Anthropic vs OpenAI, arranged for direct comparison
This version is built to be scanned side by side. Each row shows the two models, the pricing, what the benchmark should test, and the actual comparison question you are trying to answer.
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Important rule
The “tier” labels here are vendor positioning, not measured benchmark scores.
Main decision line
The most important practical test is Sonnet 4.6 vs GPT-5.4, with GPT-5.4-mini acting as the value pressure test.
Heads Up
Benchmark dimensions
Every row below should be judged on the same workload set
Side-by-side rows
Four direct comparisons that are actually worth running
Flagship
Deep reasoning, long-form writing, coding quality, and high-stakes synthesis
Anthropic
Claude Opus 4.6
Vendor top tier
Input
$5 / 1M
Output
$25 / 1M
Anthropic positions this as its most intelligent option for agents and coding.
OpenAI
GPT-5.4
Vendor top tier
Input
$2.50 / 1M
Output
$15 / 1M
OpenAI flagship lane for broad, high-capability work.
Comparison
OpenAI is materially cheaper on both input and output here. Opus only stays justified if it wins clearly on quality for your hardest real workloads.
Benchmark checks
- Architectural reasoning across multiple files
- High-quality code edits with low supervision
- Dense business memos and recommendation writing
Balanced default
Everyday agent use, drafting, editing, and practical internal workflows
Anthropic
Claude Sonnet 4.6
Vendor premium default
Input
$3 / 1M
Output
$15 / 1M
Anthropic positions this as the best speed-to-intelligence tradeoff.
OpenAI
GPT-5.4
Vendor flagship
Input
$2.50 / 1M
Output
$15 / 1M
Closest premium OpenAI comparison for deciding a serious default.
Comparison
Output pricing is the same. OpenAI is slightly cheaper on input. This is the most important premium-vs-premium benchmark to run.
Benchmark checks
- Document summarization and synthesis
- Internal planning and agent orchestration
- Business copy that still sounds sharp and human
Value pressure test
Whether a premium default is worth paying for versus a smaller cheaper model
Anthropic
Claude Sonnet 4.6
Vendor premium default
Input
$3 / 1M
Output
$15 / 1M
Good candidate if you want one Anthropic default to test seriously.
OpenAI
GPT-5.4-mini
Small capable model
Input
$0.75 / 1M
Output
$4.50 / 1M
Likely strongest value benchmark for day-to-day internal automation.
Comparison
Sonnet costs about 4x more on input and over 3x more on output. It needs a visible quality advantage to survive this benchmark.
Benchmark checks
- Email and memo drafting
- Routine extraction and formatting
- Cheap but capable interactive assistant tasks
Fast / cheap
Classification, extraction, summaries, and high-volume utility work
Anthropic
Claude Haiku 4.5
Fast model
Input
$1 / 1M
Output
$5 / 1M
Fastest Anthropic option in this set, but not ultra-cheap.
OpenAI
GPT-5.4-nano
Cheapest small model
Input
$0.20 / 1M
Output
$1.25 / 1M
Lowest-cost OpenAI option listed here.
Comparison
Haiku is still much more expensive. It needs to beat Nano convincingly on quality, reliability, or output cleanliness.
Benchmark checks
- Structured extraction from messy source text
- Short summaries at scale
- Simple tagging, labeling, and triage
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