API cost decision in 10 seconds

🔥Claude Opus 4.6 vs NewOpenAI GPT Mini Latest

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

Cost-first pickOpenAI GPT Mini Latest
Context-first pickClaude Opus 4.6
Sample savings$14.582.9%
10x traffic gap$145

Claude Opus 4.6 has more context, but OpenAI GPT Mini Latest 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.

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

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

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

Cheaper output OpenAI GPT Mini Latest $25 vs $4.5 / 1M

OpenAI GPT Mini Latest 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 OpenAI GPT Mini Latest $17.5 vs $3

OpenAI GPT Mini Latest 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
OpenAI GPT Mini Latest 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

OpenAI GPT Mini Latest has the lower input price; OpenAI GPT Mini Latest has the lower output price; Claude Opus 4.6 offers the larger context window. For the 1M input plus 500K output sample, OpenAI GPT Mini Latest 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 OpenAI GPT Mini Latest.

Best Fit

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

Choose OpenAI GPT Mini Latest 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, OpenAI GPT Mini Latest is estimated at $3 vs $17.5 for Claude Opus 4.6, saving $14.5 (82.9% lower).
  • OpenAI GPT Mini Latest is $14.5 cheaper on the standard workload (82.9% lower).
  • OpenAI GPT Mini Latest is $4.25 cheaper per 1M input tokens (85% lower; 6.67x difference).
  • OpenAI GPT Mini Latest 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)		NewOpenAI GPT Mini Latest
(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 productionOpenAI GPT Mini LatestOn the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, OpenAI GPT Mini Latest is estimated at $3 vs $17.5 for Claude Opus 4.6, saving $14.5 (82.9% lower).
High-volume input processingOpenAI GPT Mini LatestLower prompt-token price matters most when prompts, retrieved passages, or documents dominate the bill.
Long responses and chatbotsOpenAI GPT Mini LatestLower 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

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Larger context alternatives

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Provider catalogs

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Anthropic catalog

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

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OpenAI catalog

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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...

OpenAI GPT Mini Latest

This model always redirects to the latest model in the OpenAI GPT Mini family.