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Claude Opus 4vsGPT-o3

Anthropic vs OpenAI — Side-by-side model comparison

GPT-o3 leads 2/5 categories

Head-to-Head Comparison

MetricClaude Opus 4GPT-o3
Provider
Arena Rank
#1
#2
Context Window
200K
200K
Input Pricing
$5.00/1M tokens
$2.00/1M tokens
Output Pricing
$25.00/1M tokens
$8.00/1M tokens
Parameters
Undisclosed
Undisclosed
Open Source
No
No
Best For
Complex reasoning, coding, agentic tasks
Advanced reasoning, agentic tasks, research
Release Date
May 22, 2025
Apr 16, 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-o3

GPT-o3 is OpenAI's most advanced reasoning model, succeeding o1 as the frontier of deliberative AI. It uses an enhanced chain-of-thought approach where the model spends more compute time 'thinking' before responding, dramatically improving performance on complex STEM, mathematical, and logical reasoning tasks. With a 200K token context window and the ability to use tools during reasoning, o3 represents a significant leap in AI problem-solving capabilities. It achieved state-of-the-art results on the ARC-AGI benchmark, demonstrating near-human performance on novel reasoning challenges. The model is particularly strong at multi-step mathematical proofs, complex code debugging, and scientific analysis where careful step-by-step reasoning is essential. Originally priced at a premium, an 80% price reduction in June 2025 made o3 accessible to a much broader range of developers and applications.

View OpenAI profile →

Key Differences: Claude Opus 4 vs GPT-o3

1

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

2

GPT-o3 is 3.0x cheaper on average, making it the better choice for high-volume applications.

C

When to use Claude Opus 4

  • +You need the highest quality output based on arena rankings
  • +Quality matters more than cost
  • +Your use case involves complex reasoning, coding, agentic tasks
View full Claude Opus 4 specs →
G

When to use GPT-o3

  • +Budget is a concern and you need cost efficiency
  • +Your use case involves advanced reasoning, agentic tasks, research
View full GPT-o3 specs →

Cost Analysis

At current pricing, GPT-o3 is 3.0x 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-o3 monthly cost

$500

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

The Verdict

GPT-o3 wins our head-to-head comparison with 2 out of 5 category wins. It's the stronger choice for advanced reasoning, agentic tasks, research, 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-o3?
In our head-to-head comparison, GPT-o3 leads in 2 out of 5 categories (arena rank, context window, input pricing, output pricing, and parameters). GPT-o3 excels at advanced reasoning, agentic tasks, research, 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-o3?
Claude Opus 4 charges $5.00 per 1M input tokens and $25.00 per 1M output tokens. GPT-o3 charges $2.00 per 1M input tokens and $8.00 per 1M output tokens. GPT-o3 is the more affordable option, approximately 3.0x 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-o3?
Claude Opus 4 supports a 200K token context window, while GPT-o3 supports 200K tokens. Context window size matters most for tasks involving long documents, large codebases, or extended conversations.
Can I use Claude Opus 4 or GPT-o3 for free?
Claude Opus 4 is a paid API model starting at $5.00 per 1M input tokens. GPT-o3 is a paid API model starting at $2.00 per 1M input tokens.
Which model has better benchmarks, Claude Opus 4 or GPT-o3?
Claude Opus 4 holds arena rank #1, while GPT-o3 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-o3 better for coding?
Claude Opus 4 is specifically optimized for coding tasks. GPT-o3's primary strength is advanced reasoning, agentic tasks, research. For coding specifically, arena rank and code-specific benchmarks are the best indicators of performance.