Claude Opus 5 vs Claude Opus 4.8
Which one to choose
Claude Opus 5 is Anthropic's successor to Claude Opus 4.8, so pick Opus 5 for any build you are starting or updating. Pick Opus 4.8 only to keep behaviour fixed in an existing integration that is already tuned to it. Anthropic marks Opus 4.8 as legacy and recommends Opus 5.5 for new work, which has since replaced Opus 5 as the current Opus.
Pricing comparison
| Claude Opus 5 | Claude Opus 4.8 | |
|---|---|---|
| Model maker | Anthropic | Anthropic |
| Delivery availability | Available | Available |
| Context window | 1M | 1M |
| Max output | 128K | 128K |
| Official price | Input$5.00per 1M tokensOutput$25.00per 1M tokens | Input$5.00per 1M tokensOutput$25.00per 1M tokens |
| TokenLab price | Input$1.50per 1M tokensOutput$7.50per 1M tokens | Input$1.50per 1M tokensOutput$7.50per 1M tokens |
| Model performance |
|
|
| Capabilities | JSON modePrompt CacheReasoningTool useVision | JSON modePrompt CacheReasoningTool useVision |
Choose Claude Opus 5 when
- You need stronger results on agentic coding, financial modeling or legal agent work than Opus 4.8 gives.
- You want a more recent knowledge cutoff.
- You are moving off a legacy model and want one step of change before going to Opus 5.5.
Choose Claude Opus 4.8 when
- You have prompts and evaluations tuned to Opus 4.8 and want unchanged behaviour.
- You depend on the high default effort of Opus 4.8's adaptive thinking.
- You are comparing older Opus releases and need the generation before Opus 5 as a baseline.
How they differ
| Aspect | Claude Opus 5 | Claude Opus 4.8 |
|---|---|---|
| Generation | The July 2026 Opus, which improved on Opus 4.8 at the same per-token price class. | The May 2026 Opus, which sits between Opus 4.7 and Opus 5 and is marked legacy by Anthropic. |
| Reported results | Anthropic reports it roughly doubled Opus 4.8 on Frontier-Bench v0.1 at lower cost. | The reference point Opus 5 was measured against. |
| Professional work | Anthropic cites gains in life sciences, financial modeling and legal agent work. | Handles the hardest reasoning and coding of its generation, with adaptive thinking and image input. |
| Knowledge cutoff | Reliable knowledge runs to May 2026. | Reliable knowledge runs to January 2026. |
| Role in the lineup | Superseded by Opus 5.5 as the current Opus. | Marked legacy by Anthropic. In the Claude apps, requests flagged by Opus 5's safeguards fall back to it by default. |
Summary
- Claude Opus 5: Input $1.50 / Output $7.50 per 1M tokens; Claude Opus 4.8: Input $1.50 / Output $7.50 per 1M tokens. Rates depend on the billing unit, specification, and usage. Compare matching conditions in the model's detailed pricing; a single rate does not determine the total cost.
FAQ
Is Claude Opus 5 better than Opus 4.8?
Yes. Opus 5 is Anthropic's successor model, with better results on its reported evaluations at the same per-token price class. Opus 4.8 is worth keeping only for stability.
Should I move straight to Opus 5.5?
For new work, yes. Anthropic recommends Opus 5.5, which has replaced Opus 5 as the current Opus. Opus 5 is a reasonable stop if you want a smaller step from 4.8.
Do Opus 5 and 4.8 accept images?
Yes. Both take text and images, use adaptive thinking, call tools and answer in text, so image-based review and diagram questions work on either model.
Will my prompts work unchanged?
Usually, but retest. Output style and effort defaults can shift between generations, so rerun your own evaluations before you move production traffic from one model to the other.
Which is cheaper, Claude Opus 5 or Claude Opus 4.8?
Claude Opus 5: Input $1.50 / Output $7.50 per 1M tokens; Claude Opus 4.8: Input $1.50 / Output $7.50 per 1M tokens. Rates depend on the billing unit, specification, and usage. Compare matching conditions in the model's detailed pricing; a single rate does not determine the total cost.
What are the key differences between Claude Opus 5 and Claude Opus 4.8?
Both models share similar capabilities.
Sources
Reviewed Oct 2, 2026