text model comparison
Claude Opus 5.5 vs GPT-5.6 Sol
Claude Opus 5.5 and GPT-5.6 Sol are both current text models, from Anthropic and OpenAI. Both cost $4 per 1M input tokens. On Arena Text, Claude Opus 5.5 scores 1507 Elo and GPT-5.6 Sol 1485 Elo (Arena, measured October 8, 2026). GPT-5.6 Sol has the larger context window, 1,050,000 vs 1,000,000 tokens.
Data verified October 12, 2026 · Dataset 2026-10-12
Side by side
Standard-tier prices in effect today. The better value in each row is highlighted.
| Fact | Claude Opus 5.5 | GPT-5.6 Sol |
|---|---|---|
| Price per 1M input tokens | $4 | $4 |
| Price per 1M output tokens | $20 | $20 |
| Cost of 10M input and 2M output tokens | $80 | $80 |
| Arena Text | 1507 Elo (#1 of 39) (better) | 1485 Elo (#10 of 39) |
| GPQA Diamond | 90.6% (#22 of 37) | 93.5% (#11 of 37) (better) |
| FrontierMath Tiers 1-3 (v2) | 91.2% (#3 of 37) (better) | 89.1% (#6 of 37) |
| SimpleQA Verified | 72.2% (#4 of 34) (better) | 69.7% (#7 of 34) |
| Provider | Anthropic | OpenAI |
| Release date | September 22, 2026 | July 9, 2026 |
| Access | API only | API only |
| Context window | 1,000,000 tokens | 1,050,000 tokens |
| Max output | 128,000 tokens | 128,000 tokens |
| Input | text, image | text, image |
| Output | text | text |
When to choose each
Claude Opus 5.5
Best for
- Long-running agentic coding and knowledge work as the general-purpose default
- Cache-heavy agent loops where the 0.05x read multiplier compounds
Watch out for
- The API effort default is medium here, not high as on Claude Fable 5.1 and Claude Sonnet 5.5, so a like-for-like comparison has to set effort explicitly
- The 4.7-generation tokenizer produces roughly 30% more tokens for the same text than Claude Sonnet 4.6 and earlier, so per-token rates do not compare directly across generations
GPT-5.6 Sol
Best for
- Frontier capability evaluations for complex API workflows
- Long-horizon coding and research agents that use computer use or MCP tools
Watch out for
- Not in the pinned LiveBench snapshot; its independent scores here come from Epoch AI's own GPQA Diamond, FrontierMath and SimpleQA Verified runs
Claude Opus 5.5 vs GPT-5.6 Sol FAQ
Which is cheaper, Claude Opus 5.5 or GPT-5.6 Sol?
Both cost $4 per 1M input tokens. For 10M input and 2M output tokens, Claude Opus 5.5 costs $80 and GPT-5.6 Sol $80 at standard rates.
Which scores higher on independent benchmarks, Claude Opus 5.5 or GPT-5.6 Sol?
Claude Opus 5.5 leads on Arena Text, 1507 Elo to 1485 Elo; GPT-5.6 Sol leads on GPQA Diamond, 93.5% to 90.6%; Claude Opus 5.5 leads on FrontierMath Tiers 1-3 (v2), 91.2% to 89.1%. Scores are independent evaluations, not either vendor's launch figures.
Which has the larger context window, Claude Opus 5.5 or GPT-5.6 Sol?
GPT-5.6 Sol has the larger context window, 1,050,000 vs 1,000,000 tokens.
Related comparisons
- Claude Fable 5.1 vs Claude Opus 5.5
- Claude Fable 5 vs Claude Opus 5.5
- Claude Opus 4.8 vs Claude Opus 5.5
- Claude Opus 4.8 vs GPT-5.6 Sol
- Claude Opus 5.5 vs Gemini 3.8 Flash
- Claude Opus 5.5 vs GPT-5.5
- Claude Opus 5.5 vs Kimi K3
- Claude Opus 5 vs Claude Opus 5.5
- Claude Opus 5 vs GPT-5.6 Sol
- Gemini 3.8 Flash vs GPT-5.6 Sol
Production evaluation
Choosing between Claude Opus 5.5 and GPT-5.6 Sol?
Public benchmarks narrow the shortlist. We run both on your own tasks, data and cost limits, then build the routing and review controls to run the winner in production.
- A head-to-head evaluation on your real workload
- Routing between models by cost and difficulty