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OpenAI vs Anthropic
Two closed frontier labs with the same top-tier list price. The split comes down to long-context billing, hosted agent tooling and which model your coding team prefers.
By The Subconscious Team · Updated
OpenAI vs Anthropic: key differences
OpenAI and Anthropic are the two closed labs most teams shortlist first, and their flagships list at the same price: $10 in and $50 out per million tokens for GPT-6 Astra and for Claude Fable 5.1. The gap opens on long prompts. OpenAI bills input at 2x and output at 1.5x once a prompt passes 272K tokens, while Anthropic's top three tiers run a 1M window at standard pricing with no surcharge past 200K. Anthropic also cut Fable's cache reads to $0.25 per million, which helps agent loops that reread a prefix every turn. For repo-scale coding agents, that pricing structure tends to favor Claude.
OpenAI wins on platform breadth and price range. The Responses API bundles web search, file search, code execution, computer use and MCP as hosted tools, and the Agents SDK adds handoffs, guardrails and tracing. Luna at $0.20 in and $1.20 out goes well below Haiku 4.5 at $1 in and $5 out, and Fast mode buys up to 2.5x speed. Fable's weak spot is latency: it always thinks, so output tokens run high and it is the slowest tier in Anthropic's lineup. Both sell through Bedrock. Anthropic adds Vertex AI and Microsoft Foundry, while OpenAI adds Azure OpenAI.
What OpenAI and Anthropic do
OpenAI
OpenAI runs the most widely adopted closed-model API. Its September 2026 lineup has GPT-6 Astra at the top for computer use, coding and long agentic runs, priced at $10 in and $50 out per million tokens. Below it sits the GPT-5.6 family: Sol for hard professional work, Terra as the balanced default, and Luna for high-volume jobs at $0.20 in and $1.20 out. All of them carry a 1.05M token context window with up to 128K output.
Example models: GPT-6 Astra, GPT-5.6 Terra
Full OpenAI profileAnthropic
Anthropic sells the Claude family of closed models through its own API, Amazon Bedrock, Google Vertex AI and Microsoft Foundry. The public lineup today runs from Claude Fable 5.1 at the top, released September 1, 2026, through the Opus and Sonnet tiers down to Haiku 4.5. List prices span a tenfold range, from $10 in and $50 out on Fable to $1 in and $5 out on Haiku. The top three tiers include a 1M token context window at standard pricing with no surcharge past 200K.
Example models: Claude Fable 5.1, Claude Haiku 4.5
Full Anthropic profileShould you choose OpenAI or Anthropic?
OpenAI
Choose OpenAI for
- Multi-tool agents built on hosted web search, computer use and MCP
- High-volume extraction on Luna at $0.20 per million input
- Latency-sensitive steps that can pay for Fast mode
Anthropic
Choose Anthropic for
- Coding agents with prompts past 272K tokens, billed without a surcharge
- Agent loops that reread long prefixes, with $0.25 cache reads on Fable
- Teams buying through Vertex AI or Microsoft Foundry
OpenAI vs Anthropic at a glance
| Attribute | OpenAI | Anthropic |
|---|---|---|
| Model access | Closed, plus open gpt-oss | Closed |
| Flagship models | GPT-6 Astra, GPT-5.6 Sol, Terra, Luna | Claude Fable 5.1, Opus, Sonnet, Haiku 4.5 |
| Speed | Fast mode: up to 2.5x at 2x price | Fable is the slowest tier |
| Price | $0.20–$10 in, $1.20–$50 out per 1M | $1–$10 in, $5–$50 out per 1M |
| Customization | N/A | N/A |
| Deployment | API, Azure OpenAI, Bedrock | API, Bedrock, Vertex AI, Microsoft Foundry |
| Long context | 1.05M; 2x input past 272K | 1M, no surcharge past 200K |
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between OpenAI and Anthropic?
Two closed frontier labs with the same top-tier list price. The split comes down to long-context billing, hosted agent tooling and which model your coding team prefers.
When should I choose OpenAI over Anthropic?
Multi-tool agents built on hosted web search, computer use and MCP; High-volume extraction on Luna at $0.20 per million input; Latency-sensitive steps that can pay for Fast mode.
When should I choose Anthropic over OpenAI?
Coding agents with prompts past 272K tokens, billed without a surcharge; Agent loops that reread long prefixes, with $0.25 cache reads on Fable; Teams buying through Vertex AI or Microsoft Foundry.
Is OpenAI or Anthropic cheaper?
OpenAI: $0.20–$10 in, $1.20–$50 out per 1M. Anthropic: $1–$10 in, $5–$50 out per 1M. The cheaper choice depends on the model and workload.
Which has more context, OpenAI or Anthropic?
OpenAI: 1.05M; 2x input past 272K. Anthropic: 1M, no surcharge past 200K.
Related comparisons
Running long-horizon agents?
If your agents run past 200K tokens, compare both against Subconscious. Our inference stack treats a long-horizon trace as the primary workload, so speed, cost, and accuracy hold up deep into the trace.