Last refreshed: September 24, 2026
Claude wins on coding quality and long-context reliability. GPT-5 wins on raw speed and mid-tier list price. Pick the SKU, not the family name.
This comparison covers production API numbers checked September 24, 2026 against platform.claude.com pricing, Opus 5.5, and OpenAI pricing.md.
The Models Being Compared
Compare Claude Sonnet 5 / Sonnet 4.6 / Opus 5.5 / Opus 5 against GPT-5 / GPT-5.6 Sol. Fable 5.1 sits above Opus on Anthropic’s list price.
| Model | Provider | Input (per 1M tokens) | Output (per 1M tokens) | Context |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Claude Haiku 4.5 | Anthropic | $1 | $5 | 200K tokens |
| Claude Sonnet 5 | Anthropic | $2 | $10 | 1M tokens |
| Claude Sonnet 4.6 | Anthropic | $3 | $15 | 1M tokens |
| Claude Opus 5.5 | Anthropic | $4 | $20 | 1M tokens |
| Claude Opus 5 / 4.8 | Anthropic | $5 | $25 | 1M tokens |
| Claude Fable 5.1 | Anthropic | $10 | $50 | 1M tokens |
| GPT-5 | OpenAI | $1.25 | $10 | 400K tokens |
| GPT-5.6 Sol (short-context) | OpenAI | $4 | $20 | see OpenAI long-context rows |
Opus 5.5 launched September 22, 2026 at $4 / $20 — 20% below Opus 5. Cache reads on Opus 5.5 are $0.20 versus $0.50 on Opus 5. Sonnet 5 stays $2 / $10. Sonnet 4.6 stays $3 / $15. GPT-5 standard list ($1.25 / $10) remains cheaper per input token than Sonnet 5. GPT-5.6 Sol short-context list is $4 / $20 on OpenAI pricing.md.
Coding Performance
Use Claude Opus 5.5 or Sonnet for interactive coding and agentic runs. Use GPT-5 mini or Haiku-class models when throughput beats depth.
Latency and Context
GPT-5 is faster on raw throughput. Claude Sonnet/Opus SKUs publish a 1M token context window versus GPT-5 at 400K. Opus 5.5 fast mode is $8 / $40 on the Claude API only.
Cost Comparison for Real Workloads
OpenAI is still cheaper per token at GPT-5. Claude’s cache-read discount (10% of input on most SKUs; 5% on Opus 5.5; 2.5% on Fable 5.1) and 50% batch API close the gap when the system prompt repeats. For stateless high-frequency calls, GPT-5 wins on the published standard list.
Which API to Choose
Use Claude for coding, long-context document work, and agentic workflows. Use GPT-5 for high-frequency stateless calls. Running both is normal.
Related: Claude API token rates.
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