Claude Opus 4.1 vs Claude Opus 4.6
Detailed pricing comparison and cost analysis.
Updated April 2026
Cost Simulator
| Feature | Claude Opus 4.1 | Claude Opus 4.6 |
|---|---|---|
| Provider | Anthropic | Anthropic |
| Input Price (1M) | $15.00 | $5.00 |
| Output Price (1M) | $75.00 | $25.00 |
| Context Window | 200,000 | 1,000,000 |
Verdict
Claude Opus 4.1 costs $15.00 per 1M input tokens and $75.00 per 1M output tokens. Claude Opus 4.6 costs $5.00 per 1M input tokens and $25.00 per 1M output tokens. Claude Opus 4.6 is 67% cheaper on input tokens than Claude Opus 4.1. For output tokens, Claude Opus 4.6 is the more affordable option at $25.00/1M vs $75.00.
On context window, Claude Opus 4.6 supports 1,000,000 tokens — meaning it can fit more conversation history, documents, or code in a single request. This matters for RAG pipelines, long document analysis, and agentic workflows where context builds up over many turns.
When to choose Claude Opus 4.1
- ✓ You are already integrated with Anthropic
When to choose Claude Opus 4.6
- ✓ You need the lowest input token cost ($ 5.00/1M)
- ✓ Your workload is output-heavy — Claude Opus 4.6 generates text cheaper
- ✓ You need a larger context window (1,000,000 tokens)
- ✓ You are already integrated with Anthropic
Use the calculator above to simulate your specific workload and find the exact break-even point. For most applications, the cheapest model is the one that minimises your total monthly bill given your input-to-output token ratio.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Claude Opus 4.1 cheaper than Claude Opus 4.6? ▼
Claude Opus 4.6 is cheaper on input tokens at $5.00/1M vs $15.00/1M for Claude Opus 4.1 — a 67% saving.
What is the context window of Claude Opus 4.1 vs Claude Opus 4.6? ▼
Claude Opus 4.1 has a 200,000-token context window. Claude Opus 4.6 has a 1,000,000-token context window. Claude Opus 4.6 supports the larger context, suitable for longer documents and agentic workflows.
Which model is better: Claude Opus 4.1 or Claude Opus 4.6? ▼
The best choice depends on your use case. For cost efficiency on input tokens, Claude Opus 4.6 is the cheaper option. For maximum context length, Claude Opus 4.6 supports 1,000,000 tokens. Use the comparison table above to find the right fit for your workload.