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The Best Pet Hair Vacuums for Managing Dog and Cat Hair

The Best Pet Hair Vacuums for Managing Dog and Cat Hair

Compare Our Picks

Others Tested

Photograph: Molly Higgins

Tineco Go Pet Cordless Vacuum for $176: As when I tested the Tineco Go Mini ($130) for my handheld vacuums guide, I was a bit underwhelmed by this vacuum specifically for pets. It has a slot for easy brush removal if hair gets stuck around the bars, which is a helpful thing to have when you’re dealing with pet (and human) hair. The lever and the angle of the lid for emptying are counterintuitive, and the first few times I emptied it, the debris went everywhere. It’s hard to distinguish between eco and power modes, and the vac blinked red and the brush stopped rotating when transitioning between surfaces. (It especially had a hard time on my thin runner rug.) It felt a bit heavier and clunkier than others as well. But, it does have handy lights to illuminate debris and comes with attachments to make handheld cleaning a breeze.

Image may contain Bathroom Indoors Room Toilet and Device

Photograph: Molly Higgins

Mova P50 Pro Ultra Robot Vacuum for $589: This robot vacuum-mop combo has extendable side brush and mop pads to reach tight corners, a self-emptying dock station that empties dust and debris, and self-cleans and dries mop pads. It also uses an RGB camera and “intelligent dirt detection system” whose sensors identify messes to clean deeper and avoid objects on the ground. The robovac generates 3D maps of your home, and identifies things like furniture and even pets. Through the app, you can customize cleanings, and there’s also synced video and voice interaction to allow you to talk to your pets, schedule cleanings, and more, and it is compatible with smart home devices Alexa and Google Home. When first mapping my small apartment, the vac didn’t want to go past certain rooms, and it took several days to get it to create a complete cleaning map. It has a hard time going over small thresholds, eventually avoiding cleaning the rooms altogether, and has thrown itself off my stairs twice, causing the mop pads to pop off. Despite having intelligent object detection, it still often tried to suck up or roll over small objects on the ground, like shoes and pet toys. I love that this combo vac-mop self-cleans and empties, but for nearly $1,000, I wish the smart features were smarter and the mapping was more accurate.

Dyson Car + Boat Handheld Vacuum for $250: Former WIRED reviewer Brenda Stolyar liked this handheld vacuum, designed specifically for sucking up dirt and debris from your car and boat, plus bedding, furniture, and other awkward spaces. (Read our full review here).

Hoover HL4 Pet Upright Vacuum Cleaner for £130: While it is only available in the UK, Hoover’s HL4 successfully removed lots of cat hair from my home. I live with a trio of cats, two of them long-haired, so a powerful vacuum is essential. The HL4 is sadly corded (7.6 meters), but at around 240 air watts it was powerful enough to lift dust and hair that my lightweight cordless vac and robot vac had missed. The smart design easily converts into a portable vacuum, and it comes with a pet tool and crevice tool. The pet tool proved adept at lifting hair from the couch, stairs, and cat beds, though it didn’t quite have the grunt to remove every strand. There’s a handy vent to reduce suction for mats and blankets. The 1.2-liter bin is easy to remove and empty, though not without releasing a dust cloud, and the Anti-Twist floor head seems to collect considerably less tangled hair than other vacuums. —Simon Hill

Not Recommended

Eufy Robo Vac 11S Max a black discshaped device on top of a carpeted floor

Photograph: Molly Higgins

Eufy RoboVac 11S Max for $150: Our esteemed competitors at places like The Strategist and Wirecutter loved this cheap robovac, so I bought one for myself before moving into my new apartment with two cats. And I have to say, I don’t agree with them. Yes, this robovac is significantly cheaper than most others and has generally good ratings, but I have nothing nice to say about it besides that it is able to go under furniture and suck up pet hair I otherwise wouldn’t be able to. Its navigation system is random, it doesn’t have an app (but it does come with a remote control to direct it to a specific spot or schedule cleanings), it’s loud, and it tends to be attracted to cords. It has extreme difficulty traversing even minor height differences, like the small panel of wood between the hallway and bathroom door. But most of all, it is needlessly hard to empty the bin, and nearly impossible to detangle all of the hair and fur from the bar or spinning brush beneath. There’s gross hair that will probably still be wrapped around the mechanism until the day I am put into the ground. This cursed thing will outlive us all, I fear.

I tested these pet hair vacuums for a week if not more (I’ve been using both the Dyson cordless and handheld for months now), and I’ve used them on nearly every surface in my house—including the cat trees and behind my two cats’ litter box. When testing began, I lived in a large house with three cats and a dog (more hair in a larger area), and for the latter half of testing, I lived with two cats in a small apartment (slightly less hair in a smaller area with less places for hair to hide).

I also tested every attachment on problem areas like carpeted stairs, crevices of air vents, a high-pile rug, and hardwood floors. Not all pet hair vacuums are created alike, and they vary quite a bit in their effectiveness on different surfaces and with different attachments. I set these up, charged ’em, and vacuumed with them until they died, noting run time, power, effectiveness, and ease of emptying the bin and cleaning the filter.

It seems like a lot of brands will slap the words “pet hair” onto a product and market it as such without really specifying why or how it’s effective for pet hair. Of course, I tested those to see if they put their metaphorical vac mouths where their money was. On the flip side, I also tested some that were well rated for overall efficacy but not marketed toward pets—like the Roborock Saros 10R, a pricey robovac that uses AI mapping and can identify pets nearby and quiet its motor.

Speaking of, vacuums and pets are inherently antithetical. Vacuums are a necessary evil to combat pet hair, but your pets will likely be scared of them. If my cat Basil had opposable thumbs, I know he’d be leaving hate comments on this article. Aside from the robovac picks (which for some reason my cats don’t mind), my cat Basil had a mild cardiac event each time I tested the other vacs on this list. So along with effectiveness and suction, I also took into consideration loudness, as well as how easy the product is to handle.

Generally though, when shopping for a pet hair vacuum, look for suction power, bin capacity, attachments, and type of bristle or Motorbar—figure out what’s going to be doing the actual picking up of dust, dander, and pet hair. I found that conical bars like the ones on certain Dyson models work well to not get tangled, and dual brushes like on the Ryobi work together to effectively pick up more. Also read reviews from real people with real, furry pets, but know that no two pets are alike. Take into consideration what kind of shedder you live with, and what type of space needs cleaning; a robovac may not be best for a house with multiple flights of carpeted stairs.

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#Pet #Hair #Vacuums #Managing #Dog #Cat #Hair

If you like playing daily word games like Wordle, then Hurdle is a great game to add to your routine.

There are five rounds to the game. The first round sees you trying to guess the word, with correct, misplaced, and incorrect letters shown in each guess. If you guess the correct answer, it’ll take you to the next hurdle, providing the answer to the last hurdle as your first guess. This can give you several clues or none, depending on the words. For the final hurdle, every correct answer from previous hurdles is shown, with correct and misplaced letters clearly shown.

An important note is that the number of times a letter is highlighted from previous guesses does necessarily indicate the number of times that letter appears in the final hurdle.

Mashable 101 Fan Fave: Nominate your favorite creators today

If you find yourself stuck at any step of today’s Hurdle, don’t worry! We have you covered.

Hurdle Word 1 hint

Composure.

Hurdle Word 1 answer

POISE

Hurdle Word 2 hint

A park seat.

Hurdle Word 2 Answer

BENCH

Mashable 101 Fan Fave: Nominate your favorite creators today

Hurdle Word 3 hint

To unnotice.

Hurdle Word 3 answer

UNSEE

Hurdle Word 4 hint

A small island.

Hurdle Word 4 answer

ISLET

Final Hurdle hint

A cat breed.

Hurdle Word 5 answer

TABBY

If you’re looking for more puzzles, Mashable’s got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

#Todays #Hurdle #hints #answers #April">Today’s Hurdle hints and answers for April 8, 2026
                                                            If you like playing daily word games like Wordle, then Hurdle is a great game to add to your routine. There are five rounds to the game. The first round sees you trying to guess the word, with correct, misplaced, and incorrect letters shown in each guess. If you guess the correct answer, it’ll take you to the next hurdle, providing the answer to the last hurdle as your first guess. This can give you several clues or none, depending on the words. For the final hurdle, every correct answer from previous hurdles is shown, with correct and misplaced letters clearly shown.An important note is that the number of times a letter is highlighted from previous guesses does necessarily indicate the number of times that letter appears in the final hurdle. 
Mashable 101 Fan Fave: Nominate your favorite creators todayIf you find yourself stuck at any step of today’s Hurdle, don’t worry! We have you covered.
        SEE ALSO:
        
            Hurdle: Everything you need to know to find the answers
            
        
    
Hurdle Word 1 hintComposure.
        SEE ALSO:
        
            Apple’s new M3 MacBook Air is 0 off at Amazon. And yes, I’m tempted.
            
        
    
Hurdle Word 1 answerPOISE
        
            Mashable Top Stories
        
        
    
Hurdle Word 2 hintA park seat.
        SEE ALSO:
        
            Wordle today: Answer, hints for April 8, 2026
            
        
    
Hurdle Word 2 AnswerBENCHMashable 101 Fan Fave: Nominate your favorite creators todayHurdle Word 3 hintTo unnotice. 
        SEE ALSO:
        
            NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for April 8
            
        
    

        SEE ALSO:
        
            NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for April 8, 2026
            
        
    
Hurdle Word 3 answerUNSEEHurdle Word 4 hintA small island.Hurdle Word 4 answerISLETFinal Hurdle hintA cat breed.
        SEE ALSO:
        
            Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Games available on Mashable
            
        
    
Hurdle Word 5 answerTABBYIf you’re looking for more puzzles, Mashable’s got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

                    
                                            
                            
                        
                                    #Todays #Hurdle #hints #answers #April

Wordle, then Hurdle is a great game to add to your routine.

There are five rounds to the game. The first round sees you trying to guess the word, with correct, misplaced, and incorrect letters shown in each guess. If you guess the correct answer, it’ll take you to the next hurdle, providing the answer to the last hurdle as your first guess. This can give you several clues or none, depending on the words. For the final hurdle, every correct answer from previous hurdles is shown, with correct and misplaced letters clearly shown.

An important note is that the number of times a letter is highlighted from previous guesses does necessarily indicate the number of times that letter appears in the final hurdle.

Mashable 101 Fan Fave: Nominate your favorite creators today

If you find yourself stuck at any step of today’s Hurdle, don’t worry! We have you covered.

Hurdle Word 1 hint

Composure.

Hurdle Word 1 answer

POISE

Hurdle Word 2 hint

A park seat.

Hurdle Word 2 Answer

BENCH

Mashable 101 Fan Fave: Nominate your favorite creators today

Hurdle Word 3 hint

To unnotice.

Hurdle Word 3 answer

UNSEE

Hurdle Word 4 hint

A small island.

Hurdle Word 4 answer

ISLET

Final Hurdle hint

A cat breed.

Hurdle Word 5 answer

TABBY

If you’re looking for more puzzles, Mashable’s got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

#Todays #Hurdle #hints #answers #April">Today’s Hurdle hints and answers for April 8, 2026

If you like playing daily word games like Wordle, then Hurdle is a great game to add to your routine.

There are five rounds to the game. The first round sees you trying to guess the word, with correct, misplaced, and incorrect letters shown in each guess. If you guess the correct answer, it’ll take you to the next hurdle, providing the answer to the last hurdle as your first guess. This can give you several clues or none, depending on the words. For the final hurdle, every correct answer from previous hurdles is shown, with correct and misplaced letters clearly shown.

An important note is that the number of times a letter is highlighted from previous guesses does necessarily indicate the number of times that letter appears in the final hurdle.

Mashable 101 Fan Fave: Nominate your favorite creators today

If you find yourself stuck at any step of today’s Hurdle, don’t worry! We have you covered.

Hurdle Word 1 hint

Composure.

Hurdle Word 1 answer

POISE

Hurdle Word 2 hint

A park seat.

Hurdle Word 2 Answer

BENCH

Mashable 101 Fan Fave: Nominate your favorite creators today

Hurdle Word 3 hint

To unnotice.

Hurdle Word 3 answer

UNSEE

Hurdle Word 4 hint

A small island.

Hurdle Word 4 answer

ISLET

Final Hurdle hint

A cat breed.

Hurdle Word 5 answer

TABBY

If you’re looking for more puzzles, Mashable’s got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

#Todays #Hurdle #hints #answers #April
Arcee, a tiny 26-person U.S. startup that built a massive, 400B-parameter open source LLM on a $20 million shoestring budget, has released its new reasoning model. Arcee calls the model Trinity Large Thinking — and it’s the most capable open-weight model “ever released by a non-Chinese company,” claims CEO Mark McQuade to TechCrunch.

As that comment implies, Arcee has a goal that I can’t help but root for: It wants to give U.S. and Western companies a model that gives them no reason to use a Chinese-based one.

While Chinese models are extremely capable, they are perceived as risky, putting power, and perhaps data, into the hands of a government that doesn’t share all of the Western world’s ideals.

With Arcee, companies can download the model, train it to their own needs, and use it on premises. Companies can also use Arcee’s cloud-hosted version, accessible via API.

While Arcee’s models are not outperforming the closed source models from the big labs like Anthropic or OpenAI, they’re not being held hostage by the whims of those giants, either.

For instance, Claude, with its exceptional abilities to code, has been a popular choice for users of open source AI agent tool OpenClaw. But Anthropic pulled the rug out from them last week when it told users that their Anthropic subscriptions will no longer cover OpenClaw usage — they will have to pay additionally for that. (In February, OpenClaw creator Peter Steinberger said he was joining Anthropic’s biggest rival, OpenAI.)

In contrast, McQuade proudly points to data from OpenRouter that says it has become one of the top models used with OpenClaw.

Techcrunch event

San Francisco, CA | October 13-15, 2026

So, how good is Trinity Large Thinking? It is comparable to some of the other top open source models, according to the benchmark results it shared with TechCrunch.

I can’t help rooting for tiny open source AI model maker Arcee | TechCrunch
Arcee, a tiny 26-person U.S. startup that built a massive, 400B-parameter open source LLM on a  million shoestring budget, has released its new reasoning model. Arcee calls the model Trinity Large Thinking — and it’s the most capable open-weight model “ever released by a non-Chinese company,” claims CEO Mark McQuade to TechCrunch.

As that comment implies, Arcee has a goal that I can’t help but root for: It wants to give U.S. and Western companies a model that gives them no reason to use a Chinese-based one.







While Chinese models are extremely capable, they are perceived as risky, putting power, and perhaps data, into the hands of a government that doesn’t share all of the Western world’s ideals.

With Arcee, companies can download the model, train it to their own needs, and use it on premises. Companies can also use Arcee’s cloud-hosted version, accessible via API.

While Arcee’s models are not outperforming the closed source models from the big labs like Anthropic or OpenAI, they’re not being held hostage by the whims of those giants, either. 

For instance, Claude, with its exceptional abilities to code, has been a popular choice for users of open source AI agent tool OpenClaw. But Anthropic pulled the rug out from them last week when it told users that their Anthropic subscriptions will no longer cover OpenClaw usage — they will have to pay additionally for that. (In February, OpenClaw creator Peter Steinberger said he was joining Anthropic’s biggest rival, OpenAI.)

In contrast, McQuade proudly points to data from OpenRouter that says it has become one of the top models used with OpenClaw.

	
		
		Techcrunch event
		
			
			
									San Francisco, CA
													|
													October 13-15, 2026
							
			
		
	


So, how good is Trinity Large Thinking? It is comparable to some of the other top open source models, according to the benchmark results it shared with TechCrunch.

Arcee Trinity large thinking BenchmarksImage Credits:Arcee / Arcee

As we previously reported, it is not a head-to-head threat to the big cheese among U.S.-built open models: Meta’s Llama 4. But it also doesn’t have the odd, not-really open source license issues of Meta’s model. All of Arcee’s Trinity models are released under the gold standard for OS licenses, Apache 2.0.

Just to be clear, there are also countless other U.S. startups offering open source models and, as a fan of the ingenuity of startups, I’m rooting for them, too.








#rooting #tiny #open #source #model #maker #Arcee #TechCrunchArcee AI,chinese ai,open source ai
Arcee Trinity large thinking BenchmarksImage Credits:Arcee / Arcee

As we previously reported, it is not a head-to-head threat to the big cheese among U.S.-built open models: Meta’s Llama 4. But it also doesn’t have the odd, not-really open source license issues of Meta’s model. All of Arcee’s Trinity models are released under the gold standard for OS licenses, Apache 2.0.

Just to be clear, there are also countless other U.S. startups offering open source models and, as a fan of the ingenuity of startups, I’m rooting for them, too.

#rooting #tiny #open #source #model #maker #Arcee #TechCrunchArcee AI,chinese ai,open source ai">I can’t help rooting for tiny open source AI model maker Arcee | TechCrunch
Arcee, a tiny 26-person U.S. startup that built a massive, 400B-parameter open source LLM on a  million shoestring budget, has released its new reasoning model. Arcee calls the model Trinity Large Thinking — and it’s the most capable open-weight model “ever released by a non-Chinese company,” claims CEO Mark McQuade to TechCrunch.

As that comment implies, Arcee has a goal that I can’t help but root for: It wants to give U.S. and Western companies a model that gives them no reason to use a Chinese-based one.







While Chinese models are extremely capable, they are perceived as risky, putting power, and perhaps data, into the hands of a government that doesn’t share all of the Western world’s ideals.

With Arcee, companies can download the model, train it to their own needs, and use it on premises. Companies can also use Arcee’s cloud-hosted version, accessible via API.

While Arcee’s models are not outperforming the closed source models from the big labs like Anthropic or OpenAI, they’re not being held hostage by the whims of those giants, either. 

For instance, Claude, with its exceptional abilities to code, has been a popular choice for users of open source AI agent tool OpenClaw. But Anthropic pulled the rug out from them last week when it told users that their Anthropic subscriptions will no longer cover OpenClaw usage — they will have to pay additionally for that. (In February, OpenClaw creator Peter Steinberger said he was joining Anthropic’s biggest rival, OpenAI.)

In contrast, McQuade proudly points to data from OpenRouter that says it has become one of the top models used with OpenClaw.

	
		
		Techcrunch event
		
			
			
									San Francisco, CA
													|
													October 13-15, 2026
							
			
		
	


So, how good is Trinity Large Thinking? It is comparable to some of the other top open source models, according to the benchmark results it shared with TechCrunch.

Arcee Trinity large thinking BenchmarksImage Credits:Arcee / Arcee

As we previously reported, it is not a head-to-head threat to the big cheese among U.S.-built open models: Meta’s Llama 4. But it also doesn’t have the odd, not-really open source license issues of Meta’s model. All of Arcee’s Trinity models are released under the gold standard for OS licenses, Apache 2.0.

Just to be clear, there are also countless other U.S. startups offering open source models and, as a fan of the ingenuity of startups, I’m rooting for them, too.








#rooting #tiny #open #source #model #maker #Arcee #TechCrunchArcee AI,chinese ai,open source ai

Arcee, a tiny 26-person U.S. startup that built a massive, 400B-parameter open source LLM on a $20 million shoestring budget, has released its new reasoning model. Arcee calls the model Trinity Large Thinking — and it’s the most capable open-weight model “ever released by a non-Chinese company,” claims CEO Mark McQuade to TechCrunch.

As that comment implies, Arcee has a goal that I can’t help but root for: It wants to give U.S. and Western companies a model that gives them no reason to use a Chinese-based one.

While Chinese models are extremely capable, they are perceived as risky, putting power, and perhaps data, into the hands of a government that doesn’t share all of the Western world’s ideals.

With Arcee, companies can download the model, train it to their own needs, and use it on premises. Companies can also use Arcee’s cloud-hosted version, accessible via API.

While Arcee’s models are not outperforming the closed source models from the big labs like Anthropic or OpenAI, they’re not being held hostage by the whims of those giants, either.

For instance, Claude, with its exceptional abilities to code, has been a popular choice for users of open source AI agent tool OpenClaw. But Anthropic pulled the rug out from them last week when it told users that their Anthropic subscriptions will no longer cover OpenClaw usage — they will have to pay additionally for that. (In February, OpenClaw creator Peter Steinberger said he was joining Anthropic’s biggest rival, OpenAI.)

In contrast, McQuade proudly points to data from OpenRouter that says it has become one of the top models used with OpenClaw.

Techcrunch event

San Francisco, CA | October 13-15, 2026

So, how good is Trinity Large Thinking? It is comparable to some of the other top open source models, according to the benchmark results it shared with TechCrunch.

I can’t help rooting for tiny open source AI model maker Arcee | TechCrunch
Arcee, a tiny 26-person U.S. startup that built a massive, 400B-parameter open source LLM on a  million shoestring budget, has released its new reasoning model. Arcee calls the model Trinity Large Thinking — and it’s the most capable open-weight model “ever released by a non-Chinese company,” claims CEO Mark McQuade to TechCrunch.

As that comment implies, Arcee has a goal that I can’t help but root for: It wants to give U.S. and Western companies a model that gives them no reason to use a Chinese-based one.







While Chinese models are extremely capable, they are perceived as risky, putting power, and perhaps data, into the hands of a government that doesn’t share all of the Western world’s ideals.

With Arcee, companies can download the model, train it to their own needs, and use it on premises. Companies can also use Arcee’s cloud-hosted version, accessible via API.

While Arcee’s models are not outperforming the closed source models from the big labs like Anthropic or OpenAI, they’re not being held hostage by the whims of those giants, either. 

For instance, Claude, with its exceptional abilities to code, has been a popular choice for users of open source AI agent tool OpenClaw. But Anthropic pulled the rug out from them last week when it told users that their Anthropic subscriptions will no longer cover OpenClaw usage — they will have to pay additionally for that. (In February, OpenClaw creator Peter Steinberger said he was joining Anthropic’s biggest rival, OpenAI.)

In contrast, McQuade proudly points to data from OpenRouter that says it has become one of the top models used with OpenClaw.

	
		
		Techcrunch event
		
			
			
									San Francisco, CA
													|
													October 13-15, 2026
							
			
		
	


So, how good is Trinity Large Thinking? It is comparable to some of the other top open source models, according to the benchmark results it shared with TechCrunch.

Arcee Trinity large thinking BenchmarksImage Credits:Arcee / Arcee

As we previously reported, it is not a head-to-head threat to the big cheese among U.S.-built open models: Meta’s Llama 4. But it also doesn’t have the odd, not-really open source license issues of Meta’s model. All of Arcee’s Trinity models are released under the gold standard for OS licenses, Apache 2.0.

Just to be clear, there are also countless other U.S. startups offering open source models and, as a fan of the ingenuity of startups, I’m rooting for them, too.








#rooting #tiny #open #source #model #maker #Arcee #TechCrunchArcee AI,chinese ai,open source ai
Arcee Trinity large thinking BenchmarksImage Credits:Arcee / Arcee

As we previously reported, it is not a head-to-head threat to the big cheese among U.S.-built open models: Meta’s Llama 4. But it also doesn’t have the odd, not-really open source license issues of Meta’s model. All of Arcee’s Trinity models are released under the gold standard for OS licenses, Apache 2.0.

Just to be clear, there are also countless other U.S. startups offering open source models and, as a fan of the ingenuity of startups, I’m rooting for them, too.

#rooting #tiny #open #source #model #maker #Arcee #TechCrunchArcee AI,chinese ai,open source ai">I can’t help rooting for tiny open source AI model maker Arcee | TechCrunch

Arcee, a tiny 26-person U.S. startup that built a massive, 400B-parameter open source LLM on a $20 million shoestring budget, has released its new reasoning model. Arcee calls the model Trinity Large Thinking — and it’s the most capable open-weight model “ever released by a non-Chinese company,” claims CEO Mark McQuade to TechCrunch.

As that comment implies, Arcee has a goal that I can’t help but root for: It wants to give U.S. and Western companies a model that gives them no reason to use a Chinese-based one.

While Chinese models are extremely capable, they are perceived as risky, putting power, and perhaps data, into the hands of a government that doesn’t share all of the Western world’s ideals.

With Arcee, companies can download the model, train it to their own needs, and use it on premises. Companies can also use Arcee’s cloud-hosted version, accessible via API.

While Arcee’s models are not outperforming the closed source models from the big labs like Anthropic or OpenAI, they’re not being held hostage by the whims of those giants, either.

For instance, Claude, with its exceptional abilities to code, has been a popular choice for users of open source AI agent tool OpenClaw. But Anthropic pulled the rug out from them last week when it told users that their Anthropic subscriptions will no longer cover OpenClaw usage — they will have to pay additionally for that. (In February, OpenClaw creator Peter Steinberger said he was joining Anthropic’s biggest rival, OpenAI.)

In contrast, McQuade proudly points to data from OpenRouter that says it has become one of the top models used with OpenClaw.

Techcrunch event

San Francisco, CA | October 13-15, 2026

So, how good is Trinity Large Thinking? It is comparable to some of the other top open source models, according to the benchmark results it shared with TechCrunch.

I can’t help rooting for tiny open source AI model maker Arcee | TechCrunch
Arcee, a tiny 26-person U.S. startup that built a massive, 400B-parameter open source LLM on a  million shoestring budget, has released its new reasoning model. Arcee calls the model Trinity Large Thinking — and it’s the most capable open-weight model “ever released by a non-Chinese company,” claims CEO Mark McQuade to TechCrunch.

As that comment implies, Arcee has a goal that I can’t help but root for: It wants to give U.S. and Western companies a model that gives them no reason to use a Chinese-based one.







While Chinese models are extremely capable, they are perceived as risky, putting power, and perhaps data, into the hands of a government that doesn’t share all of the Western world’s ideals.

With Arcee, companies can download the model, train it to their own needs, and use it on premises. Companies can also use Arcee’s cloud-hosted version, accessible via API.

While Arcee’s models are not outperforming the closed source models from the big labs like Anthropic or OpenAI, they’re not being held hostage by the whims of those giants, either. 

For instance, Claude, with its exceptional abilities to code, has been a popular choice for users of open source AI agent tool OpenClaw. But Anthropic pulled the rug out from them last week when it told users that their Anthropic subscriptions will no longer cover OpenClaw usage — they will have to pay additionally for that. (In February, OpenClaw creator Peter Steinberger said he was joining Anthropic’s biggest rival, OpenAI.)

In contrast, McQuade proudly points to data from OpenRouter that says it has become one of the top models used with OpenClaw.

	
		
		Techcrunch event
		
			
			
									San Francisco, CA
													|
													October 13-15, 2026
							
			
		
	


So, how good is Trinity Large Thinking? It is comparable to some of the other top open source models, according to the benchmark results it shared with TechCrunch.

Arcee Trinity large thinking BenchmarksImage Credits:Arcee / Arcee

As we previously reported, it is not a head-to-head threat to the big cheese among U.S.-built open models: Meta’s Llama 4. But it also doesn’t have the odd, not-really open source license issues of Meta’s model. All of Arcee’s Trinity models are released under the gold standard for OS licenses, Apache 2.0.

Just to be clear, there are also countless other U.S. startups offering open source models and, as a fan of the ingenuity of startups, I’m rooting for them, too.








#rooting #tiny #open #source #model #maker #Arcee #TechCrunchArcee AI,chinese ai,open source ai
Arcee Trinity large thinking BenchmarksImage Credits:Arcee / Arcee

As we previously reported, it is not a head-to-head threat to the big cheese among U.S.-built open models: Meta’s Llama 4. But it also doesn’t have the odd, not-really open source license issues of Meta’s model. All of Arcee’s Trinity models are released under the gold standard for OS licenses, Apache 2.0.

Just to be clear, there are also countless other U.S. startups offering open source models and, as a fan of the ingenuity of startups, I’m rooting for them, too.

#rooting #tiny #open #source #model #maker #Arcee #TechCrunchArcee AI,chinese ai,open source ai

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