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opus 5 vs opus 5.5
Opus 5 vs Opus 5.5 tested on three hard reasoning puzzles: same right answers, 43%–69% lower spend, and about 11% faster token streaming.
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Opus 5 vs Opus 5.5: Do the Savings Hold Up?
Anthropic markets Opus 5.5 as leaner and quicker than Opus 5. Our runs check whether those savings survive genuine multi-step reasoning work.
- The Vendor's Price and Pace PromisesMarketing points to a bill 40% smaller, output over 30% quicker, and reasoning on par with Claude Fable 5.1 instead of lagging behind Opus 5.
- Token Rates Under the New ModelInput tokens now cost $4 per million and generated tokens $20 per million, against $5 and $25 before — a cut that alone trims about a fifth off the bill.
- How the Reasoning Tests WorkedEach model received the same prompts via the Anthropic API with adaptive thinking at default effort, and every problem was run once per model.
How We Benchmarked Opus 5 and Opus 5.5
Three demanding puzzles, a single run each, with tokens, elapsed time and list-price spend recorded on every API call.
Opus 5 vs Opus 5.5 Scorecard: Cost, Speed, Tokens
Spend, token output, generation speed and failure patterns recorded across every run of both models.
Logic Grid: Both Perfect
All 28 cells were filled correctly by each model, though the newer one flagged that it had not fully proved the solution was unique.
Fewer Tokens Written
On the stone game it emitted 62% fewer output tokens, and the logic grid ran 43% cheaper — mostly because it simply wrote less.
Tokens Per Second
Averaged over every call, 103.4 tokens per second versus 93.1 — roughly 11% quicker, peaking at a 19% edge on one puzzle.
Bill Per Puzzle
The logic grid billed $0.16 against $0.27, the stone game $0.58 against $1.88, and the whole experiment landed at $10.50.
Where Both Models Stalled
Neither model solved the ordering task; each could think for close to 20 minutes and return no text, with the newer model ending on a refusal stop reason.
Reach for a Code Tool
For anything that comes down to counting, the ordering task included, pass the work to a code execution tool instead of expecting the model to reason its way to the figure.
Opus 5 vs Opus 5.5: Questions Answered
Straight answers on pricing, streaming speed and reasoning outcomes when Opus 5 meets Opus 5.5.
Does Opus 5.5 cost less than Opus 5?
It did: 43% less on the logic grid and 69% less on the stone game, driven mainly by shorter output.
Does Opus 5.5 stream faster?
Roughly 11% quicker across the board, best case 19% on one puzzle — short of the 30% figure Anthropic promotes.
Is Opus 5.5 smarter at hard reasoning?
Not on this evidence: both cleared the logic grid and the stone game, and both failed the constrained ordering puzzle.
Why did the newer model refuse a harmless prompt?
It ended the ordering test with a refusal stop reason and no output, which looks like a safety filter misfiring on a benign request.
Is it worth moving to Opus 5.5?
If Opus 5 is your current model, yes — answers on tough reasoning hold steady while cost and latency drop, provided you cap output tokens first.
How can I keep spending under control?
Cap output tokens and watch the meter, because either model can think for around 20 minutes, return nothing, and still bill you for the tokens.
Reproduce These Opus 5 vs Opus 5.5 Runs on Your Stack
Take the published prompts, point both models at your own workload, then shift to the newer release with an output cap in place to keep the savings.