OpenAI vs Anthropic — API Pricing Comparison
Compare all OpenAI GPT and Anthropic Claude models side by side. GPT-5 matches Claude Haiku's price with more context. Claude Opus 4.7 is cheaper on output than GPT-5.5. The two AI giants are neck and neck at the premium tier.
Pricing data verified: May 14, 2026
All Models Compared
Every OpenAI and Anthropic model, ranked by input price.
| Model | Provider | Tier | Input (per 1M) | Output (per 1M) | Context |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GPT-oss 20B | OpenAI | Budget | $0.08 | $0.35 | 128K |
| GPT-oss 120B | OpenAI | Budget | $0.15 | $0.60 | 128K |
| GPT-4o mini | OpenAI | Budget | $0.15 | $0.60 | 128K |
| GPT-5 mini | OpenAI | Budget | $0.25 | $2.00 | 272K |
| Claude Haiku 4.5 | Anthropic | Budget | $1.00 | $5.00 | 200K |
| GPT-5 | OpenAI | Premium | $1.25 | $10.00 | 272K |
| GPT-5.3 Codex | OpenAI | Mid | $1.75 | $14.00 | 400K |
| GPT-4o | OpenAI | Mid | $2.50 | $10.00 | 128K |
| Claude Sonnet 4.6 | Anthropic | Mid | $3.00 | $15.00 | 1M |
| Claude Sonnet 4 | Anthropic | Mid | $3.00 | $15.00 | 200K |
| Claude Opus 4.7 | Anthropic | Premium | $5.00 | $25.00 | 1M |
| GPT-5.5 | OpenAI | Premium | $5.00 | $30.00 | 1M |
| Claude 4 Opus | Anthropic | Premium | $15.00 | $75.00 | 200K |
| GPT-5.5 Pro | OpenAI | Premium | $30.00 | $180.00 | 1M |
Calculate Your Exact Costs
Pick your OpenAI and Anthropic models, enter your usage, see the savings.
Which Should You Choose?
Chatbot / Customer Support
High volume, short responses. Cost per message matters most. Anthropic's cheapest model is 5-12x more expensive than OpenAI's budget options.
Code Generation
Complex reasoning, longer outputs. Quality and accuracy matter. Both have strong models, but OpenAI has more variety at different price points.
Long Document Analysis
Processing large documents, legal contracts, or codebases. Context window is critical. Both providers offer 1M context at the top tier.
Startup MVP / Side Project
Minimize costs while building. Need reliable API at the lowest price point. Anthropic has no sub-$1 models.
Enterprise / Complex Reasoning
Highest quality for nuanced analysis. Budget less critical than accuracy and safety. Both are top-tier.
Multi-Model Pipeline
Route different tasks to different models. Need variety in tiers. OpenAI has 9 models vs Anthropic's 5.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is OpenAI or Anthropic cheaper for API usage?
OpenAI offers significantly more budget-friendly options. GPT-5 ($1.25/$10) costs 87% less than Claude Sonnet 4.6 ($3/$15) on input, while GPT-oss 20B ($0.08/$0.35) has no Anthropic equivalent. Claude Haiku 4.5 ($1/$5) is Anthropic's cheapest but still costs 12.5x more on input than GPT-oss 20B. At the premium tier, GPT-5.5 ($5/$30) and Claude Opus 4.7 ($5/$25) are closely matched — Opus is cheaper on output.
What is the cheapest Anthropic Claude model?
Claude Haiku 4.5 at $1.00 input / $5.00 output per 1M tokens is Anthropic's cheapest model. It offers 200K context. For comparison, OpenAI's GPT-5 mini ($0.25/$2.00) is 75% cheaper on input with 272K context, and GPT-oss 20B ($0.08/$0.35) is 92% cheaper with 128K context.
Does Claude Opus 4.7 or GPT-5.5 have a larger context window?
Both Claude Opus 4.7 and GPT-5.5 support 1M token context windows — the largest available. They're tied on context. Claude Sonnet 4.6 also supports 1M context at a lower price point ($3/$15). GPT-5 offers 272K context at $1.25/$10 — more cost-effective for tasks that don't need the full 1M window.
Claude Opus 4.7 vs GPT-5.5: which is better for coding?
Both are top-tier for coding. Claude Opus 4.7 ($5/$25) is cheaper on output costs (33% less than GPT-5.5's $30 output) and offers strong code reasoning. GPT-5.5 ($5/$30) has OpenAI's mature function calling and tool use ecosystem. For pure code generation, GPT-5.3 Codex ($1.75/$14) with 400K context is a strong alternative from OpenAI. Claude Sonnet 4.6 ($3/$15) offers the best balance of coding quality and cost.
Does Anthropic offer a free API tier?
Anthropic does not currently offer a free API tier. All usage is billed per token. By contrast, Google offers a generous free tier (1M tokens/day for Gemini Flash models) and OpenAI provides a one-time $5 credit for new accounts. For budget-conscious development, OpenAI's GPT-oss 20B ($0.08/$0.35) or Google's free tier are better starting points.