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opus 5 vs opus 5.5
We ran Opus 5 vs Opus 5.5 side by side on three tough reasoning puzzles. Same correct answers, but bills dropped up to 69% and output came faster.
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Opus 5 vs Opus 5.5: Does the Upgrade Pay Off?
Anthropic says its newer Claude model trims both the bill and the wait. Our hands-on run checks whether those claims survive contact with genuinely difficult prompts.
- The Vendor's Savings PromisesThe marketing line: around 40% off the invoice, over 30% quicker replies, and reasoning on par with Claude Fable 5.1 instead of lagging behind the older model.
- What the New Price List Looks LikeInput tokens now run $4 per million and returned tokens $20 per million, versus $5 and $25 before — roughly a fifth off the sticker price before any efficiency gains.
- How the Reasoning Runs Were Set UpBoth models received the exact same prompts via the Anthropic API, adaptive thinking left at default effort, a single attempt per puzzle for each one.
How We Put Opus 5 vs Opus 5.5 Through Its Paces
Three demanding puzzles, a single attempt each, while token counts, elapsed time, and list-price spend were recorded on every call.
Opus 5 vs Opus 5.5 Scorecard: Speed, Spend, Accuracy
Spend, token output, streaming pace, and where each model stumbled — all measured across the head-to-head runs.
Accuracy on the Logic Grid
Both models filled all 28 cells correctly, though the newer one flagged that it had not formally proven its solution was unique.
Output Token Economy
On the stone game the newer model emitted 62% fewer tokens, and it trimmed logic-grid spend by 43% — savings that came mostly from saying less.
Streaming Throughput
Aggregated over every call, the newer model streamed 103.4 tokens per second versus 93.1 for its predecessor, a lead that peaked at 19% on a single puzzle.
Spend per Puzzle
Logic grid: $0.16 against $0.27. Stone game: $0.58 against $1.88. The full experiment rang up $10.50 in API charges.
Where Both Models Broke Down
Neither solved the ordering puzzle. Each was willing to think for about 20 minutes and return an empty answer, and the newer model ended on a refusal stop reason.
Reach for a Code Tool Instead
If a prompt boils down to enumeration — as the ordering test did — give the model a code interpreter instead of hoping it reasons its way to the figure.
Opus 5 vs Opus 5.5: Frequently Asked Questions
Straight answers on pricing, streaming speed, and reasoning quality when you weigh Opus 5 against Opus 5.5.
Does Opus 5.5 cost less than Opus 5?
Yes — 43% less on the logic grid and 69% less on the stone game, with the gap driven mainly by a smaller volume of generated tokens.
Does the newer model stream faster?
About 11% quicker across the board, peaking at 19% on one puzzle — real, but below the 30% figure Anthropic advertises.
Is the reasoning any sharper?
Not in our runs. Both cleared the logic grid and the stone game, and both came back empty on the constrained ordering puzzle.
Why did the newer model refuse a harmless request?
It ended the ordering test with a refusal stop reason and no output — almost certainly a safety filter misfiring on an innocuous prompt.
Should you migrate to Opus 5.5?
If you already run Opus 5, the upgrade keeps reasoning quality level while cutting both spend and latency — just cap output tokens before you start.
How can you keep hard-problem costs in check?
Impose a firm output ceiling and watch the meter: either model can think for some 20 minutes and return nothing while the tokens still bill.
Replicate the Opus 5 vs Opus 5.5 Comparison on Your Own Stack
Grab the published prompts, point both models at your own pipeline, and adopt the newer one with a firm output cap to lock in the savings and speed.