API cost decision in 10 seconds

GPT-5.5 vs Claude Opus Latest

Pick Claude Opus Latest for lower cost; pick GPT-5.5 only if the larger context window matters more.

Pricing data updated:  Prices normalized to USD per 1M tokens Sample workload: 1M input + 500K output

Budget verdict

Pick Claude Opus Latest for lower cost; pick GPT-5.5 only if the larger context window matters more.

On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Claude Opus Latest is estimated at $17.5 vs $20 for GPT-5.5, saving $2.5 (12.5% lower).

Cost-first pickClaude Opus Latest
Context-first pickGPT-5.5
Sample savings$2.512.5%
10x traffic gap$25

GPT-5.5 has more context, but Claude Opus Latest saves $2.5 on the standard workload. At 10x that traffic, the same price gap is about $25. Use the calculator below to replace the sample workload with your own token volume.

Cost sensitivity

Workload Sensitivity

Same prices, different token mixes.

Claude Opus Latest stays cheaper across input-heavy, balanced, and output-heavy sample workloads.

Workload shapeToken mixBetter pickGPT-5.5Claude Opus Latest
Input-heavy / RAG5M input + 500K outputClaude Opus Latest$40$37.5
Balanced workload1M input + 1M outputClaude Opus Latest$35$30
Output-heavy chatbot1M input + 5M outputClaude Opus Latest$155$130
Cheaper input Tie $5 vs $5 / 1M

Both models report the same input price at $5 per 1M tokens.

Cheaper output Claude Opus Latest $30 vs $25 / 1M

Claude Opus Latest is $5 cheaper per 1M output tokens (16.7% lower; 1.2x difference).

Larger context GPT-5.5 1.05M vs 1M

GPT-5.5 has 50K more context (1.05x larger).

Sample workload Claude Opus Latest $20 vs $17.5

Claude Opus Latest is $2.5 cheaper on the standard workload (12.5% lower).

Estimate your workload cost

Your Workload Cost

Prices are normalized to USD per 1M tokens.
GPT-5.5 Calculating… Estimated API cost
Claude Opus 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

both models tie on input price; Claude Opus Latest has the lower output price; GPT-5.5 offers the larger context window. For the 1M input plus 500K output sample, Claude Opus Latest is cheaper for the standard workload.

For a 1M input token plus 500K output token workload, the estimated API cost is $20 for GPT-5.5 and $17.5 for Claude Opus Latest.

Best Fit

Choose GPT-5.5 when you care most about larger context window.

Choose Claude Opus Latest when you care most about lower output-token price.

Decision Notes
  • On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Claude Opus Latest is estimated at $17.5 vs $20 for GPT-5.5, saving $2.5 (12.5% lower).
  • Claude Opus Latest is $2.5 cheaper on the standard workload (12.5% lower).
  • Both models report the same input price at $5 per 1M tokens.
  • Claude Opus Latest is $5 cheaper per 1M output tokens (16.7% lower; 1.2x difference).
  • GPT-5.5 has 50K more context (1.05x larger).
Head-to-Head Specs
FeatureGPT-5.5
(OpenAI)		Claude Opus Latest
(Anthropic)
Input Price
prompt tokens per 1M		$5$5
Completion Price
per 1M tokens		$30$25
Sample Workload Cost
1M input + 500K output		$20$17.5
Context Window1.05M1M
Release Date

Use-Case Decision Matrix

Use caseBetter pickWhy
Budget-constrained productionClaude Opus LatestOn the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Claude Opus Latest is estimated at $17.5 vs $20 for GPT-5.5, saving $2.5 (12.5% lower).
High-volume input processingTieLower prompt-token price matters most when prompts, retrieved passages, or documents dominate the bill.
Long responses and chatbotsClaude Opus LatestLower output-token price matters most when assistants generate many completion tokens.
RAG or long-document workGPT-5.5A larger context window leaves more room for retrieved passages, conversation history, or source files.

Related Alternatives

Same-provider lower-cost swaps
  • gpt-oss-120b (free) can replace GPT-5.5 when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
  • gpt-oss-20b (free) can replace GPT-5.5 when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
  • gpt-oss-20b can replace GPT-5.5 when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.1.
  • gpt-oss-120b can replace GPT-5.5 when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.13.
Larger context near this budget
Popular competitors
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Larger context alternatives

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Provider catalogs

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OpenAI catalog

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Anthropic catalog

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GPT-5.5

GPT-5.5 is OpenAI’s frontier model designed for complex professional workloads, building on GPT-5.4 with stronger reasoning, higher reliability, and improved token efficiency on hard tasks. It features a 1M+ token...

Claude Opus Latest

This model always redirects to the latest model in the Claude Opus family.