Claude Opus 5.5
- Score
- 59.1 · rank 2
- Price
- Paid
- API
- Yes
- Weights
- No
WHAT IT DOES
Claude Opus 5.5 is Anthropic's September 22, 2026 update to Opus 5, priced at $4 per million input tokens and $20 per million output (down from $5/$25), with cache reads cut from $0.50 to $0.20 per million and cache writes from $6.25 to $5. A faster mode in Claude Code and the Claude Platform runs up to 2.5x quicker at $8/$40 per million tokens. Anthropic's own benchmarks put it ahead of the larger Claude Fable 5.1 on agentic coding (66.4% vs 55.8% on Terminal-Bench 4.0), computer use (81.8% vs 80.7% on OSWorld 2.0), and knowledge work (1846 vs 1735 Elo on GDPval-AA v2.1), while generating output more than 30% faster than Opus 5. Five-hour usage limits on Pro, Max, Team and seat-based Enterprise plans were also increased alongside the release.
WHY WE PICKED IT
It is priced 20% below Opus 5 on the headline rate and roughly 40% cheaper on typical agentic workloads once cache-read savings are counted, while benchmarking ahead of the more expensive Fable 5.1 on the coding and computer-use tasks this directory's readers actually run. That combination, cheaper than its own predecessor and ahead of the tier above it, is unusual enough to be the pick over Opus 5 for anyone already on Claude.
QUICK FACTS
STRENGTHS
- ✓20% cheaper on the headline rate than Opus 5, ~40% cheaper on typical agentic workloads
- ✓Benchmarks ahead of the pricier Claude Fable 5.1 on Terminal-Bench 4.0, OSWorld 2.0 and GDPval-AA v2.1
- ✓Generates output more than 30% faster than Opus 5
- ✓A 2.5x-faster mode available in Claude Code and the Claude Platform
- ✓Cache reads cut 60% versus Opus 5, the dominant cost in agentic and coding workloads
LIMITATIONS
- ⚠Closed weights, no self-hosting option
- ⚠Benchmark gap over Fable 5.1 is real but not enormous on every task category
- ⚠Newly released, limited independent long-term reliability data so far
GETTING STARTED
Access via the Claude API, Claude Code, or the Claude apps at model id claude-opus-5-5. Existing Opus 5 integrations can generally switch over directly; use the faster mode in Claude Code when latency matters more than squeezing out the last point of quality.
BENCHMARKS
PRICING
Requires a paid subscription.
FEATURED IN GUIDES
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EXPLORE ALTERNATIVES
Compare Claude Opus 5.5 with 5+ similar llms AI tools.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Is Claude Opus 5.5 free?
No, Claude Opus 5.5 requires a paid subscription.
Does Claude Opus 5.5 have an API?
Yes, Claude Opus 5.5 offers an API for programmatic integration.
What is Claude Opus 5.5 best for?
Claude Opus 5.5 is best for Best Value Frontier Claude Model. Claude Opus 5. It is priced 20% below Opus 5 on the headline rate and roughly 40% cheaper on typical agentic workloads once cache-read savings are counted, while benchmarking ahead of the more expensive Fable 5.1 on the coding and computer-use tasks this directory's readers actually run. That combination, cheaper than its own predecessor and ahead of the tier above it, is unusual enough to be the pick over Opus 5 for anyone already on Claude.
What platforms does Claude Opus 5.5 support?
Claude Opus 5.5 supports web, api, desktop.
Is Claude Opus 5.5 open source?
No, Claude Opus 5.5 is not open source.
How do I get started with Claude Opus 5.5?
Access via the Claude API, Claude Code, or the Claude apps at model id claude-opus-5-5. Existing Opus 5 integrations can generally switch over directly; use the faster mode in Claude Code when latency matters more than squeezing out the last point of quality.
How do I use Claude Opus 5.5?
Claude Opus 5.5 is a large language model for text generation, analysis, and conversation. Access through the web interface. Enter prompts or questions to get responses. It excels at 20% cheaper on the headline rate than opus 5, ~40% cheaper on typical agentic workloads.
FEATURED ON CURATEDAI
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