Previous Opus flagship, now superseded by Claude Opus 4.7.
99
Coding
94
Writing
96
Research
54
Images
8
Value
95
Long Context
Use this when
Agentic coding, complex multi-step reasoning, and deep research
Skip this if
Strengths
Strong SWE-bench Verified result from the previous Opus generation
1M token context window at standard pricing
Best agentic computer use score at 72.7% on OSWorld
Weaknesses
Premium pricing ($15/$75) makes it expensive for high-volume usage
Sonnet 4.6 is only 1.2 points behind on SWE-bench at 5× lower cost
Monthly cost estimate
See what Claude Opus 4.6 actually costs at your usage level
Input tokens / month1M
10k50M
Output tokens / month500k
10k25M
Input cost
$15.00
Output cost
$37.50
Total / month
$52.50
Based on Claude Opus 4.6 API pricing: $15/1M input · $75/1M output. Real costs vary by provider discounts and caching. Check the provider for exact current rates.
Price History
Claude Opus 4.6 pricing over time
Tracking since May 8, 2026 · more data builds daily
1 data point · tracked daily since May 8, 2026
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Recommendations are made independently based on real-world use and public benchmarks. See our disclosures for details.
Compare alternatives
Similar models worth checking before you commit.
AnthropicPremium
Anthropic: Claude 3.5 Sonnet
Claude 3.5 Sonnet is Anthropic's mid-cycle flagship model, balancing strong reasoning, coding, and instruction-following with a 200K context window. It sits between Haiku and Opus in Anthropic's lineup, offering near-flagship quality at a lower cost than top-tier models.
Verdict
One of the best models for coding and complex instruction-following, but its premium pricing demands premium use cases.
Quality score
81%
Pricing
$6.00/1M in
$30.00/1M out
Speed
Change history
Pricing moves, ranking shifts, and capability updates.
PricingMar 27, 2026
Claude Opus 4.6 — output price cut
Claude Opus 4.6 output pricing changed from $75.00/1M to $25.00/1M (↓ cheaper, 67% cut).
Claude Opus 4.6 is best for agentic coding, complex multi-step reasoning, and deep research. It is a strong fit when that workflow matters more than the tradeoffs around premium pricing and deliberate speed.
When should I avoid Claude Opus 4.6?
You want the current premium coding leader, need lower cost, or are starting a new integration.
What is a cheaper alternative to Claude Opus 4.6?
Meta: Llama 3.1 8B Instruct is the lower-cost option to compare first when you want a similar workflow fit with less token spend.
What is a faster alternative to Claude Opus 4.6?
Anthropic: Claude 3.5 Sonnet is the better pick when response time matters more than maximum depth or premium quality.
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You want the current premium coding leader, need lower cost, or are starting a new integration.
Best for complex coding tasks, multi-step reasoning, and long-document analysis where gpt-4o-class quality is needed without paying for the absolute top tier.
Context
200k tokens
Pricing at $6 input / $30 output per million tokens is significantly higher than GPT-4o ($2.50/$10). Best accessed via Anthropic API or Amazon Bedrock. Claude 3.5 Sonnet (October 2024 version) supersedes the June 2024 release with improved performance.
Claude 3.7 Sonnet with extended thinking enabled — Anthropic's hybrid reasoning model that explicitly deliberates before responding, surfacing its chain-of-thought for complex multi-step problems. It sits between standard Sonnet and full reasoning-only models, balancing depth with practical usability.
Verdict
The most transparent reasoning model on the market — ideal when you need to see and trust the thought process, not just the answer.
Quality score
73%
Pricing
$3.00/1M in
$15.00/1M out
Speed
Deliberate
Best for tackling complex coding challenges, mathematical proofs, and multi-step logical problems where visible reasoning and higher accuracy matter more than speed.
Context
200k tokens
Thinking tokens (the internal reasoning trace) count toward output token billing, which can significantly increase costs on complex queries. The thinking budget can often be configured via the API. Best used selectively for tasks that genuinely benefit from deliberation rather than as a default model.
ReasoningExtended ThinkingCodingAgenticAnthropic
Best for
Tackling complex coding challenges, mathematical proofs, and multi-step logical problems where visible reasoning and higher accuracy matter more than speed.
Claude Opus 4 is Anthropic's most capable flagship model, designed for complex reasoning, nuanced writing, and sophisticated multi-step tasks. It sits at the top of the Claude 4 family, prioritizing depth and quality over speed.
Verdict
Anthropic's best model for when quality matters more than speed or cost.
Quality score
84%
Pricing
$30.00/1M in
$150.00/1M out
Speed
Deliberate
Best for demanding professional tasks requiring deep reasoning, nuanced judgment, and high-quality long-form output.
Context
200k tokens
At $15 input / $75 output per 1M tokens, Opus 4 is one of the most expensive models available. Anthropic recommends using Claude Sonnet 4 for most production use cases and reserving Opus 4 for tasks explicitly requiring maximum capability.
FlagshipPremiumReasoningLong ContextAgentic
Best for
Demanding professional tasks requiring deep reasoning, nuanced judgment, and high-quality long-form output.
