Pairwise benchmark snapshot · Aug 1, 2026
In this head-to-head showdown, Claude Opus 4.6 delivers higher overall intelligence and human-preferred responses (Elo 1,574 vs 1,490), while Claude Opus 4.6 leads in SWE-bench software engineering benchmarks (75.9%), while Claude Opus 4 is more budget-friendly at $75/1M per 1M output tokens, while Claude Opus 4.6 provides faster response streaming (64 tok/s). Review the complete breakdown below to determine which model best fits your performance and budget requirements.
7 direct benchmark disciplines evaluated across capability, speed, and cost
First Claude 4 Opus generation. Baseline for opus 4 vs opus 5.
Follow-on Opus release. Slightly behind 4.5 on official SWE-bench bash-only in the last published sweep; stronger multi-step autonomous agent reasoning.
Simulate accuracy gains vs added response time & token cost
Reasoning models “think before answering” by generating internal reasoning tokens. Higher effort improves math, coding, and logic accuracy, but increases response delay and token costs.
Δ 84 Arena Elo pts
64 tok/s
$75 / 1M output
Relative percentile scores computed across all active models in the benchmark catalog.
Comparing top Western standard models with China's leading frontier rival across 6 skill dimensions. Tap any spoke or dot to inspect.
Category wins across reasoning intelligence, generation speed, and token cost.
Preference Elo, Coding proficiency, SWE-bench & LiveBench accuracy
Generation throughput and time to first token responsiveness
Cost per million tokens and max context window length
| Benchmark | Claude Opus 4 | Claude Opus 4.6 | Advantage Delta |
|---|---|---|---|
| Preference Elo | +84 | ||
| Coding Elo | +68 | ||
| LiveBench | +5.2% | ||
| SWE-bench | +3.4% | ||
| GPQA Diamond | +4.4% | ||
| Time to first token | +30 ms | ||
| Output speed | 58 tok/s | 64 tok/s | +6 tok/s |
| Input price | — | ||
| Output price | — | ||
| Context window | — |
Simulate monthly production API costs in USD (US Dollar).
Higher SWE-bench (75.9%).
Lower output list price ($75/1M).
Lower TTFT (360 ms).
Larger window (200k).
Both accept images. Defaulting to the higher-Elo side (Claude Opus 4.6).
| Target Workload | Recommended Pick | Evaluation Rationale |
|---|---|---|
| Repo / coding agents | Claude Opus 4.6 | Higher SWE-bench (75.9%). |
| High-volume chat | Claude Opus 4 | Lower output list price ($75/1M). |
| Voice / low-latency UI | Claude Opus 4.6 | Lower TTFT (360 ms). |
| Long-document RAG | Claude Opus 4 | Larger window (200k). |
| Screenshots / vision | Claude Opus 4.6 | Both accept images. Defaulting to the higher-Elo side (Claude Opus 4.6). |
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