Claude Sonnet 5 vs GPT-5.5: API pricing comparison
Anthropic Claude Sonnet 5 vs OpenAI GPT-5.5: token prices, batch and cache rates, Arena ELO, and cost per request for 8 business use cases. Prices in USD per 1 million tokens. Data snapshot: 2026-11-12.
Claude Sonnet 5 vs GPT-5.5: the short version
At the prices we quote, Claude Sonnet 5 costs less than GPT-5.5 on input and on output: $2.00 against $5.00 per 1M input tokens (60% less), and $10.00 against $30.00 per 1M output tokens (67% less). With the Support Ticket profile (1,500 input and 500 output tokens per request), 1,000 requests cost $8.00 on Claude Sonnet 5 and $22.50 on GPT-5.5 at list price, 64% less on Claude Sonnet 5. On Arena ELO, GPT-5.5 scores 1466 and Claude Sonnet 5 scores 1442, 24 points apart (scores as of 2026-11-08). The context window is 1M tokens on both. Both are recorded here as proprietary, with access through an API. Prices as quoted on 2026-11-12. Each price is the list price of one host, the one we quote for that model. A model sold by several hosts has other prices, listed on its model page.
Claude Sonnet 5 pricing (Anthropic)
- Input: $2.00 per 1M tokens
- Output: $10.00 per 1M tokens
- Batch API (input/output): $1.00 / $5.00
- Prompt-cache read: $0.20
- Context window: 1M
- Arena ELO: 1442 (as of 2026-11-08)
- Full Claude Sonnet 5 pricing page
GPT-5.5 pricing (OpenAI)
- Input: $5.00 per 1M tokens
- Output: $30.00 per 1M tokens
- Batch API (input/output): $2.50 / $15.00
- Prompt-cache read: $0.50
- Context window: 1M
- Arena ELO: 1466 (as of 2026-11-08)
- Full GPT-5.5 pricing page
Cost per 1,000 requests by business use case
List price vs after discounts (prompt caching on the cached input share, batch API for async workloads, only where the provider publishes those rates).
| Use case | Tokens (in/out) | Claude Sonnet 5 list price | Claude Sonnet 5 after discounts | GPT-5.5 list price | GPT-5.5 after discounts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Support Ticket | 1,500 / 500 | $8.00 | $6.47 | $22.50 | $18.45 |
| Knowledge Q&A | 2,000 / 800 | $12.00 | $9.62 | $34.00 | $27.70 |
| Meeting Summary | 10,000 / 1,200 | $32.00 | $15.50 | $86.00 | $41.00 |
| Marketing Content | 2,500 / 1,800 | $23.00 | $22.15 | $66.50 | $64.25 |
| Coding Task | 3,000 / 2,000 | $26.00 | $23.45 | $75.00 | $68.25 |
| Invoice Processing | 1,500 / 600 | $9.00 | $4.27 | $25.50 | $11.85 |
| Call Summary | 2,000 / 700 | $11.00 | $5.40 | $31.00 | $15.10 |
| Agent Workflow | 6,000 / 3,000 | $42.00 | $34.86 | $120.00 | $101.10 |
Common questions about Claude Sonnet 5 vs GPT-5.5
- Which is cheaper, Claude Sonnet 5 or GPT-5.5?
- At the prices we quote, Claude Sonnet 5 costs less than GPT-5.5 on input and on output: $2.00 against $5.00 per 1M input tokens (60% less), and $10.00 against $30.00 per 1M output tokens (67% less). Prices as quoted on 2026-11-12. Each price is the list price of one host, the one we quote for that model. A model sold by several hosts has other prices, listed on its model page.
- What do 1,000 Support Ticket requests cost on Claude Sonnet 5 and on GPT-5.5?
- With the Support Ticket profile (1,500 input and 500 output tokens per request), 1,000 requests cost $8.00 on Claude Sonnet 5 and $22.50 on GPT-5.5 at list price, 64% less on Claude Sonnet 5. Prices as quoted on 2026-11-12.
- How do Claude Sonnet 5 and GPT-5.5 compare on Arena score, context window and licence?
- On Arena ELO, GPT-5.5 scores 1466 and Claude Sonnet 5 scores 1442, 24 points apart (scores as of 2026-11-08). The context window is 1M tokens on both. Both are recorded here as proprietary, with access through an API.
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These are list prices: real cost also depends on caching, batching, negotiated discounts, marketplace agreements, and existing contracts. Get a FinOps review from OptimNow or compare all models.