API cost decision in 10 seconds

🔥Claude Opus 4.6 vs Claude 3.5 Haiku

Pick Claude 3.5 Haiku for lower cost; pick Claude Opus 4.6 only if the larger context window matters more.

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

Budget verdict

Pick Claude 3.5 Haiku for lower cost; pick Claude Opus 4.6 only if the larger context window matters more.

On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Claude 3.5 Haiku is estimated at $2.8 vs $17.5 for Claude Opus 4.6, saving $14.7 (84% lower).

Cost-first pickClaude 3.5 Haiku
Context-first pickClaude Opus 4.6
Sample savings$14.784%
10x traffic gap$147

Claude Opus 4.6 has more context, but Claude 3.5 Haiku saves $14.7 on the standard workload. At 10x that traffic, the same price gap is about $147. Use the calculator below to replace the sample workload with your own token volume.

Cost sensitivity

Workload Sensitivity

Same prices, different token mixes.

Claude 3.5 Haiku stays cheaper across input-heavy, balanced, and output-heavy sample workloads.

Workload shapeToken mixBetter pickClaude Opus 4.6Claude 3.5 Haiku
Input-heavy / RAG5M input + 500K outputClaude 3.5 Haiku$37.5$6
Balanced workload1M input + 1M outputClaude 3.5 Haiku$30$4.8
Output-heavy chatbot1M input + 5M outputClaude 3.5 Haiku$130$20.8
Cheaper input Claude 3.5 Haiku $5 vs $0.8 / 1M

Claude 3.5 Haiku is $4.2 cheaper per 1M input tokens (84% lower; 6.25x difference).

Cheaper output Claude 3.5 Haiku $25 vs $4 / 1M

Claude 3.5 Haiku is $21 cheaper per 1M output tokens (84% lower; 6.25x difference).

Larger context Claude Opus 4.6 1M vs 200K

Claude Opus 4.6 has 800K more context (5x larger).

Sample workload Claude 3.5 Haiku $17.5 vs $2.8

Claude 3.5 Haiku is $14.7 cheaper on the standard workload (84% lower).

Estimate your workload cost

Your Workload Cost

Prices are normalized to USD per 1M tokens.
Claude Opus 4.6 Calculating… Estimated API cost
Claude 3.5 Haiku 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

Claude 3.5 Haiku has the lower input price; Claude 3.5 Haiku has the lower output price; Claude Opus 4.6 offers the larger context window. For the 1M input plus 500K output sample, Claude 3.5 Haiku is cheaper for the standard workload.

For a 1M input token plus 500K output token workload, the estimated API cost is $17.5 for Claude Opus 4.6 and $2.8 for Claude 3.5 Haiku.

Best Fit

Choose Claude Opus 4.6 when you care most about larger context window.

Choose Claude 3.5 Haiku when you care most about lower input-token price, and lower output-token price.

Decision Notes
  • On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Claude 3.5 Haiku is estimated at $2.8 vs $17.5 for Claude Opus 4.6, saving $14.7 (84% lower).
  • Claude 3.5 Haiku is $14.7 cheaper on the standard workload (84% lower).
  • Claude 3.5 Haiku is $4.2 cheaper per 1M input tokens (84% lower; 6.25x difference).
  • Claude 3.5 Haiku is $21 cheaper per 1M output tokens (84% lower; 6.25x difference).
  • Claude Opus 4.6 has 800K more context (5x larger).
Head-to-Head Specs
Feature🔥Claude Opus 4.6
(Anthropic)		Claude 3.5 Haiku
(Anthropic)
Input Price
prompt tokens per 1M		$5$0.8
Completion Price
per 1M tokens		$25$4
Sample Workload Cost
1M input + 500K output		$17.5$2.8
Context Window1M200K
Release Date
Popularity#18#104

Use-Case Decision Matrix

Use caseBetter pickWhy
Budget-constrained productionClaude 3.5 HaikuOn the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Claude 3.5 Haiku is estimated at $2.8 vs $17.5 for Claude Opus 4.6, saving $14.7 (84% lower).
High-volume input processingClaude 3.5 HaikuLower prompt-token price matters most when prompts, retrieved passages, or documents dominate the bill.
Long responses and chatbotsClaude 3.5 HaikuLower output-token price matters most when assistants generate many completion tokens.
RAG or long-document workClaude Opus 4.6A 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 when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.88.
  • Anthropic Claude Haiku Latest can replace Claude Opus 4.6 when lower sample workload cost matters most: $3.5.
  • Claude Haiku 4.5 can replace Claude Opus 4.6 when lower sample workload cost matters most: $3.5.
  • Claude Sonnet 4.6 can replace Claude Opus 4.6 when lower sample workload cost matters most: $10.5.
Larger context near this budget
  • Llama 4 Scout offers 10M context with $0.23 sample workload cost.
  • Grok 4.20 offers 2M context with $2.5 sample workload cost.
  • Grok 4.20 Multi-Agent offers 2M context with $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.

Open Anthropic models
Claude Opus 4.6

Opus 4.6 is Anthropic’s strongest model for coding and long-running professional tasks. It is built for agents that operate across entire workflows rather than single prompts, making it especially effective...

Claude 3.5 Haiku

Claude 3.5 Haiku features offers enhanced capabilities in speed, coding accuracy, and tool use. Engineered to excel in real-time applications, it delivers quick response times that are essential for dynamic...