API cost decision in 10 seconds

🔥Claude Opus 4.6 vs GPT-5.4 Mini

Pick GPT-5.4 Mini 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 GPT-5.4 Mini 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, GPT-5.4 Mini is estimated at $3 vs $17.5 for Claude Opus 4.6, saving $14.5 (82.9% lower).

Cost-first pickGPT-5.4 Mini
Context-first pickClaude Opus 4.6
Sample savings$14.582.9%
10x traffic gap$145

Claude Opus 4.6 has more context, but GPT-5.4 Mini saves $14.5 on the standard workload. At 10x that traffic, the same price gap is about $145. Use the calculator below to replace the sample workload with your own token volume.

Cost sensitivity

Workload Sensitivity

Same prices, different token mixes.

GPT-5.4 Mini stays cheaper across input-heavy, balanced, and output-heavy sample workloads.

Workload shapeToken mixBetter pickClaude Opus 4.6GPT-5.4 Mini
Input-heavy / RAG5M input + 500K outputGPT-5.4 Mini$37.5$6
Balanced workload1M input + 1M outputGPT-5.4 Mini$30$5.25
Output-heavy chatbot1M input + 5M outputGPT-5.4 Mini$130$23.25
Cheaper input GPT-5.4 Mini $5 vs $0.75 / 1M

GPT-5.4 Mini is $4.25 cheaper per 1M input tokens (85% lower; 6.67x difference).

Cheaper output GPT-5.4 Mini $25 vs $4.5 / 1M

GPT-5.4 Mini is $20.5 cheaper per 1M output tokens (82% lower; 5.56x difference).

Larger context Claude Opus 4.6 1M vs 400K

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

Sample workload GPT-5.4 Mini $17.5 vs $3

GPT-5.4 Mini is $14.5 cheaper on the standard workload (82.9% lower).

Estimate your workload cost

Your Workload Cost

Prices are normalized to USD per 1M tokens.
Claude Opus 4.6 Calculating… Estimated API cost
GPT-5.4 Mini 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-5.4 Mini has the lower input price; GPT-5.4 Mini has the lower output price; Claude Opus 4.6 offers the larger context window. For the 1M input plus 500K output sample, GPT-5.4 Mini 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 $3 for GPT-5.4 Mini.

Best Fit

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

Choose GPT-5.4 Mini 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, GPT-5.4 Mini is estimated at $3 vs $17.5 for Claude Opus 4.6, saving $14.5 (82.9% lower).
  • GPT-5.4 Mini is $14.5 cheaper on the standard workload (82.9% lower).
  • GPT-5.4 Mini is $4.25 cheaper per 1M input tokens (85% lower; 6.67x difference).
  • GPT-5.4 Mini is $20.5 cheaper per 1M output tokens (82% lower; 5.56x difference).
  • Claude Opus 4.6 has 600K more context (2.5x larger).
Head-to-Head Specs
Feature🔥Claude Opus 4.6
(Anthropic)		GPT-5.4 Mini
(OpenAI)
Input Price
prompt tokens per 1M		$5$0.75
Completion Price
per 1M tokens		$25$4.5
Sample Workload Cost
1M input + 500K output		$17.5$3
Context Window1M400K
Release Date
Popularity#18

Use-Case Decision Matrix

Use caseBetter pickWhy
Budget-constrained productionGPT-5.4 MiniOn the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, GPT-5.4 Mini is estimated at $3 vs $17.5 for Claude Opus 4.6, saving $14.5 (82.9% lower).
High-volume input processingGPT-5.4 MiniLower prompt-token price matters most when prompts, retrieved passages, or documents dominate the bill.
Long responses and chatbotsGPT-5.4 MiniLower 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.
  • Claude 3.5 Haiku can replace Claude Opus 4.6 when lower sample workload cost matters most: $2.8.
  • 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.
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.

Open Anthropic models

OpenAI catalog

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

Open OpenAI 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...

GPT-5.4 Mini

GPT-5.4 mini brings the core capabilities of GPT-5.4 to a faster, more efficient model optimized for high-throughput workloads. It supports text and image inputs with strong performance across reasoning, coding,...