Pairwise benchmark snapshot · Aug 1, 2026
In this head-to-head showdown, Claude Opus 4 delivers higher overall intelligence and human-preferred responses (Elo 1,490 vs 1,335), while Claude Opus 4 leads in SWE-bench software engineering benchmarks (72.5%), while GPT-4o is more budget-friendly at $10/1M per 1M output tokens. Review the complete breakdown below to determine which model best fits your performance and budget requirements.
9 direct benchmark disciplines evaluated across capability, speed, and cost
First Claude 4 Opus generation. Baseline for opus 4 vs opus 5.
Previous OpenAI flagship. Still a common compare baseline on legacy pages.
Δ 155 Arena Elo pts
110 tok/s
$10 / 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 | GPT-4o | Advantage Delta |
|---|---|---|---|
| Preference Elo | +155 | ||
| Coding Elo | — | — | |
| LiveBench | +12.6% | ||
| SWE-bench | +17.7% | ||
| GPQA Diamond | +7.2% | ||
| Time to first token | +210 ms | ||
| Output speed | 58 tok/s | 110 tok/s | +52 tok/s |
| Input price | $2.5/1M | +$12.5/1M | |
| Output price | +$65/1M | ||
| Context window | +72k |
Simulate monthly production API costs in USD (US Dollar).
GPT-4o is estimated to save $1,412.50/month ($16,950/year).
Higher SWE-bench (72.5%).
Lower output list price ($10/1M).
Lower TTFT (180 ms).
Larger window (200k).
Both accept images. Defaulting to the higher-Elo side (Claude Opus 4).
| Target Workload | Recommended Pick | Evaluation Rationale |
|---|---|---|
| Repo / coding agents | Claude Opus 4 | Higher SWE-bench (72.5%). |
| High-volume chat | GPT-4o | Lower output list price ($10/1M). |
| Voice / low-latency UI | GPT-4o | Lower TTFT (180 ms). |
| Long-document RAG | Claude Opus 4 | Larger window (200k). |
| Screenshots / vision | Claude Opus 4 | Both accept images. Defaulting to the higher-Elo side (Claude Opus 4). |
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