Side-by-side comparison of pricing, 12 benchmarks, and generation speed.
| Metric | GPT-5.5 Instant (May 2026) | Claude Opus 4.6 (Adaptive Reasoning, Max Effort) |
|---|---|---|
| Input ($/M tokens) | $5 | $6.25 |
| Output ($/M tokens) | $30 | $25 |
Data from Artificial Analysis API — 12 benchmarks
Claude Opus 4.6 (Adaptive Reasoning, Max Effort) is cheaper overall. Its blended price (3:1 input/output ratio) is $10.94/M tokens vs $11.25/M for GPT-5.5 Instant (May 2026).
Claude Opus 4.6 (Adaptive Reasoning, Max Effort) wins 6 out of 12 benchmarks compared to 1 for GPT-5.5 Instant (May 2026). See the detailed benchmark chart above for per-category results.
Claude Opus 4.6 (Adaptive Reasoning, Max Effort) generates tokens faster at 51 tok/s vs 0 tok/s. GPT-5.5 Instant (May 2026) also has lower time-to-first-token (0.00s vs 12.63s).
Choose based on your priorities: Claude Opus 4.6 (Adaptive Reasoning, Max Effort) for lower cost, Claude Opus 4.6 (Adaptive Reasoning, Max Effort) for stronger benchmark performance, and Claude Opus 4.6 (Adaptive Reasoning, Max Effort) for faster generation. For latency-sensitive apps, check the TTFT comparison above.