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 2026-08-26.
Cheaper input
Claude Sonnet 5
$2.00 /1M in
Cheaper output
Claude Sonnet 5
$10.00 /1M out
Bigger context
Tie — both models
1M tokens each
Head to head
| Spec | Claude Opus 5 | Claude Sonnet 5 |
|---|---|---|
| Input / 1M tokens | $5.00 | $2.00 |
| Cached input / 1M | $0.5 | $0.2 |
| Output / 1M tokens | $25.00 | $10.00 |
| Context window | 1M | 1M |
| Provider | Anthropic | Anthropic |
| Price verified | 2026-08-26 | 2026-08-26 |
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 | $226.80/mo | Claude Sonnet 5 |
| Coding agent 500K req · 12,000 in / 1,500 out · 70% cached | $29,850/mo | $11,940/mo | Claude Sonnet 5 |
| Bulk extraction 2,000K req · 800 in / 120 out · 20% cached | $12,560/mo | $5,024/mo | Claude Sonnet 5 |
Computed from list prices verified 2026-08-26. 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.
- Its 1M window matches Claude Sonnet 5 — context is not a differentiator here.
- You value its provider ecosystem and tooling.
Pick Claude Sonnet 5 if…
- You generate long outputs — $10.00 per 1M output vs $25.00 adds up fast.
- Its 1M 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 $2.00 per 1M tokens vs $5.00 — input pricing is 2.5× more expensive. On output, Claude Sonnet 5 wins at $10.00 vs $25.00. At a balanced workload (100K requests, 2K in / 500 out), Claude Sonnet 5 runs $900.00/mo vs $2,250/mo — a 2.5× difference.
Claude Opus 5 vs Claude Sonnet 5: which has the bigger context window?
Neither — both ship the same 1M context window. Filling it once costs $5.00 on Claude Opus 5 at list price, vs $2.00 on Claude Sonnet 5.
Should I switch from Claude Opus 5 to Claude Sonnet 5?
Switch if your bottleneck matches Claude Sonnet 5's strengths: its 1M context fits your documents and cheaper output tokens ($10.00 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 GPT-5 mini
- 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.