GPT Audio is $2.5 cheaper per 1M input tokens (50% lower; 2x difference).
API cost decision in 10 seconds
GPT Audio vs Claude Opus 4.5
Pick GPT Audio for lower cost; pick Claude Opus 4.5 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 GPT Audio for lower cost; pick Claude Opus 4.5 only if the larger context window matters more.
On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, GPT Audio is estimated at $7.5 vs $17.5 for Claude Opus 4.5, saving $10 (57.1% lower).
Cost-first pickGPT Audio
Context-first pickClaude Opus 4.5
Sample savings$1057.1%
10x traffic gap$100
Claude Opus 4.5 has more context, but GPT Audio saves $10 on the standard workload. At 10x that traffic, the same price gap is about $100. Use the calculator below to replace the sample workload with your own token volume.
Cost sensitivity
Workload Sensitivity
GPT Audio stays cheaper across input-heavy, balanced, and output-heavy sample workloads.
| Workload shape | Token mix | Better pick | GPT Audio | Claude Opus 4.5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Input-heavy / RAG | 5M input + 500K output | GPT Audio | $17.5 | $37.5 |
| Balanced workload | 1M input + 1M output | GPT Audio | $12.5 | $30 |
| Output-heavy chatbot | 1M input + 5M output | GPT Audio | $52.5 | $130 |
GPT Audio is $15 cheaper per 1M output tokens (60% lower; 2.5x difference).
Claude Opus 4.5 has 72K more context (1.56x larger).
GPT Audio is $10 cheaper on the standard workload (57.1% 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
GPT Audio has the lower input price; GPT Audio has the lower output price; Claude Opus 4.5 offers the larger context window. For the 1M input plus 500K output sample, GPT Audio is cheaper for the standard workload.
For a 1M input token plus 500K output token workload, the estimated API cost is $7.5 for GPT Audio and $17.5 for Claude Opus 4.5.
Choose GPT Audio when you care most about lower input-token price, and lower output-token price.
Choose Claude Opus 4.5 when you care most about larger context window.
- On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, GPT Audio is estimated at $7.5 vs $17.5 for Claude Opus 4.5, saving $10 (57.1% lower).
- GPT Audio is $10 cheaper on the standard workload (57.1% lower).
- GPT Audio is $2.5 cheaper per 1M input tokens (50% lower; 2x difference).
- GPT Audio is $15 cheaper per 1M output tokens (60% lower; 2.5x difference).
- Claude Opus 4.5 has 72K more context (1.56x larger).
| Feature | GPT Audio (OpenAI) | Claude Opus 4.5 (Anthropic) |
|---|---|---|
| Input Price prompt tokens per 1M | $2.5 | $5 |
| Completion Price per 1M tokens | $10 | $25 |
| Sample Workload Cost 1M input + 500K output | $7.5 | $17.5 |
| Context Window | 128K | 200K |
| Release Date |
Use-Case Decision Matrix
| Use case | Better pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Budget-constrained production | GPT Audio | On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, GPT Audio is estimated at $7.5 vs $17.5 for Claude Opus 4.5, saving $10 (57.1% lower). |
| High-volume input processing | GPT Audio | Lower prompt-token price matters most when prompts, retrieved passages, or documents dominate the bill. |
| Long responses and chatbots | GPT Audio | Lower output-token price matters most when assistants generate many completion tokens. |
| RAG or long-document work | Claude Opus 4.5 | A larger context window leaves more room for retrieved passages, conversation history, or source files. |
Related Alternatives
- gpt-oss-120b (free) can replace GPT Audio when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
- gpt-oss-20b (free) can replace GPT Audio when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
- gpt-oss-20b can replace GPT Audio when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.1.
- gpt-oss-120b can replace GPT Audio when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.13.
- 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.
- OpenAI GPT Latest offers 1.05M context with $20 sample workload cost.
- No popular competitor is currently available.
Cheaper alternatives
Review low-cost models sorted by a standard 1M input plus 500K output workload.
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