API cost decision in 10 seconds

Claude Opus 4.6 (Fast) vs GPT-5.2 Pro

The standard workload cost is tied; choose by context window, provider fit, latency, or model quality.

Page updated:  Data confirmed:  Prices normalized to USD per 1M tokens Sample workload: 1M input + 500K output

Budget verdict

The standard workload cost is tied; choose by context window, provider fit, latency, or model quality.

Both models are estimated at $105 for the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload.

Cost-first pickTie
Context-first pickClaude Opus 4.6 (Fast)
Sample savings$00%
10x traffic gap$0

Context-window winner: Claude Opus 4.6 (Fast). Cost does not separate this pair on the standard workload, so the next decision point is context window and model behavior.

Cost sensitivity

Workload Sensitivity

Same prices, different token mixes.

Cost winner changes by workload shape: input-heavy / RAG favors GPT-5.2 Pro, balanced workload favors Claude Opus 4.6 (Fast), and output-heavy chatbot favors Claude Opus 4.6 (Fast).

Workload shapeToken mixBetter pickClaude Opus 4.6 (Fast)GPT-5.2 Pro
Input-heavy / RAG5M input + 500K outputGPT-5.2 Pro$225$189
Balanced workload1M input + 1M outputClaude Opus 4.6 (Fast)$180$189
Output-heavy chatbot1M input + 5M outputClaude Opus 4.6 (Fast)$780$861
Cheaper input GPT-5.2 Pro $30 vs $21 / 1M

GPT-5.2 Pro is $9 cheaper per 1M input tokens (30% lower; 1.43x difference).

Cheaper output Claude Opus 4.6 (Fast) $150 vs $168 / 1M

Claude Opus 4.6 (Fast) is $18 cheaper per 1M output tokens (10.7% lower; 1.12x difference).

Larger context Claude Opus 4.6 (Fast) 1M vs 400K

Claude Opus 4.6 (Fast) has 600K more context (2.5x larger).

Sample workload Tie $105 vs $105

Both models have the same estimated cost for the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload: $105.

Estimate your workload cost

Your Workload Cost

Prices are normalized to USD per 1M tokens.
Claude Opus 4.6 (Fast) Calculating… Estimated API cost
GPT-5.2 Pro Calculating… Estimated API cost
Cheaper for this workload Calculating… Difference: calculating…

This estimate uses normalized public API pricing per 1M tokens. It is a planning aid, not a billing quote. Verify provider pricing, limits, and terms before production use.

Quick Decision

Verdict

GPT-5.2 Pro has the lower input price; Claude Opus 4.6 (Fast) has the lower output price; Claude Opus 4.6 (Fast) offers the larger context window. For the 1M input plus 500K output sample, the standard workload cost is tied.

For a 1M input token plus 500K output token workload, the estimated API cost is $105 for Claude Opus 4.6 (Fast) and $105 for GPT-5.2 Pro.

Best Fit

Choose Claude Opus 4.6 (Fast) when you care most about lower output-token price, and larger context window.

Choose GPT-5.2 Pro when you care most about lower input-token price.

Decision Notes
  • Both models are estimated at $105 for the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload.
  • Both models have the same estimated cost for the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload: $105.
  • GPT-5.2 Pro is $9 cheaper per 1M input tokens (30% lower; 1.43x difference).
  • Claude Opus 4.6 (Fast) is $18 cheaper per 1M output tokens (10.7% lower; 1.12x difference).
  • Claude Opus 4.6 (Fast) has 600K more context (2.5x larger).
Head-to-Head Specs
FeatureClaude Opus 4.6 (Fast)
(Anthropic)		GPT-5.2 Pro
(OpenAI)
Input Price
prompt tokens per 1M		$30$21
Completion Price
per 1M tokens		$150$168
Sample Workload Cost
1M input + 500K output		$105$105
Context Window1M400K
Release Date

Use-Case Decision Matrix

Use caseBetter pickWhy
Budget-constrained productionTieBoth models are estimated at $105 for the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload.
High-volume input processingGPT-5.2 ProLower prompt-token price matters most when prompts, retrieved passages, or documents dominate the bill.
Long responses and chatbotsClaude Opus 4.6 (Fast)Lower output-token price matters most when assistants generate many completion tokens.
RAG or long-document workClaude Opus 4.6 (Fast)A larger context window leaves more room for retrieved passages, conversation history, or source files.

Related Alternatives

Same-provider lower-cost swaps
  • Claude 3 Haiku can replace Claude Opus 4.6 (Fast) when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.88.
  • Claude 3.5 Haiku can replace Claude Opus 4.6 (Fast) when lower sample workload cost matters most: $2.8.
  • Anthropic Claude Haiku Latest can replace Claude Opus 4.6 (Fast) when lower sample workload cost matters most: $3.5.
  • Claude Haiku 4.5 can replace Claude Opus 4.6 (Fast) when lower sample workload cost matters most: $3.5.
Larger context near this budget
  • Llama 4 Scout offers 10M context with $0.23 sample workload cost.
  • Grok 4.20 Multi-Agent offers 2M context with $5 sample workload cost.
  • Grok 4.20 offers 2M context with $2.5 sample workload cost.
  • GPT-5.5 offers 1.05M context with $20 sample workload cost.

Cheaper alternatives

Review low-cost models sorted by a standard 1M input plus 500K output workload.

Open cheapest models

Larger context alternatives

Find models with larger context windows for RAG, long documents, and codebase review.

Open largest context models

Provider catalogs

Compare models within provider hubs before choosing a final API vendor.

Open provider hubs

Anthropic catalog

Review all tracked Anthropic models before deciding whether this matchup is the right shortlist.

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OpenAI catalog

Check other OpenAI models with comparable pricing, context, or release timing.

Open OpenAI models
Claude Opus 4.6 (Fast)

Fast-mode variant of [Opus 4.6](/anthropic/claude-opus-4.6) - identical capabilities with higher output speed at premium 6x pricing. Learn more in Anthropic's docs: https://platform.claude.com/docs/en/build-with-claude/fast-mode

GPT-5.2 Pro

GPT-5.2 Pro is OpenAI’s most advanced model, offering major improvements in agentic coding and long context performance over GPT-5 Pro. It is optimized for complex tasks that require step-by-step reasoning,...