Claude Opus 4.8 vs Claude Sonnet 4.6: API Pricing
Input and output token rates, context windows, and real monthly cost for Claude Opus 4.8 (Anthropic) and Claude Sonnet 4.6 (Anthropic), side by side. Prices are standard on-demand rates as of June 2026.
The short answer
For a typical coding-agent workload (60M in / 12M out per month), Claude Sonnet 4.6 is the cheaper option at $360/mo versus $600/mo for Claude Opus 4.8 - about 40% less (1.7× cheaper). On the headline sticker of 1M input + 1M output, Claude Opus 4.8 is $30.00 and Claude Sonnet 4.6 is $18.00.
Rates at a glance
| Claude Opus 4.8 | Claude Sonnet 4.6 | |
|---|---|---|
| Input ($/1M tokens) | $5.00 | $3.00 |
| Output ($/1M tokens) | $25.00 | $15.00 |
| Blended (1M in + 1M out) | $30.00 | $18.00 |
| Context window | 1,000K | 1,000K |
| Type | Proprietary | Proprietary |
| Provider | Anthropic | Anthropic |
Monthly cost by workload
Estimated monthly API spend at each workload's token volume. Output usually costs several times input, so the winner can flip with your mix.
| Workload | Claude Opus 4.8 | Claude Sonnet 4.6 | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chatbot / assistant 10M in / 3M out | $125/mo | $75.00/mo | Claude Sonnet 4.6 |
| Coding agent 60M in / 12M out | $600/mo | $360/mo | Claude Sonnet 4.6 |
| RAG / summarization 40M in / 4M out | $300/mo | $180/mo | Claude Sonnet 4.6 |
| Batch / classification 20M in / 2M out | $150/mo | $90.00/mo | Claude Sonnet 4.6 |
Want your own in/out split? Use the full interactive comparator to rank every model and provider for your exact workload.
Frequently asked questions
Is Claude Opus 4.8 or Claude Sonnet 4.6 cheaper?
It depends on your input/output mix, but for a typical coding-agent workload (60M in / 12M out per month) Claude Sonnet 4.6 costs $360/mo versus $600/mo for Claude Opus 4.8 - about 40% less (1.7x). On the headline sticker (1M input + 1M output), Claude Opus 4.8 is $30.00 and Claude Sonnet 4.6 is $18.00.
What are the token rates for Claude Opus 4.8 and Claude Sonnet 4.6?
Claude Opus 4.8 (Anthropic) is $5.00 per 1M input and $25.00 per 1M output. Claude Sonnet 4.6 (Anthropic) is $3.00 per 1M input and $15.00 per 1M output. These are standard on-demand rates, not cached or batch.
Is Claude Opus 4.8 or Claude Sonnet 4.6 open-weight?
Claude Opus 4.8 is proprietary and Claude Sonnet 4.6 is proprietary. Both are closed models billed only through their owner's API.
What context window do Claude Opus 4.8 and Claude Sonnet 4.6 support?
Claude Opus 4.8 supports 1,000K tokens and Claude Sonnet 4.6 supports 1,000K tokens. Some models also step up pricing past a size threshold - check the source pricing pages for long-context tiers.
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