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opus 5 vs opus 5.5
Compare Opus 5 vs Opus 5.5 across three tough reasoning puzzles: matching accuracy, lower spend, and quicker token streaming.
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Why the Opus 5 vs Opus 5.5 Matchup Deserves a Closer Look
Anthropic markets Opus 5.5 as the leaner, quicker sibling of Opus 5. Our hands-on runs test whether those savings survive genuine reasoning workloads.
- What Anthropic Says About Cost and LatencyThe official pitch: bills cut by 40%, generation over 30% quicker, and reasoning on par with Claude Fable 5.1 instead of lagging behind Opus 5.
- New Per-Token RatesOpus 5.5 charges $4 per million input tokens and $20 per million output tokens, versus $5 and $25 before — a headline cut that alone trims about a fifth off the bill.
- How We Put Both Models to WorkEach model received the same prompt via the Anthropic API, with adaptive thinking left at its default effort setting and a single run per puzzle.
Inside the Opus 5 vs Opus 5.5 Test Setup
Three demanding puzzles, a single pass per model, and token counts, elapsed time, and list-price spend captured on every request.
Opus 5 vs Opus 5.5: The Numbers Side by Side
Spend, token volume, streaming rate, and breakdown points recorded during every Opus 5 vs Opus 5.5 reasoning run.
Grid Puzzle Accuracy
Both models filled all 28 cells correctly, though Opus 5.5 flagged that it had not fully demonstrated the solution was the only one.
Output Token Economy
On the stone game Opus 5.5 emitted 62% fewer output tokens, and it came in 43% cheaper on the logic grid — mostly by saying less.
Streaming Throughput
Averaged over every call, Opus 5.5 streamed 103.4 tokens per second versus 93.1 for Opus 5 — roughly 11% quicker, peaking at a 19% edge on one puzzle.
Spend by Puzzle
The logic grid ran $0.16 against $0.27, and the stone game $0.58 against $1.88, bringing the whole test series to $10.50.
Where Both Models Stumble
Neither model cracked the ordering puzzle — each can spend around 20 minutes reasoning and return an empty reply, and Opus 5.5 ended on a refusal stop reason.
When to Hand Over a Code Tool
If a task boils down to counting, the ordering puzzle included, give the model a code execution tool instead of expecting it to reason its way to the figure.
Opus 5 vs Opus 5.5 — Your Questions Answered
Straight answers on Opus 5 vs Opus 5.5 pricing, streaming speed, and reasoning outcomes.
Does Opus 5.5 really cost less than Opus 5?
It does. The logic grid ran 43% cheaper and the stone game 69% cheaper, driven mainly by a smaller volume of output tokens.
Is Opus 5.5 quicker at generating output?
Overall it streamed about 11% faster, topping out at a 19% edge on one puzzle — below the 30% figure Anthropic promotes.
Does the newer model reason any better?
Not on these tests. The two were inseparable: both solved the logic grid and the stone game, and both failed the constrained ordering puzzle.
Why did Opus 5.5 decline a harmless prompt?
During the ordering test it stopped with a refusal reason and produced no text — almost certainly a safety filter misfiring on an innocent request.
Should I move my workload to Opus 5.5?
If Opus 5 is your current model, the switch is worthwhile: reasoning quality holds while spend and latency drop — just cap output tokens first.
How can I keep spending in check on tough problems?
Cap output tokens and monitor usage closely: either model can think for roughly 20 minutes, return nothing, and still bill you for the tokens.
Run the Opus 5 vs Opus 5.5 Benchmark on Your Own Stack
Grab the shared prompts, test both models in your own environment, then switch to Opus 5.5 with a strict output cap to lock in the savings and speed.