Claude Opus 4.6 vs Claude Opus 4.8 (Fast)
How do these models stack up? Below is an expert side-by-side comparison of specifications, context window capacity, live pricing per million tokens, and standardized benchmark scores for Claude Opus 4.6 and Claude Opus 4.8 (Fast).
Claude Opus 4.6
Opus 4.6 is Anthropic’s strongest model for coding and long-running professional tasks. It is built for agents that operate across entire workflows rather than single prompts, making it especially effective...
Claude Opus 4.8 (Fast)
Fast-mode variant of [Opus 4.8](/anthropic/claude-opus-4.8) - identical capabilities with higher output speed at 2x pricing relative to regular Opus 4.8. Learn more in Anthropic's docs: https://platform.claude.com/docs/en/build-with-claude/fast-mode
Technical Specifications
| Specification | Claude Opus 4.6 | Claude Opus 4.8 (Fast) |
|---|---|---|
| Provider | Anthropic | Anthropic |
| Context Window | 1,000,000 tokens | 1,000,000 tokens |
| Agent Suitability | 95/100 | N/A |
| Time to First Token (TTFT) | 500 ms | N/A |
| Deployment Model | managed api | managed api |
| Production Stability | stable | beta |
| API Available | Yes | Yes |
| Released Date | 2026-02-04 | 2026-05-27 |
API Pricing Comparison
Input Price per Million Tokens
Claude Opus 4.6
$5.00
Claude Opus 4.8 (Fast)
$10.00
Output Price per Million Tokens
Claude Opus 4.6
$25.00
Claude Opus 4.8 (Fast)
$50.00
Want to test both models live?
Run side-by-side prompt prompts in our dynamic Sandbox. Check execution speeds, latency metrics, and compute actual costs in real-time.
Benchmark Performance Metrics
Scores show the raw performance percentages verified across key evaluation suites. Higher bars indicate superior accuracy and capability in that domain.
Claude Opus 4.6 Quirks & Gotchas
- ▸Best for long-context document analysis and legal review
- ▸Tool calling requires structured prompt — prone to verbose refusal without explicit output schema
Claude Opus 4.8 (Fast) Quirks & Gotchas
No developer gotchas reported.