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Claude Opus 4vsGPT-4o

Anthropic vs OpenAI — Side-by-side model comparison

GPT-4o leads 3/5 categories

Head-to-Head Comparison

MetricClaude Opus 4GPT-4o
Provider
Arena Rank
#1
#2
Context Window
200K
128K
Input Pricing
$5.00/1M tokens
$2.50/1M tokens
Output Pricing
$25.00/1M tokens
$10.00/1M tokens
Parameters
Undisclosed
~200B (est.)
Open Source
No
No
Best For
Complex reasoning, coding, agentic tasks
General purpose, coding, analysis
Release Date
May 22, 2025

Claude Opus 4

Claude Opus 4 is Anthropic's most powerful AI model, holding the #1 position on the Chatbot Arena leaderboard. It represents a breakthrough in extended thinking and agentic capabilities, able to work autonomously on complex multi-step tasks for hours. With a 200K token context window, it excels at analyzing entire codebases, lengthy legal documents, and research papers in a single pass. The model demonstrates exceptional performance in coding (setting new benchmarks on SWE-bench), advanced reasoning, and nuanced writing tasks. Its agentic capabilities allow it to use tools, navigate computers, and execute multi-step workflows with minimal human oversight. Opus 4 is the preferred choice for enterprises requiring the highest quality output on mission-critical tasks where accuracy and depth matter more than speed or cost.

View Anthropic profile →

GPT-4o

GPT-4o is OpenAI's flagship multimodal model, capable of processing text, images, and audio in a unified architecture. The 'o' stands for 'omni,' reflecting its ability to seamlessly handle multiple input types. With a 128K token context window and competitive pricing, it strikes an optimal balance between capability and cost-effectiveness. GPT-4o delivers fast response times while maintaining strong performance across coding, analysis, creative writing, and visual understanding tasks. It powers ChatGPT's default experience and is one of the most widely deployed AI models globally, serving millions of API calls daily. The model supports function calling, JSON mode, and structured outputs, making it highly versatile for production applications. Its combination of speed, quality, and multimodal capabilities makes it the go-to choice for most general-purpose AI applications.

View OpenAI profile →

Key Differences: Claude Opus 4 vs GPT-4o

1

Claude Opus 4 ranks higher in arena benchmarks (#1) indicating stronger overall performance.

2

GPT-4o is 2.4x cheaper on average, making it the better choice for high-volume applications.

3

Claude Opus 4 supports a larger context window (200K), allowing it to process longer documents in a single request.

C

When to use Claude Opus 4

  • +You need the highest quality output based on arena rankings
  • +Quality matters more than cost
  • +You need to process long documents (200K context)
  • +Your use case involves complex reasoning, coding, agentic tasks
View full Claude Opus 4 specs →
G

When to use GPT-4o

  • +Budget is a concern and you need cost efficiency
  • +Your use case involves general purpose, coding, analysis
View full GPT-4o specs →

Cost Analysis

At current pricing, GPT-4o is 2.4x more affordable than Claude Opus 4. For a typical enterprise workload processing 100M tokens per month:

Claude Opus 4 monthly cost

$1,500

100M tokens/mo (50/50 in/out)

GPT-4o monthly cost

$625

100M tokens/mo (50/50 in/out)

The Verdict

GPT-4o wins our head-to-head comparison with 3 out of 5 category wins. It's the stronger choice for general purpose, coding, analysis, though Claude Opus 4 holds an edge in complex reasoning, coding, agentic tasks.

Last compared: March 2026 · Data sourced from public benchmarks and official pricing pages

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is better, Claude Opus 4 or GPT-4o?
In our head-to-head comparison, GPT-4o leads in 3 out of 5 categories (arena rank, context window, input pricing, output pricing, and parameters). GPT-4o excels at general purpose, coding, analysis, while Claude Opus 4 is better suited for complex reasoning, coding, agentic tasks. The best choice depends on your specific requirements, budget, and use case.
How does Claude Opus 4 pricing compare to GPT-4o?
Claude Opus 4 charges $5.00 per 1M input tokens and $25.00 per 1M output tokens. GPT-4o charges $2.50 per 1M input tokens and $10.00 per 1M output tokens. GPT-4o is the more affordable option, approximately 2.4x cheaper on average. For high-volume production workloads, the pricing difference can significantly impact total cost of ownership.
What is the context window difference between Claude Opus 4 and GPT-4o?
Claude Opus 4 supports a 200K token context window, while GPT-4o supports 128K tokens. Claude Opus 4 can process longer documents, codebases, and conversations in a single request. Context window size matters most for tasks involving long documents, large codebases, or extended conversations.
Can I use Claude Opus 4 or GPT-4o for free?
Claude Opus 4 is a paid API model starting at $5.00 per 1M input tokens. GPT-4o is a paid API model starting at $2.50 per 1M input tokens.
Which model has better benchmarks, Claude Opus 4 or GPT-4o?
Claude Opus 4 holds arena rank #1, while GPT-4o holds rank #2. Claude Opus 4 performs better in overall arena benchmarks, which aggregate human preference ratings across coding, reasoning, and general tasks. Note that benchmarks don't capture every use case — we recommend testing both models on your specific tasks.
Is Claude Opus 4 or GPT-4o better for coding?
Claude Opus 4 is specifically optimized for coding tasks. GPT-4o is specifically optimized for coding tasks. For coding specifically, arena rank and code-specific benchmarks are the best indicators of performance.