Something remarkable has happened over the last few months. Open models have improved at a pace that’s hard to ignore, matching and even exceeding commercial models on task like coding and generating images and videos.
That’s good news for everyone building software.
It also illustrates why Netlify always bets on open. Open standards created the modern web. Open source accelerated it. And now open models are becoming an essential part of the next generation of software creation.
Starting today, full model freedom comes to every Netlify customer through both Agent Runners and AI Gateway. Netlify now supports open-weight models like DeepSeek, Qwen, GLM, and Kimi through our partnerships with OpenRouter and OpeCode.
With a full suite of open models joining the commercial models already on Netlify, you can now build with virtually any frontier AI directly on the same production infrastructure where your applications runs.
The best model is a moving target
Not only do AI models launch and update frequently, they often vary in personality and expertise across tasks. Some are inexpensive enough to power long-running tasks. Some excel at frontend design. Others are fantastic at debugging or large refactors.
And six weeks from now, the answer may change again.
I don’t think developers should have to bet on a single winner. Competition has always driven software forward and AI should be no different. With industry benchmarks and the explosive growth in new techniques to build frontier models, it’s clear we’re only going to be seeing a higher pace of progress, especially in the area of coding and developer tooling.
Netlify now makes it easy to keep up with the latest models, open or commercial
Start a new Agent Run and you’ll see OpenCode along with a broad range of coding models, including the best open-weight models available today.
Whether you pick Claude, GPT, Gemini, DeepSeek, Kimi, or another open model, your workflow doesn’t change. As you switch between models on Netlify, your projects, deployment pipeline, and production environment all remain the same. This makes broad experimentation with AI models really easy and let’s you determine exactly how you want to approach specific tasks.
This new frontier is a partnership collaboration between Netlify, OpenRouter, and OpenCode to give builders access to a rapidly expanding ecosystem of coding models, while keeping the experience inside Netlify simple and consistent.
Those projects deserve enormous credit. They’ve helped make the AI ecosystem dramatically more open and more interoperable, and we’re excited to build alongside them.
We believe open models matter
Open models create healthier markets. They give researchers a foundation to build on and empower startups to compete. They make it possible for organizations to run critical AI infrastructure on their own terms. Most importantly, they ensure that the future of software isn’t defined by a small handful of companies.
The web became what it is because anyone could participate. We want AI-powered software development to follow that same path.
You can try out one of the new models on any project today. Experiment freely. Switch easily when something better comes along and when your team is ready.
We’ll keep building the production platform underneath and making sure you have access to all the latest models from both the foundation labs and the wider community.
While models will keep changing, our goal stays the same: Help more people build and ship real production sites and apps confidently, powered by the best technology the entire ecosystem has to offer.
Learn more about the new open models on Netlify
If you’re ready to explore the new models available on Netlify, these resources cover setup, supported providers, and how to use them in your projects:
- Agent Runners documentation — Build with AI using Netlify Agent Runners and choose from a wide range of supported coding models.
- AI Gateway documentation — Incorporate AI features into your applications through Netlify AI Gateway with new support for hundreds of commercial and open models.
- Build with AI on Netlify — An overview of Netlify’s AI platform, including Agent Runners, AI Gateway, and production deployment.
