Surfaces

Surfaces are services that provide access to AI models. Each surface tends to have its own deprecation lifecycle.

Apps

Applications marketed to non-developers. These are usually consumer chatbot apps.

APIs

Platforms tailored for developers to integrate LLMs into applications.

First-party

SurfaceProvider
Claude PlatformAnthropic
OpenAI APIOpenAI
Gemini APIGoogle
xAI APIxAI
Arcee PlatformArcee

Third-party

Partner platforms of AI labs that may provide extended access to legacy models.

SurfaceProvider
BedrockAmazon
Google Cloud / VertexGoogle
Foundry / AzureMicrosoft

Aggregators

Middleman router APIs. These are sometimes useful as they may provide exclusive access to models undergoing public testing, or legacy models only available to existing customers of first- or third-party APIs.