Structured JSON output AI models: parse replies without a regex

Structured JSON output
Services found: 151
#AI modelCapabilitiesAPI $/1M (in / out)Context windowPrice / moOutput $/1MOverviewVisit site
1

Claude Fable 5.1

Anthropic
Text & chatVisionReasoning
$10 / $501M tokensAPI only50View
2

GPT-6 Astra

OpenAI
Text & chatVisionReasoning
$10 / $501.05M tokensAPI only50View
3

GPT-6.1 Sol

OpenAI
Text & chatVisionReasoning
$2 / $101.05M tokensAPI only10View
4

GPT-6 Sol

OpenAI
Text & chatVisionReasoning
$2 / $101.05M tokensAPI only10View
5

GPT-6 Luna

OpenAI
Text & chatVisionReasoning
$0.1 / $0.51.05M tokensAPI only0.5View
6

Claude Opus 5.5

Anthropic
Text & chatVisionReasoning
$4 / $201M tokensAPI only20View
7

Claude Sonnet 5.5

Anthropic
Text & chatVisionReasoning
$2 / $101M tokensAPI only10View
8

Grok 4.7

xAI
Text & chatVisionReasoning
$2 / $6500K tokensAPI only6View
9

DeepSeek V4.1 Flash

DeepSeek
Text & chatVisionReasoning
$0.3 / $1.21M tokensAPI only1.2View
10

GLM 5.3 FlashX

Z.ai
Text & chatVisionVideo
$0.37 / $1.251M tokensAPI only1.25View
11

Claude Opus 5

Anthropic
Text & chatVisionReasoning
$5 / $251M tokensAPI only25View
12

Claude Fable 5

Anthropic
Text & chatVisionReasoning
$10 / $501M tokensAPI only50View
13

GPT-5.6 Sol

OpenAI
Text & chatVisionReasoning
$4 / $201.05M tokensAPI only20View
14

GLM 5.3

Z.ai
Text & chatReasoningTool calling
$1.4 / $4.41.31M tokensAPI only4.4View
15

Grok 4.6

xAI
Text & chatVisionReasoning
$2 / $6500K tokensAPI only6View
16

Kimi K3

Moonshot AI
Text & chatVisionVideo
$3 / $151.05M tokensAPI only15View
17

GPT-5.6 Terra

OpenAI
Text & chatVisionReasoning
$2 / $121.05M tokensAPI only12View
18

Claude Opus 4.8

Anthropic
Text & chatVisionReasoning
$5 / $251M tokensAPI only25View
19

GLM 5.3 Flash

Z.ai
Text & chatVisionVideo
$0.075 / $0.251.31M tokensAPI only0.25View
20

Gemini 3.8 Flash

Google
Text & chatVisionAudio
$0.75 / $3.751.05M tokensAPI only3.75View

Browse by need

Structured output means the model is constrained to return JSON matching a schema you supply, so your code can parse the response without defensive cleanup, retries or regex. In production this is the difference between a demo and a pipeline.

151 models support it, spanning $0.25 to $50 per million output tokens. The feature is close to universal among major vendors, so the choice comes down to price and context. Note that schema constraints guarantee shape, not correctness: a model can return a perfectly formed object full of nonsense.

Shape, not truthA schema guarantees parseable output; it says nothing about whether the values are right.
Fewer retriesConstrained decoding removes the cleanup layer most teams write by hand.
Near universalEvery major vendor implements it, so price and context decide rather than availability.

Models with this capability

How to choose

  • Keep schemas shallow — deeply nested structures raise failure rates on smaller models.
  • Mark optional fields properly so the model can omit rather than invent.
  • Validate values after parsing; shape validation is not business validation.
  • Combine with reasoning when extraction requires judgement rather than pattern matching.

Common mistakes

Enormous schemasFifty fields in one call is slower and less accurate than two focused calls.
No fallback pathEven constrained models fail occasionally. Handle it rather than assume success.

Who this suits

Data pipelinesTurning documents and messages into rows without a parsing layer.
BackendsAny place a model output feeds directly into typed code.
AnalyticsConsistent categorisation across large volumes of free text.

Frequently asked questions

Does a schema guarantee correct answers?

No — only correct shape. A model can return a perfectly valid object full of wrong values.

Which vendors support it?

Effectively all the major ones: OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Mistral, Alibaba, DeepSeek, Z.ai, Moonshot and MiniMax.

Is it slower than plain text output?

Marginally, and the trade is almost always worth it: no retries, no regex, no defensive parsing.

Does it slow generation down?

Marginally. The saving in retries and cleanup outweighs it in nearly every case.

Can I enforce enums?

Yes — constraining a field to a fixed set is the most reliable way to keep classification stable.

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