Claude Opus 4.8 vs Claude Sonnet 4.6
Detailed comparison of API pricing, technical specifications, and benchmark scores. Updated 2026-06-29.
Cost at a Glance
Claude Opus 4.8 is 1.7× more expensive than Claude Sonnet 4.6 (40% savings if you switch).
At 5M input + 2M output tokens per month:
Choosing Claude Sonnet 4.6 could save you $30.00/mo
Price Comparison (per 1M tokens)
| Metric | Claude Opus 4.8 | Claude Sonnet 4.6 |
|---|---|---|
| Input (per 1M tokens) | $5.00 | $3.00 |
| Output (per 1M tokens) | $25.00 | $15.00 |
| Cache Write (per 1M tokens) | $6.25 | $3.75 |
| Cache Read (per 1M tokens) | $0.50 | $0.30 |
| Batch Input (per 1M tokens) | $2.50 | $1.50 |
| Batch Output (per 1M tokens) | $12.50 | $7.50 |
Prices are per 1 million tokens. Actual costs depend on your monthly token volume. Use the calculator →
Specifications
| Spec | Claude Opus 4.8 | Claude Sonnet 4.6 |
|---|---|---|
| Context Window | 1M | 1M |
| Max Output Tokens | 128K | 128K |
| Knowledge Cutoff | 2026-03 | 2026-03 |
| Modalities | Text, Image | Text, Image |
| Prompt Caching | Yes | Yes |
| Batch API | Yes | Yes |
| Thinking / Reasoning | Yes | Yes |
Benchmark Scores
| Benchmark | Claude Opus 4.8 | Claude Sonnet 4.6 |
|---|---|---|
| SWE-bench Verified | 87.6 | 79.6 |
| MMLU-Pro | 86.8 | 85.2 |
| HumanEval | 95.1 | 94.1 |
Benchmark scores from official provider reports. Higher is better. Missing scores indicate the provider has not published that benchmark yet.
Use Cases
Claude Opus 4.8
Claude Sonnet 4.6
About the Providers
Claude Opus 4.8 is developed by Anthropic. Claude Sonnet 4.6 is developed by Anthropic. Both models are from the same provider, representing different tiers in the Anthropic model lineup. For the most up-to-date pricing, always check the official API documentation from each provider.