OSWorld 2.1 for Haiku 5.5 versus 15.7% for Haiku 4.5.
MODEL COMPARISON · VERIFIED OCTOBER 8, 2026
Haiku 5.5
vs Haiku 4.5
A direct comparison of API price, prompt caching and official benchmark results—plus the workloads where upgrading makes the most sense.
Haiku 5.5 is the better default for most new workloads.
It is substantially cheaper at published list prices, faster, and stronger across Anthropic’s reported benchmarks. Keep Haiku 4.5 only when your existing production evaluation shows a migration regression or when changing model behavior creates more risk than the savings justify.
01 / PRICE
Up to 90% lower list price.
Prices below are USD per one million tokens on the Claude Platform.
| Per 1M tokens | Haiku 5.5 ≤100K prompt | Haiku 5.5 >100K prompt | Haiku 4.5 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Input | $0.10 | $0.50 | $1.00 |
| Output | $0.50 | $2.50 | $5.00 |
| Cache read | $0.01 | $0.05 | $0.10 |
| Cache write · 5 min | $0.125 | $0.625 | $1.25 |
For equivalent token counts, Haiku 5.5 is priced 90% lower in the short-prompt tier and 50% lower above 100K prompt tokens. Anthropic reports about 75% lower average cost after accounting for tokenizer differences.
Calculate your workload02 / PERFORMANCE
The upgrade is not only about cost.
Selected official results. Benchmark scores do not guarantee performance on your own workload.
Humanity’s Last Exam without tools versus 10.2% for Haiku 4.5.
Terminal-Bench 4.0 versus 0.0% for Haiku 4.5.
03 / DECISION
Which model should you use?
Use a task-level evaluation before changing a production model.
Choose Haiku 5.5
- High-volume summarization and classification
- Fast routing, lookups and compaction
- Subagents and browser or computer-use workflows
- New products where unit cost matters
Keep Haiku 4.5 temporarily
- You depend on output behavior validated only on 4.5
- A regulated workflow requires a controlled migration
- Your own eval shows a quality regression
- Migration engineering costs exceed near-term savings
04 / FAQ
Quick answers
Is Haiku 5.5 always 90% cheaper?
No. The 90% figure compares list prices for prompts up to 100K tokens at equivalent token counts. Above 100K it is 50% cheaper, and task-level cost also depends on tokenization and output length.
Does Haiku 5.5 use the same model ID?
No. Anthropic lists claude-haiku-5-5 for the new model. Check the migration guide and run your own evaluation before production rollout.
Is Haiku 5.5 faster?
Anthropic describes Haiku 5.5 as its fastest model at standard speed and reports customer tests showing lower latency. Actual latency depends on workload, provider, region and service conditions.
Method and source. Pricing, model ID, availability and benchmark figures were verified against Anthropic’s official Haiku 5.5 announcement on October 8, 2026. This independent comparison is not affiliated with Anthropic. Read the official source.