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opus 5 vs opus 5.5
A hands-on Opus 5 vs Opus 5.5 comparison: three demanding logic puzzles, the same right answers, noticeably smaller API bills, and quicker token streaming.
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What an Opus 5 vs Opus 5.5 Comparison Really Reveals
Anthropic markets Opus 5.5 as the leaner, quicker sibling of Opus 5. We put that claim under pressure with genuine reasoning workloads to see whether the savings survive.
- What Anthropic PromisesThe official pitch: bills trimmed by 40%, output more than 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, replacing the older $5 and $25 tiers — a 20% trim before any other gains.
- How the Reasoning Tests Were Set UpBoth models received the exact same prompts through the Anthropic API, adaptive thinking left at default effort, with a single run per problem per model.
Inside the Opus 5 vs Opus 5.5 Test Runs
Each model faced the same three demanding puzzles once, with token counts, elapsed time, and list-price spend recorded on every request.
Opus 5 vs Opus 5.5: The Numbers Side by Side
Spend, token counts, streaming rate, and failure patterns captured during the Opus 5 vs Opus 5.5 reasoning sessions.
Grid Accuracy
Both models filled all 28 grid cells correctly, though Opus 5.5 added a note that it had not fully proved the solution was the only one.
Fewer Output Tokens
On the stone game Opus 5.5 emitted 62% fewer output tokens, and on the logic grid it spent 43% less — largely by saying less.
Streaming Rate
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 a single problem.
Spend by Problem
The logic grid ran $0.16 against $0.27, and the stone game $0.58 against $1.88, bringing the entire test to $10.50.
Where Both Stumbled
Neither model solved the ordering puzzle; each can spend around 20 minutes reasoning and return no answer, and Opus 5.5 ended on a refusal stop reason.
When to Hand Off to Code
If a problem boils down to counting, the ordering test 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 — Common Questions
Answers on pricing, streaming speed, and reasoning outcomes for the Opus 5 vs Opus 5.5 matchup.
Does Opus 5.5 cost less than Opus 5?
It did — 43% cheaper on the logic grid and 69% cheaper on the stone game, driven mainly by writing fewer output tokens.
How much faster is Opus 5.5?
About 11% quicker on average, with a best single-problem margin of 19% — still below the 30% figure Anthropic advertises.
Is Opus 5.5 smarter at reasoning?
Not on these tests. Both models solved the logic grid and the stone game, and both came up empty on the constrained orderings puzzle.
Why did Opus 5.5 reject a harmless request?
On the ordering test it stopped with a refusal reason and produced no text, most likely a safety filter misfiring on an innocent prompt.
Should I move my workload to Opus 5.5?
If Opus 5 is already in your stack, yes — reasoning quality holds while cost and latency drop. Just cap output tokens first.
How can I keep spending under control on tough prompts?
Set a hard ceiling on output tokens and monitor spend, because either model can think for around 20 minutes, return nothing, and still bill you.
Run the Opus 5 vs Opus 5.5 Comparison on Your Own Stack
Grab the prompts we used, test both models against your own workloads, and switch to Opus 5.5 with a strict output cap to lock in the savings and speed.