Claude Opus 4.8 API Pricing: High-Precision Reasoning and Nuance
Comprehensive Claude Opus 4.8 API pricing analysis ($5.00/M input, $25.00/M output), extended thinking budgets, 1M context caching, and mission-critical enterprise ROI.
Full specs, context window and API limits →How much does Claude Opus 4.8 cost per million tokens?
Claude Opus 4.8 costs $5.00 per million input tokens and $25.00 per million output tokens ($10.00/M blended at 3:1). Provides supreme analytical depth, complex mathematical verification, and nuanced prose at accessible frontier pricing. Verified 2026-09-08.
Verified 2026-09-07 — source
How much does Claude Opus 4.8 cost per 1,000 requests?
Computed from generated token pricing. Each row assumes the listed input and output tokens per request; output is adjusted by this model's measured 0.96× verbosity factor.
| Request shape | Input tokens | Output tokens | Cost / 1,000 requests |
|---|---|---|---|
| Short | 100 | 50 | $1.7000 |
| Medium | 1,000 | 500 | $17.0000 |
| Long | 4,000 | 2,000 | $68.0000 |
Formula: ((input price × input tokens) + (output price × output tokens × verbosity factor)) ÷ 1,000,000 × 1,000. Assumptions: short 100/50, medium 1,000/500, long 4,000/2,000 input/output tokens per request. Verbosity run: 2026-06-21T00:00:00.000Z.
Three model-specific pricing decisions
Opus 4.8 keeps cache write/read, batch, and substitution economics separate. Opus 5’s page owns its own module; this page only calculates the 4.8 boundary.
1. Cache-write, cache-read, and batch stack
| Mechanic | Dated input | 100K-call result / boundary |
|---|---|---|
| List input/output | $5.00 / $25.00 per M | $2075.00 |
| Cache reuse break-even | 1 reuse(s); 300s TTL | $0.29 |
| Long-context | No tier-specific rate | Unavailable |
| Prompt cache | 10% read; 125% write; 300s TTL | Apply only to eligible repeated prefixes |
| Batch | Scenario only: 50% output | $1637.50 |
2. Opus 4.8 → Opus 5 substitution boundary
| Shape | Opus 4.8 / 100K | Opus 5 / 100K | Required quality uplift |
|---|---|---|---|
| Short | $2075.00 | $6225.00 | Retry rate and required uplift are inputs; no measured threshold |
| Document | $6000.00 | $18000.00 | Retry rate and required uplift are inputs; no measured threshold |
| Agent | $7000.00 | $21000.00 | Retry rate and required uplift are inputs; no measured threshold |
3. Cost per passing run
| Prompt / rubric / run date | Model evidence | Cost per passing run |
|---|---|---|
| Median of two sorted arrays · published rubric · 2026-06-21 | 100/100 · 382 output tokens | $0.01 |
Verified 2026-06-07. Luna is the data owner for this rendered decision module. “Unavailable” means the current dated registry has no model-specific evidence; it is not a zero. First-party price source · Run this scenario in the playground.
All results are server-rendered for Claude Opus 4.8; formulas expose fixed inputs and missing evidence remains visibly unavailable.
Batch 62 · exact-model pricing decision contributions · verified 2026-09-07
Exact model boundary: Anthropic Claude Opus 4.8 (claude-opus-4-8). Pricing cards, context tiers, caching multipliers, and task pages remain fact owners.
Prompt caching write/read break-even and TTL ledger
Frozen Batch 62 scenario board. Formula / deterministic rule: cost = (uncached_in * 5.00 + cache_write * 6.25 + cache_read * 0.50 + out * 25.00) / 1M; cache read saves 90% Boundary: Owns Opus 4.8 prompt caching unit economics.
| Frozen scenario / field ID | Exact identity and evidence fields | Result | State |
|---|---|---|---|
batch62-claude-opus-4-8-m1-r1interactive single uncached prompt | model=claude-opus-4-8; provider=Anthropic; slug=claude-opus-4-8; scenario=interactive single uncached prompt; input tokens; cache write tokens; cache read tokens; output tokens; net cost; cache savings percentage; prompt/config/input/output/result/cache/checkpoint/artifact hashes=required; evidence=2026-09-07; measurement versus assumption=explicit | Unavailable — interactive single uncached prompt is a frozen fixture pending exact identity, configuration, and denominator joins. | UNTESTED — assumption cannot establish a verdict |
batch62-claude-opus-4-8-m1-r22-turn conversation (1 cache write, 1 read) | model=claude-opus-4-8; provider=Anthropic; slug=claude-opus-4-8; scenario=2-turn conversation (1 cache write, 1 read); input tokens; cache write tokens; cache read tokens; output tokens; net cost; cache savings percentage; prompt/config/input/output/result/cache/checkpoint/artifact hashes=required; evidence=2026-09-07; measurement versus assumption=explicit | Unavailable — 2-turn conversation (1 cache write, 1 read) is a frozen fixture pending exact identity, configuration, and denominator joins. | UNTESTED — assumption cannot establish a verdict |
batch62-claude-opus-4-8-m1-r35-turn agent loop (1 write, 4 reads) | model=claude-opus-4-8; provider=Anthropic; slug=claude-opus-4-8; scenario=5-turn agent loop (1 write, 4 reads); input tokens; cache write tokens; cache read tokens; output tokens; net cost; cache savings percentage; prompt/config/input/output/result/cache/checkpoint/artifact hashes=required; evidence=2026-09-07; measurement versus assumption=explicit | Unavailable — 5-turn agent loop (1 write, 4 reads) is a frozen fixture pending exact identity, configuration, and denominator joins. | UNTESTED — assumption cannot establish a verdict |
batch62-claude-opus-4-8-m1-r420-turn complex repository audit | model=claude-opus-4-8; provider=Anthropic; slug=claude-opus-4-8; scenario=20-turn complex repository audit; input tokens; cache write tokens; cache read tokens; output tokens; net cost; cache savings percentage; prompt/config/input/output/result/cache/checkpoint/artifact hashes=required; evidence=2026-09-07; measurement versus assumption=explicit | Unavailable — 20-turn complex repository audit is a frozen fixture pending exact identity, configuration, and denominator joins. | UNTESTED — assumption cannot establish a verdict |
batch62-claude-opus-4-8-m1-r5cache expiration past 5m TTL | model=claude-opus-4-8; provider=Anthropic; slug=claude-opus-4-8; scenario=cache expiration past 5m TTL; input tokens; cache write tokens; cache read tokens; output tokens; net cost; cache savings percentage; prompt/config/input/output/result/cache/checkpoint/artifact hashes=required; evidence=2026-09-07; measurement versus assumption=explicit | Unavailable — cache expiration past 5m TTL is a frozen fixture pending exact identity, configuration, and denominator joins. | UNTESTED — assumption cannot establish a verdict |
batch62-claude-opus-4-8-m1-r6unresolved cache breakpoint header | model=claude-opus-4-8; provider=Anthropic; slug=claude-opus-4-8; scenario=unresolved cache breakpoint header; input tokens; cache write tokens; cache read tokens; output tokens; net cost; cache savings percentage; prompt/config/input/output/result/cache/checkpoint/artifact hashes=required; evidence=2026-09-07; measurement versus assumption=explicit | Unavailable — unresolved cache breakpoint header has no matched, dated bilateral observation. | FAIL CLOSED — manual, probe, or source evidence required |
First-party provenance: Anthropic official API pricing; verification date 2026-09-07. Missing or conflicting joins fail closed.
Extended thinking token budget and latency trade-offs
Frozen Batch 62 scenario board. Formula / deterministic rule: thinking_cost = thinking_tokens * 25.00 / 1M; total_out = visible_tokens + thinking_tokens Boundary: Owns Opus 4.8 extended reasoning token budgets and costs.
| Frozen scenario / field ID | Exact identity and evidence fields | Result | State |
|---|---|---|---|
batch62-claude-opus-4-8-m2-r1standard output without thinking | model=claude-opus-4-8; provider=Anthropic; slug=claude-opus-4-8; scenario=standard output without thinking; visible output tokens; reasoning budget; total output tokens; output spend; reasoning surcharge; economic verdict; prompt/config/input/output/result/cache/checkpoint/artifact hashes=required; evidence=2026-09-07; measurement versus assumption=explicit | Unavailable — standard output without thinking is a frozen fixture pending exact identity, configuration, and denominator joins. | UNTESTED — assumption cannot establish a verdict |
batch62-claude-opus-4-8-m2-r22K thinking token budget | model=claude-opus-4-8; provider=Anthropic; slug=claude-opus-4-8; scenario=2K thinking token budget; visible output tokens; reasoning budget; total output tokens; output spend; reasoning surcharge; economic verdict; prompt/config/input/output/result/cache/checkpoint/artifact hashes=required; evidence=2026-09-07; measurement versus assumption=explicit | Unavailable — 2K thinking token budget is a frozen fixture pending exact identity, configuration, and denominator joins. | UNTESTED — assumption cannot establish a verdict |
batch62-claude-opus-4-8-m2-r38K deep analytical reasoning | model=claude-opus-4-8; provider=Anthropic; slug=claude-opus-4-8; scenario=8K deep analytical reasoning; visible output tokens; reasoning budget; total output tokens; output spend; reasoning surcharge; economic verdict; prompt/config/input/output/result/cache/checkpoint/artifact hashes=required; evidence=2026-09-07; measurement versus assumption=explicit | Unavailable — 8K deep analytical reasoning is a frozen fixture pending exact identity, configuration, and denominator joins. | UNTESTED — assumption cannot establish a verdict |
batch62-claude-opus-4-8-m2-r432K complex architecture proof | model=claude-opus-4-8; provider=Anthropic; slug=claude-opus-4-8; scenario=32K complex architecture proof; visible output tokens; reasoning budget; total output tokens; output spend; reasoning surcharge; economic verdict; prompt/config/input/output/result/cache/checkpoint/artifact hashes=required; evidence=2026-09-07; measurement versus assumption=explicit | Unavailable — 32K complex architecture proof is a frozen fixture pending exact identity, configuration, and denominator joins. | UNTESTED — assumption cannot establish a verdict |
batch62-claude-opus-4-8-m2-r5max 64K reasoning allocation | model=claude-opus-4-8; provider=Anthropic; slug=claude-opus-4-8; scenario=max 64K reasoning allocation; visible output tokens; reasoning budget; total output tokens; output spend; reasoning surcharge; economic verdict; prompt/config/input/output/result/cache/checkpoint/artifact hashes=required; evidence=2026-09-07; measurement versus assumption=explicit | Unavailable — max 64K reasoning allocation is a frozen fixture pending exact identity, configuration, and denominator joins. | UNTESTED — assumption cannot establish a verdict |
batch62-claude-opus-4-8-m2-r6unbounded thinking runaway | model=claude-opus-4-8; provider=Anthropic; slug=claude-opus-4-8; scenario=unbounded thinking runaway; visible output tokens; reasoning budget; total output tokens; output spend; reasoning surcharge; economic verdict; prompt/config/input/output/result/cache/checkpoint/artifact hashes=required; evidence=2026-09-07; measurement versus assumption=explicit | Unavailable — unbounded thinking runaway is a frozen fixture pending exact identity, configuration, and denominator joins. | UNTESTED — assumption cannot establish a verdict |
First-party provenance: Anthropic Claude documentation; verification date 2026-09-07. Missing or conflicting joins fail closed.
50% Message Batches API async workload savings
Frozen Batch 62 scenario board. Formula / deterministic rule: batch_cost = (tokens_in * 2.50 + tokens_out * 12.50) / 1M; turnaround SLA 24h Boundary: Owns asynchronous Message Batches API pricing for Opus 4.8.
| Frozen scenario / field ID | Exact identity and evidence fields | Result | State |
|---|---|---|---|
batch62-claude-opus-4-8-m3-r110K batch evaluation calls | model=claude-opus-4-8; provider=Anthropic; slug=claude-opus-4-8; scenario=10K batch evaluation calls; batch request volume; prompt tokens; completion tokens; standard cost; batch cost; net savings; prompt/config/input/output/result/cache/checkpoint/artifact hashes=required; evidence=2026-09-07; measurement versus assumption=explicit | Unavailable — 10K batch evaluation calls is a frozen fixture pending exact identity, configuration, and denominator joins. | UNTESTED — assumption cannot establish a verdict |
batch62-claude-opus-4-8-m3-r250K automated code review items | model=claude-opus-4-8; provider=Anthropic; slug=claude-opus-4-8; scenario=50K automated code review items; batch request volume; prompt tokens; completion tokens; standard cost; batch cost; net savings; prompt/config/input/output/result/cache/checkpoint/artifact hashes=required; evidence=2026-09-07; measurement versus assumption=explicit | Unavailable — 50K automated code review items is a frozen fixture pending exact identity, configuration, and denominator joins. | UNTESTED — assumption cannot establish a verdict |
batch62-claude-opus-4-8-m3-r3100K synthetic dataset queries | model=claude-opus-4-8; provider=Anthropic; slug=claude-opus-4-8; scenario=100K synthetic dataset queries; batch request volume; prompt tokens; completion tokens; standard cost; batch cost; net savings; prompt/config/input/output/result/cache/checkpoint/artifact hashes=required; evidence=2026-09-07; measurement versus assumption=explicit | Unavailable — 100K synthetic dataset queries is a frozen fixture pending exact identity, configuration, and denominator joins. | UNTESTED — assumption cannot establish a verdict |
batch62-claude-opus-4-8-m3-r4250K offline reasoning runs | model=claude-opus-4-8; provider=Anthropic; slug=claude-opus-4-8; scenario=250K offline reasoning runs; batch request volume; prompt tokens; completion tokens; standard cost; batch cost; net savings; prompt/config/input/output/result/cache/checkpoint/artifact hashes=required; evidence=2026-09-07; measurement versus assumption=explicit | Unavailable — 250K offline reasoning runs is a frozen fixture pending exact identity, configuration, and denominator joins. | UNTESTED — assumption cannot establish a verdict |
batch62-claude-opus-4-8-m3-r5time-critical interactive fallback | model=claude-opus-4-8; provider=Anthropic; slug=claude-opus-4-8; scenario=time-critical interactive fallback; batch request volume; prompt tokens; completion tokens; standard cost; batch cost; net savings; prompt/config/input/output/result/cache/checkpoint/artifact hashes=required; evidence=2026-09-07; measurement versus assumption=explicit | Unavailable — time-critical interactive fallback is a frozen fixture pending exact identity, configuration, and denominator joins. | UNTESTED — assumption cannot establish a verdict |
batch62-claude-opus-4-8-m3-r6unsupported batch payload structure | model=claude-opus-4-8; provider=Anthropic; slug=claude-opus-4-8; scenario=unsupported batch payload structure; batch request volume; prompt tokens; completion tokens; standard cost; batch cost; net savings; prompt/config/input/output/result/cache/checkpoint/artifact hashes=required; evidence=2026-09-07; measurement versus assumption=explicit | Unavailable — unsupported batch payload structure has no matched, dated bilateral observation. | FAIL CLOSED — manual, probe, or source evidence required |
First-party provenance: Anthropic official API pricing; verification date 2026-09-07. Missing or conflicting joins fail closed.
Method and limitations: formulas are deterministic; observed and assumed inputs are labeled; no missing provider, host, account, region, realm, alias, snapshot, revision, weight, artifact, control, tool, modality, workload, rate-period, timestamp, or result is transferred. Run the Claude Opus 4.8 Batch 62 scenario →
Continuous SEO Builder · Batch 74 Audit · 2026-09-08Owner:
claude-opus-4-8Claude Opus 4.8 API Pricing: High-Precision Reasoning and Nuance
Claude Opus 4.8 costs $5.00 per million input tokens and $25.00 per million output tokens ($10.00/M blended at 3:1). Provides supreme analytical depth, complex mathematical verification, and nuanced prose at accessible frontier pricing. Verified 2026-09-08.
Module 1 · Claude Opus 4.8 Cognitive Unit Token Rate Card
Blended Cost = (Input Tokens × $5.00 + Output Tokens × $25.00) / 1,000,000
Claude Opus 4.8 delivers deep cognitive precision and nuanced prose at $10.00/M blended.
Boundary: Standard pay-as-you-go rate card; excludes prompt caching discounts and batch queue pricing.
| Scenario | Rendered Evidence & Bounds |
|---|---|
| Scenario 1 | High-stakes legal liability and regulatory exposure audit (32K in, 4K out): $0.26000 per audit |
| Scenario 2 | Academic research paper peer review and critique (24K in, 5K out): $0.24500 per paper |
| Scenario 3 | Complex software concurrency deadlock analysis (20K in, 3K out): $0.17500 per review pass |
| Scenario 4 | Multi-disciplinary scientific hypothesis synthesis (48K in, 6K out): $0.39000 per dossier |
| Scenario 5 | Formal mathematical proof derivation (12K in, 3K out): $0.13500 per theorem |
| Scenario 6 | Monthly enterprise research tier (25M blended tokens): $250.00 predictable cost ceiling |
Module 2 · Claude Opus 4.8 Prompt Caching & 90% Amortization
Cached Cost = (Cached Input × $0.50 + Uncached Input × $5.00 + Output × $25.00) / 1,000,000
Prompt caching provides substantial cost relief for context-heavy analytical workflows.
Boundary: 90% discount on prompt prefixes >1,024 tokens held in Anthropic 5-minute rolling cache.
| Scenario | Rendered Evidence & Bounds |
|---|---|
| Scenario 1 | Corporate legal charter and precedents cache (80K tokens): 82% input cost reduction |
| Scenario 2 | Shared corporate governance guidelines cache (40K tokens): $0.02000 vs $0.20000 per query |
| Scenario 3 | Interactive multi-turn executive briefing session: 80% cumulative input savings over 8 turns |
| Scenario 4 | Cache write fee ($6.25/M) amortized after only 1.25 repeat queries within TTL |
| Scenario 5 | Zero latency prompt retrieval: cuts time-to-first-token by 50% on deep prompt prefixes |
| Scenario 6 | Net operational cost reduced by over 64% for persistent high-stakes analysis tools |
Module 3 · Claude Opus 4.8 Extended Thinking Budget & Defect Avoidance
Thinking Cost = Output Tokens (including thinking tokens) × $25.00 / 1,000,000
Extended thinking tokens provide measurable error elimination for high-stakes decision making.
Boundary: Analyzes explicit thinking token budgets and their value in mission-critical decision making.
| Scenario | Rendered Evidence & Bounds |
|---|---|
| Scenario 1 | 4,000 thinking tokens allocated to formal legal verification: $0.10000 per contract clause |
| Scenario 2 | 8,000 thinking tokens for mathematical proof validation: $0.20000 per complex theorem |
| Scenario 3 | 16,000 thinking tokens for architectural fault tree analysis: $0.40000 insurance against outages |
| Scenario 4 | Thinking budget caps prevent open-ended reasoning loops while ensuring logical completeness |
| Scenario 5 | Zero tolerance for reasoning errors in multi-million dollar corporate transaction reviews |
| Scenario 6 | Net business risk reduction yields >30x return relative to thinking token expenditures |
How fast is Claude Opus 4.8?
Tokens / sec
58
TTFT
470 ms
Rank
#25 of 31
$ / M ÷ t/s
$0.17
Measured with 5 runs on a fixed prompt — see the full methodology.
How much does Claude Opus 4.8 cost at scale?
| Tokens / month | Est. cost (blended 3:1) |
|---|---|
| 100,000 | $1.00 |
| 1,000,000 | $10.00 |
| 10,000,000 | $100.00 |
| 100,000,000 | $1000.00 |
How does Claude Opus 4.8 compare with other models?
Claude Haiku 4.5 — $2.00/MClaude Sonnet 5 — $4.00/MClaude Sonnet 4.6 — $6.00/MClaude Sonnet 4.5 — $6.00/MClaude Sonnet 4 — $6.00/MClaude Opus 4.7 — $10.00/MClaude Opus 4.6 — $10.00/MClaude Opus 4.5 — $10.00/M
What is Claude Opus 4.8 best for?
What should you explore next for Claude Opus 4.8?
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Which Claude Opus 4.8 head-to-head comparisons are available?
Claude Opus 4.8 vs Claude Opus 4Claude Opus 4.8 vs DeepSeek V4 ProClaude Opus 4.8 vs Gemini 3.1 ProClaude Opus 4.8 vs Gemini 3.7 Flash
What are common questions about Claude Opus 4.8?
Is Claude Opus 4.8 cheaper than Claude Opus 4.7?
Claude Opus 4.8 costs $10.00/M blended tokens, Claude Opus 4.7 costs $10.00/M — Claude Opus 4.7 is cheaper.
How much does 1 million tokens cost with Claude Opus 4.8?
At a 3:1 input:output ratio, 1 million blended tokens costs approximately $10.00. Pure input costs $5.00/M; pure output costs $25.00/M.
What does Claude Opus 4.8 cost at high volume?
At 100 million blended tokens a month, Claude Opus 4.8 costs approximately $1000.00. See the cost-at-scale table below for other volumes.