Claude Model Lineup 2026: Opus vs Sonnet vs Haiku
Picking the right Claude model is a cost-versus-capability decision. This guide makes the trade-offs concrete.
Anthropic’s lineup spans three tiers. The trick is matching the model to the job instead of always reaching for the biggest one.
Quick reference
| Model | Strength | Use it for |
|---|---|---|
| Opus | Deepest reasoning | Agents, hard coding, research |
| Sonnet | Balanced quality/speed | Most product features |
| Haiku | Fast & cheap | High-volume, latency-sensitive tasks |
A simple rule
Prototype on Opus to find the ceiling, then drop to Sonnet or Haiku for anything that still passes your evals. You often save a lot of money without losing quality.
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