# Models and modes

> The three build quality levels, the models behind each one, the Effort and Context dials, what they cost and where to change them.
> Source: https://playcode.io/docs/build/models-and-modes - last reviewed 2026-10-09.

Playcode's agent has one mode: it asks, plans or builds as the request needs. What you choose is the build quality, **Economy**, **Standard** or **Ultra**, which sets the model the agent runs on and how fast it uses credits.

## Build quality levels

| Level | What the app says | Default model | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| **Economy** | "Good for simple edits, fixes, and basic pages." | Gemini 3 Flash | Marked **Default**: new chats start here until you set another default. The only level on the Free plan |
| **Standard** | "Beautiful, detailed design. Cleanest results, fewest errors." | Claude Opus 5.5 | Pro and Max |
| **Ultra** | "Our most capable model. For the hardest, highest-stakes builds." | Claude Fable 5 | Marked **Priciest**. The app warns that it "may use credits several times faster than Economy or Standard". Pro and Max |

Switching to **Economy** or **Ultra** asks you to confirm first. The Economy warning says: "On complex tasks, it can sometimes repeat or get stuck in a loop. If that happens, press Stop to avoid unnecessary credit use."

## Models you can choose

Each level has a short list of models. The default model is listed first.

| Level | Models in the picker |
|---|---|
| **Economy** | Gemini 3 Flash, GLM 5.3 Flash, DeepSeek V4.1 Flash, GPT-6 Luna |
| **Standard** | Claude Opus 5.5, GPT-6.1 Sol, Claude Sonnet 5.5, Grok 4.7, Gemini 3.8 Flash, Claude Opus 4.6, Kimi K3 |
| **Ultra** | Claude Fable 5, Claude Fable 5.1, GPT-6 Astra |

Models join and leave these lists often. The picker always shows the current list, with each model's cost as one to four dots and a word: **Lowest cost**, **Mid cost**, **High cost** or **Highest cost**. The picker shows no price per message.

Every model in these lists can look at pictures you attach. Some cannot open PDF files: with those, the agent asks you for the text or a screenshot of the pages.

## Effort and Context

| Dial | Levels | Default | What it changes |
|---|---|---|---|
| **Effort** | **Low**, **Medium**, **High**, **Extra High**, **Max** | **Extra High** on Standard and Ultra. On Economy, each model keeps its own setting until you choose a level | How hard the model thinks on each step. The app says: "higher is better on complex builds but slower." Thinking is billed like the rest of the model's output, so a lower level spends fewer credits on thinking |
| **Context** | **Low**, **Medium**, **High**, **Extra High**, **Max** | **High** | How much of the conversation the agent keeps before it summarizes older messages. The app says: "Larger context can cost more, and on some models context above ~200K tokens costs roughly 2x." Choosing **Extra High** or **Max** asks you to confirm |

The Free plan shows **Context** but not **Effort**.

## Where to change them

| What | Where |
|---|---|
| This chat's level, model, Effort and Context | Choose the level button in the message box's toolbar (it shows the current level, like **Economy**). **Choose build quality** opens: choose a card for the level, or the model name on a card to pick another model. **Effort** and **Context** are below the cards |
| The starting point for new chats | **Set as my default** at the bottom of **Choose build quality**. The app says: "New chats start from your default; this chat stays as set." |
| All defaults in one place | **Settings**, **AI defaults** (under **You**): **Default quality**, **Default effort** and **Default context** |
| What this chat has spent so far | Open the project menu (☰ and the project name): the bottom shows **Spent in this chat** |
| What the workspace spent | **Settings**, **Usage** |

## Background tasks

Background tasks never run above the chat's level. Tasks that only read the project or research the web run on Economy; tasks that write or review code run at the chat's level. See [How building with the agent works](/docs/start/how-building-works).