Open-weight models take 42% of BenchLM’s top 50

BenchLM’s July 13, 2026 dataset shows open-weight models accounting for 21 of the top 50 AI models on its leaderboard, or 42%. Across the full catalog, 52% of the 281 AI models tracked by BenchLM (147 models) are open-weight, indicating that open releases now represent a majority of listed systems even as proprietary models retain the top spot.

The highest-ranked open-weight system is Z.AI’s GLM-5.2, which sits at #10 overall as of July 13, 2026. BenchLM places it 10 points behind Claude Fable 5, the leading proprietary model, on its 100-point overall score.

Competitive pressure between open and closed models also appears to be tightening in Arena data tracked by BenchLM. The Arena Elo gap between the top closed and top open model narrowed to 28.1 points by 2026-06-03, down from 56.3 points roughly a year earlier.