for the team
Before buying AI plans for staff, a manager checks the Text category to see which model is leading.
Choose a model for coding or web work
Technical teams consult the WebDev category when choosing a coding assistant.
Choose image or video ad tools
Marketing looks at the Text to Image, Image Edit and Text to Video categories to shorten the tool list.
Test with your own questions
Staff use Battle with a sample question (with internal information removed) to see which model answers better in Vietnamese.
Quick updates when new models appear
The person in charge of AI follows the leaderboard to see whether a new model is really better.
How to use it
- 1
Open the leaderboard
Go to arena.ai/leaderboard and choose Overall for an overview.
- 2
Choose the right category
Switch to Text, WebDev, Vision, Text to Image or Text to Video depending on the kind of work you need.
- 3
Try Battle mode
Click Start Voting, enter a request, read the two anonymous answers and pick the better one to see the model names.
- 4
Compare models you care about
Use the model selection or side-by-side feature to put two specific models next to each other.
- 5
Cross-check before deciding
Combine the ranking with the provider's price, speed and data terms before choosing.
Video guides
Behind LMArena's leaderboard: understanding AI model performance
Arena AI
LMArena statistical ranking method explained - Ask an Engineer
Arena AI
Discover the Best AI Models Using LM Arena Platform EP #214
Everyday AI
Real-world example
A small real estate company wants to choose an AI assistant to write apartment descriptions in Vietnamese. Instead of choosing by advertising, a sales employee goes to Arena, looks at the Text category, then uses Battle mode with a few sample requests that contain no customer information. After seeing which group of models writes more natural Vietnamese, the company compares the prices of the corresponding paid plans.
Tips & notes
Don't enter sensitive data
According to the How it works page, prompts are collected for public evaluation and model development.
Choose the right category
The model leading Text does not necessarily lead WebDev or image generation.
Verify for Vietnamese yourself
The overall ranking does not specifically reflect Vietnamese quality, so try your own questions.
Combine multiple sources
Rankings based on user preference should be cross-checked against other benchmarks such as Artificial Analysis.
FAQ
Are LMArena and Arena the same?
Yes. Chatbot Arena was renamed LMArena, then on 28 January 2026 renamed Arena at arena.ai.
How are the rankings produced?
From user votes when comparing answers of two anonymous models; see the official site for method details.
Does using Arena cost money?
The leaderboard is publicly viewable; see the official site for the terms of other features.
Should I enter company documents to test?
No, because prompts are collected for evaluation purposes; use only sample content.
Useful links
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