LLM Toolkit Model comparison
Claude Opus 5 vs Claude Sonnet 5
Verified pricing, context windows and real-workload costs for both models — computed from official provider rates as of 2026-08-25.
Cheaper input
Claude Sonnet 5
$3.00 /1M in
Cheaper output
Claude Sonnet 5
$15.00 /1M out
Bigger context
Claude Opus 5
200K tokens
Head to head
| Spec | Claude Opus 5 | Claude Sonnet 5 |
|---|---|---|
| Input / 1M tokens | $5.00 | $3.00 |
| Cached input / 1M | $0.5 | $0.3 |
| Output / 1M tokens | $25.00 | $15.00 |
| Context window | 200K | 200K |
| Provider | Anthropic | Anthropic |
| Price verified | 2026-08-25 | 2026-08-25 |
Monthly cost at three real workloads
| Workload | Claude Opus 5 | Claude Sonnet 5 | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Side-project chatbot 30K req · 2,000 in / 500 out · 40% cached | $567.00/mo | $340.20/mo | Claude Sonnet 5 |
| Coding agent 500K req · 12,000 in / 1,500 out · 70% cached | $29,850/mo | $17,910/mo | Claude Sonnet 5 |
| Bulk extraction 2,000K req · 800 in / 120 out · 20% cached | $12,560/mo | $7,536/mo | Claude Sonnet 5 |
Computed from list prices verified 2026-08-25. Cache savings blend normal and cached input rates by the hit rate; models without published cached rates use the base input price. Adjust every parameter yourself on the API Cost Calculator.
Pick Claude Opus 5 if…
- You prefer its $5.00 input rate for read-heavy workloads.
- You need the larger 200K context window.
- You value its provider ecosystem and tooling.
Pick Claude Sonnet 5 if…
- You generate long outputs — $15.00 per 1M output vs $25.00 adds up fast.
- Its 200K window covers your typical request with headroom.
- You want cheaper total spend at your exact volumes — verify with the calculator above.
Frequently asked questions
Is Claude Opus 5 cheaper than Claude Sonnet 5?
Claude Sonnet 5 is cheaper on input at $3.00 per 1M tokens vs $5.00 — input pricing is 1.7× more expensive. On output, Claude Sonnet 5 wins at $15.00 vs $25.00. At a balanced workload (100K requests, 2K in / 500 out), Claude Sonnet 5 runs $1,350/mo vs $2,250/mo — a 1.7× difference.
Claude Opus 5 vs Claude Sonnet 5: which has the bigger context window?
Claude Opus 5, with 200K tokens vs 200K — 1.0× more room. Filling Claude Opus 5's window once costs $1.00 at list price, vs $0.600 for the smaller window.
Should I switch from Claude Opus 5 to Claude Sonnet 5?
Switch if your bottleneck matches Claude Sonnet 5's strengths: its 200K context fits your documents and cheaper output tokens ($15.00 vs $25.00). Stay on Claude Opus 5 if your workload already fits its limits. Test both with your real token counts before committing.
Keep comparing
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- Gemini 3.5 Flash vs Claude Sonnet 5
- Claude Opus 5 vs Gemini 3.5 Flash
- GPT-5 vs GPT-5 mini
Or measure your real usage with the AI Token Counter and browse all rates on the Pricing Comparison.