Claude 3.5 Haiku is $0.45 cheaper per 1M input tokens (36% lower; 1.56x difference).
API cost decision in 10 seconds
GPT-5 vs Claude 3.5 Haiku
Pick Claude 3.5 Haiku for lower cost; pick GPT-5 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 GPT-5 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 $6.25 for GPT-5, saving $3.45 (55.2% lower).
Cost-first pickClaude 3.5 Haiku
Context-first pickGPT-5
Sample savings$3.4555.2%
10x traffic gap$34.5
GPT-5 has more context, but Claude 3.5 Haiku saves $3.45 on the standard workload. At 10x that traffic, the same price gap is about $34.5. Use the calculator below to replace the sample workload with your own token volume.
Cost sensitivity
Workload Sensitivity
Claude 3.5 Haiku stays cheaper across input-heavy, balanced, and output-heavy sample workloads.
| Workload shape | Token mix | Better pick | GPT-5 | Claude 3.5 Haiku |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Input-heavy / RAG | 5M input + 500K output | Claude 3.5 Haiku | $11.25 | $6 |
| Balanced workload | 1M input + 1M output | Claude 3.5 Haiku | $11.25 | $4.8 |
| Output-heavy chatbot | 1M input + 5M output | Claude 3.5 Haiku | $51.25 | $20.8 |
Claude 3.5 Haiku is $6 cheaper per 1M output tokens (60% lower; 2.5x difference).
GPT-5 has 200K more context (2x larger).
Claude 3.5 Haiku is $3.45 cheaper on the standard workload (55.2% lower).
Estimate your workload cost
Your Workload Cost
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
Claude 3.5 Haiku has the lower input price; Claude 3.5 Haiku has the lower output price; GPT-5 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 $6.25 for GPT-5 and $2.8 for Claude 3.5 Haiku.
Choose GPT-5 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.
- On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Claude 3.5 Haiku is estimated at $2.8 vs $6.25 for GPT-5, saving $3.45 (55.2% lower).
- Claude 3.5 Haiku is $3.45 cheaper on the standard workload (55.2% lower).
- Claude 3.5 Haiku is $0.45 cheaper per 1M input tokens (36% lower; 1.56x difference).
- Claude 3.5 Haiku is $6 cheaper per 1M output tokens (60% lower; 2.5x difference).
- GPT-5 has 200K more context (2x larger).
| Feature | GPT-5 (OpenAI) | Claude 3.5 Haiku (Anthropic) |
|---|---|---|
| Input Price prompt tokens per 1M | $1.25 | $0.8 |
| Completion Price per 1M tokens | $10 | $4 |
| Sample Workload Cost 1M input + 500K output | $6.25 | $2.8 |
| Context Window | 400K | 200K |
| Release Date | ||
| Popularity | #57 | #104 |
Use-Case Decision Matrix
| Use case | Better pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Budget-constrained production | Claude 3.5 Haiku | On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Claude 3.5 Haiku is estimated at $2.8 vs $6.25 for GPT-5, saving $3.45 (55.2% lower). |
| High-volume input processing | Claude 3.5 Haiku | Lower prompt-token price matters most when prompts, retrieved passages, or documents dominate the bill. |
| Long responses and chatbots | Claude 3.5 Haiku | Lower output-token price matters most when assistants generate many completion tokens. |
| RAG or long-document work | GPT-5 | A larger context window leaves more room for retrieved passages, conversation history, or source files. |
Related Alternatives
- gpt-oss-120b (free) can replace GPT-5 when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
- gpt-oss-20b (free) can replace GPT-5 when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
- gpt-oss-20b can replace GPT-5 when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.1.
- gpt-oss-120b can replace GPT-5 when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.13.
- 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.
- Owl Alpha offers 1.05M context with $0 sample workload cost.
- DeepSeek V4 Flash · DeepSeek · #1
- Hy3 preview · Tencent · #2
- Claude Opus 4.7 · Anthropic · #3
- Claude Sonnet 4.6 · Anthropic · #4
Cheaper alternatives
Review low-cost models sorted by a standard 1M input plus 500K output workload.
Open cheapest modelsLarger context alternatives
Find models with larger context windows for RAG, long documents, and codebase review.
Open largest context modelsProvider catalogs
Compare models within provider hubs before choosing a final API vendor.
Open provider hubsOpenAI catalog
Review all tracked OpenAI models before deciding whether this matchup is the right shortlist.
Open OpenAI modelsAnthropic catalog
Check other Anthropic models with comparable pricing, context, or release timing.
Open Anthropic modelsGPT-5 is OpenAI’s most advanced model, offering major improvements in reasoning, code quality, and user experience. It is optimized for complex tasks that require step-by-step reasoning, instruction following, and accuracy...
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...