Updated June 10, 2026
Comparison note: As of June 10, 2026, Anthropic’s current lineup is Claude Fable 5 (the new top tier above Opus, $10 input / $50 output per MTok), Opus 4.8 ($5/$25), Sonnet 4.6 ($3/$15), and Haiku 4.5 ($1/$5). The tier-by-tier comparisons below remain valid, with Fable 5 now sitting above everything in the lineup. Full details: the Claude Fable 5 Complete Guide.
Last refreshed: June 9, 2026
Model Accuracy Note — Updated June 9, 2026
Current flagship: Claude Opus 4.8 (claude-opus-4-8). Current models: Opus 4.8 · Sonnet 4.6 · Haiku 4.5. Claude Opus 4.8 (claude-opus-4-8) is the current flagship as of June 9, 2026. Where this article references Opus 4.6 or earlier models, those references are historical. See current model tracker →. See current model tracker →
Anthropic’s model lineup is organized around three tiers — Haiku 4.5, Sonnet 4.6, and Opus 4.8 — each representing a different point on the speed-versus-intelligence spectrum. Understanding which model to use, and which API string to call it with, saves both time and money. This is the complete June 2026 reference.
The Three-Tier Model Architecture
Full Claude model lineup — June 2026
| Model | Tier | Best for | Input $/MTok | Output $/MTok | Context |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Claude Fable 5 | New flagship | Most demanding reasoning & agentic work | $10 | $50 | 1M tokens |
| Claude Opus 4.8 | High capability | Complex reasoning, long-horizon agentic coding | $5 | $25 | 1M tokens |
| Claude Sonnet 4.6 | Balanced | Production apps — best speed/intelligence ratio | $3 | $15 | 1M tokens |
| Claude Haiku 4.5 | Fast/efficient | High-volume, latency-sensitive, cost-sensitive | $1 | $5 | 200k tokens |
Pricing from platform.claude.com as of June 9, 2026. Claude Fable 5 launched June 9, 2026 as the new most capable widely-released model. Claude Mythos 5 is available only through Project Glasswing (invitation-only) and is not listed for general comparison.
Claude vs competitors — June 2026
| Platform | Flagship model | Key strength | Input $/MTok |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anthropic | Claude Fable 5 | Reasoning, agentic coding, 1M context | $10 |
| OpenAI | GPT-5.5 | Agentic tasks, coding, cross-tool workflows | Contact OpenAI |
| Gemini 3.5 Flash (GA June 9) / Gemini 2.5 Pro (stable) | Multimodal, Google ecosystem integration | See ai.google |
Competitor data sourced from openai.com and deepmind.google/models/gemini as of June 9, 2026.
Anthropic structures its models around a consistent naming pattern: a Greek letter indicating capability tier (Haiku → Sonnet → Opus, low to high) and a version number indicating the generation. The current generation is the 4.x series.
| Model | API String | Context Window | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Claude Haiku 4.5 | claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 | 200K tokens | Classification, tagging, high-volume pipelines |
| Claude Sonnet 4.6 | claude-sonnet-4-6 | 200K tokens | Most production work, writing, analysis, coding |
| Claude Opus 4.8 | claude-opus-4-8 | 1M tokens | Complex reasoning, research, quality-critical |
Claude Haiku 4.5: Speed and Cost Efficiency
Haiku is Anthropic’s fastest and least expensive model. It’s built for tasks where throughput and cost matter more than maximum reasoning depth — think classification pipelines, metadata generation, content tagging, simple Q&A at volume, or any workload where you’re making thousands of API calls and can’t afford Sonnet pricing at scale.
Don’t mistake “cheapest” for “bad.” Haiku handles everyday language tasks competently. What it can’t do as well as Sonnet or Opus is maintain coherence across very long context, handle subtle nuance in complex instructions, or produce writing that reads like a human crafted it. For structured outputs and clear-cut tasks, it’s excellent.
When to use Haiku: batch content generation, automated tagging and classification, chatbot applications where responses are short and structured, high-volume data processing, anywhere you’re cost-sensitive at scale.
Claude Sonnet 4.6: The Production Workhorse
Sonnet is the model most developers and knowledge workers should default to. It sits at the sweet spot of the capability-cost curve — significantly more capable than Haiku at complex tasks, significantly cheaper than Opus, and fast enough for interactive use cases.
Sonnet handles long-document analysis well, produces writing that requires minimal editing, follows complex multi-part instructions without drift, and codes competently across most languages and frameworks. For the overwhelming majority of real-world tasks, Sonnet is the right choice.
When to use Sonnet: article writing, code generation and review, document analysis, customer-facing AI features, research summarization, agentic workflows that need a balance of quality and cost.
Claude Opus 4.8: Maximum Capability
Opus is Anthropic’s most powerful model — and its most expensive. It’s built for tasks where you need maximum reasoning depth: complex strategic analysis, intricate multi-step problem solving, long-horizon planning, nuanced evaluation work, or any scenario where you’d rather pay more per call than accept a lower-quality output.
Opus is not the right default. The cost premium is real and meaningful at scale. The right question to ask before routing to Opus is: “Will a human reviewer actually tell the difference between Sonnet and Opus output on this task?” If the answer is no, use Sonnet.
When to use Opus: high-stakes strategic documents, complex legal or financial analysis, research that requires synthesizing across many sources with genuine insight, tasks where the output gets published or presented to executives without further editing.
Claude Opus 4.8 vs Sonnet: The Practical Decision
| Task Type | Use Sonnet | Use Opus |
|---|---|---|
| Article writing | ✅ Usually | Long-form flagship only |
| Code generation | ✅ Most tasks | Complex architecture |
| Document analysis | ✅ Standard docs | High-stakes, nuanced |
| Strategic planning | Good enough | ✅ When stakes are high |
| High-volume pipelines | ✅ Or Haiku | ❌ Too expensive |
| Interactive chat | ✅ Best fit | Overkill for most |
Claude Sonnet 5: What’s Coming
Anthropic follows a consistent release cadence — major model generations are announced publicly and the naming convention stays stable. Claude Sonnet 5 and Opus 5 are the next generation in the pipeline. As of June 2026, Sonnet 4.6 and Opus 4.6 are the current production models.
When new models release, Anthropic typically maintains the previous generation in the API for a transition period. Production applications should always pin to a specific model version string rather than using a generic alias, so new model releases don’t silently change your application’s behavior.
How to Use Model Names in the API
Always use the full versioned model string in API calls. Generic strings like claude-sonnet without a version may resolve to different models over time as Anthropic updates defaults.
# Current production model strings (June 2026)
claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 # Fast, cheap
claude-sonnet-4-6 # Balanced default
claude-opus-4-8 # Maximum capabilityFrequently Asked Questions
What is the best Claude model?
Claude Opus 4.8 is our most capable model, but Claude Sonnet 4.6 is the best choice for most use cases — it offers the best balance of capability, speed, and cost. Use Opus only when the task genuinely requires maximum reasoning depth. Use Haiku for high-volume, cost-sensitive workloads.
What is the difference between Claude Sonnet 4.6 and Claude Opus 4.8?
Sonnet is the balanced mid-tier model — faster, cheaper, and suitable for most production tasks. Opus is the highest-capability model, significantly more expensive, and best reserved for complex reasoning tasks where quality is the primary consideration. For most writing, coding, and analysis tasks, Sonnet’s output is indistinguishable from Opus at a fraction of the cost.
What are the current Claude model API strings?
As of June 2026: claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 (Haiku), claude-sonnet-4-6 (Sonnet), claude-opus-4-8 (Opus). Always use the full versioned string in production code to avoid silent behavior changes when Anthropic updates model defaults.
Is Claude Sonnet 5 available?
As of June 2026, Claude Sonnet 4.6 and Opus 4.6 are the current production models. Claude Sonnet 5 is the next generation in Anthropic’s pipeline but has not been released yet. Check Anthropic’s official announcements for release timing.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What are the differences between Claude Opus, Sonnet, and Haiku?
Claude Opus 4.8 is the most capable model for complex reasoning, coding, and long-horizon tasks ($5/$25 per MTok, 1M context). Sonnet 4.6 balances speed and intelligence for most professional tasks ($3/$15 per MTok, 1M context). Haiku 4.5 is the fastest and most cost-effective for high-volume, simpler tasks ($1/$5 per MTok, 200K context).
Which Claude model should I use for coding?
Claude Opus 4.8 is best for complex, multi-file coding tasks and long-horizon agentic work. Claude Sonnet 4.6 is the practical choice for most coding — fast enough for interactive use and highly capable. Claude Haiku 4.5 suits quick code generation, syntax help, and high-volume code tasks where cost matters.
Which Claude model is cheapest for API use?
Claude Haiku 4.5 is the cheapest at $1 input / $5 output per million tokens. Combined with the Batch API (50% discount), Haiku 4.5 is ideal for content pipelines, data enrichment, and classification tasks. Sonnet 4.6 ($3/$15) is the mid-range choice for quality-sensitive work at reasonable cost.
Is Claude Opus 4.8 available on claude.ai?
Yes. Claude Opus 4.8 is available on claude.ai with Pro, Max, and Team plans. Free users may have limited access to Opus 4.8 depending on current demand. For guaranteed access, Pro at $20/month or higher is recommended.
What is the context window for each Claude model?
Claude Opus 4.8 and Sonnet 4.6 both support a 1 million token context window. Claude Haiku 4.5 supports 200,000 tokens. All three models support image input alongside text. Long-context surcharges were eliminated by Anthropic in March 2026.
How often does Anthropic release new Claude models?
Anthropic releases new Claude models roughly every 3–6 months. The Claude 4 generation began in 2025 with Haiku 4.5 and Sonnet 4.5, followed by Opus 4.6, Opus 4.7, and Opus 4.8 (current as of June 2026). Each model ID is a pinned snapshot, not an evergreen alias.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are all the Claude models available in 2026?
As of June 9, 2026, Anthropic’s generally available Claude models are: Claude Fable 5 (new flagship, launched June 9, 2026 — $10/$50 per MTok, 1M context); Claude Opus 4.8 ($5/$25 per MTok, 1M context, best for complex reasoning); Claude Sonnet 4.6 ($3/$15 per MTok, 1M context, best production balance); Claude Haiku 4.5 ($1/$5 per MTok, 200k context, fastest). Claude Mythos 5 is in limited availability through Project Glasswing (invitation-only). Source: platform.claude.com/docs/en/about-claude/models/overview.
What is Claude Fable 5?
Claude Fable 5 (API ID: claude-fable-5) is Anthropic’s most capable widely-released model, launched June 9, 2026. It is designed for the most demanding reasoning and long-horizon agentic work. It uses adaptive thinking (always on), has a 1M token context window, 128k max output, and is priced at $10 input / $50 output per million tokens. Available on Claude API, AWS Bedrock, Vertex AI, and Microsoft Foundry from launch day.
How does Claude compare to GPT-5.5 in 2026?
Claude Fable 5 and GPT-5.5 are both June 2026 flagship releases. GPT-5.5 (per openai.com) excels at coding, online research, data analysis, operating software, and cross-tool agentic workflows. Claude Fable 5 is positioned for demanding reasoning and long-horizon agentic work with a 1M token context window. Direct benchmark comparisons should be evaluated using your specific task type — neither is universally superior. Claude’s Constitutional AI training approach is a differentiator for safety-sensitive deployments.
What is the cheapest Claude model?
Claude Haiku 4.5 is the cheapest Claude model at $1 per million input tokens and $5 per million output tokens (per platform.claude.com as of June 2026). It is also the fastest model in the lineup. For high-volume tasks where cost is the primary concern — customer support bots, classification pipelines, summarization at scale — Haiku 4.5 is the right starting point.
Which Claude model has the largest context window?
Claude Fable 5, Claude Opus 4.8, and Claude Sonnet 4.6 all support 1 million token context windows. Claude Haiku 4.5 supports 200,000 tokens. The 1M context window allows these models to process entire large codebases, lengthy research documents, or book-length content in a single request.
What is the difference between Claude Fable 5 and Claude Mythos 5?
Claude Fable 5 is generally available to all API customers as of June 9, 2026. Claude Mythos 5 is in limited availability only through Project Glasswing — an invitation-only program for approved customers. Mythos 5 is not publicly accessible and there is no self-serve sign-up. For most developers and enterprises, Claude Fable 5 is the maximum capability model available.
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