Claude Opus 4.5 vs Gemini Robotics-ER 1.6 Preview
Claude Opus 4.5 (2025) and Gemini Robotics-ER 1.6 Preview (2026) are frontier-tier reasoning models from Anthropic and Google DeepMind. Claude Opus 4.5 ships a 200k-token context window, while Gemini Robotics-ER 1.6 Preview ships a 128k-token context window. On pricing, Gemini Robotics-ER 1.6 Preview costs $1/1M input tokens versus $5/1M for the alternative. This comparison covers specs, pricing, API access, capabilities, benchmarks, input and output token costs, and production fit for coding and agent workloads.
Gemini Robotics-ER 1.6 Preview is ~400% cheaper at $1/1M; pay for Claude Opus 4.5 only for coding workflow support.
Decision scorecard
Local evidence first| Signal | Claude Opus 4.5 | Gemini Robotics-ER 1.6 Preview |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | reasoning-heavy apps, multimodal apps, and tool-calling agents | reasoning-heavy apps, multimodal apps, and tool-calling agents |
| Decision fit | Coding, RAG, and Agents | RAG, Agents, and Long context |
| Context window | 200k | 128k |
| Cheapest output | $25/1M tokens | $5/1M tokens |
| Provider routes | 6 tracked | 1 tracked |
| Shared benchmarks | 0 shared | 0 shared |
Decision tradeoffs
- Claude Opus 4.5 has the larger context window for long prompts, retrieval packs, or transcript analysis.
- Claude Opus 4.5 has broader tracked provider coverage for fallback and procurement flexibility.
- Claude Opus 4.5 uniquely exposes Code execution in local model data.
- Local decision data tags Claude Opus 4.5 for Coding, RAG, and Agents.
- Gemini Robotics-ER 1.6 Preview has the lower cheapest tracked output price at $5/1M tokens.
- Local decision data tags Gemini Robotics-ER 1.6 Preview for RAG, Agents, and Long context.
Monthly cost at traffic
Estimate token spend from the cheapest tracked input and output route or tier on this page.
Claude Opus 4.5
$10,250
Cheapest tracked route/tier: Microsoft Foundry
Gemini Robotics-ER 1.6 Preview
$2,050
Cheapest tracked route/tier: Google AI Studio
Estimated monthly gap: $8,200. Batch, cache, alternate speed tiers, and negotiated pricing are excluded from this local estimate.
Switch friction
- No overlapping tracked provider route is sourced for Claude Opus 4.5 and Gemini Robotics-ER 1.6 Preview; plan for SDK, billing, or endpoint changes.
- Gemini Robotics-ER 1.6 Preview is $20/1M tokens lower on cheapest tracked output pricing before cache, batch, or negotiated discounts.
- Check replacement coverage for Code execution before moving production traffic.
- No overlapping tracked provider route is sourced for Gemini Robotics-ER 1.6 Preview and Claude Opus 4.5; plan for SDK, billing, or endpoint changes.
- Claude Opus 4.5 is $20/1M tokens higher on cheapest tracked output pricing, so quality gains need to justify the spend.
- Claude Opus 4.5 adds Code execution in local capability data.
Specs
| Specification | ||
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2025-11-01 | 2026-04-14 |
| Context window | 200k | 128k |
| Parameters | — | — |
| Architecture | Decoder Only | Decoder Only |
| License | Proprietary | Proprietary |
| Openness | Proprietary | Proprietary |
| Commercial use | Commercial use: conditional | Commercial use: conditional |
| Knowledge cutoff | 2025-12 | - |
Pricing and availability
| Pricing attribute | Claude Opus 4.5 | Gemini Robotics-ER 1.6 Preview |
|---|---|---|
| Input price | $5/1M tokens | $1/1M tokens |
| Output price | $25/1M tokens | $5/1M tokens |
| Providers |
Capabilities
| Capability | Claude Opus 4.5 | Gemini Robotics-ER 1.6 Preview |
|---|---|---|
| Vision | Yes | Yes |
| Multimodal | Yes | Yes |
| Reasoning | Yes | Yes |
| Function calling | Yes | Yes |
| Tool use | Yes | Yes |
| Structured outputs | Yes | Yes |
| Code execution | Yes | No |
| IDE integration | No | No |
| Computer use | No | No |
| Parallel agents | No | No |
Benchmarks
No shared benchmark scores are currently available for this pair.
Deep dive
The capability footprint differs most on code execution: Claude Opus 4.5. Both models share vision, multimodal input, reasoning mode, and function calling, so the practical split is not just feature count. Use those differences to decide whether the page is about raw model quality, agentic coding support, multimodal ingestion, or predictable structured API behavior.
For cost, Claude Opus 4.5 lists $5/1M input and $25/1M output tokens on the cheapest tracked provider, while Gemini Robotics-ER 1.6 Preview lists $1/1M input and $5/1M output tokens on the cheapest tracked provider. A 70/30 input-output blend puts Gemini Robotics-ER 1.6 Preview lower by about $8.80 per million blended tokens. Availability is 6 providers versus 1, so concentration risk also matters.
Choose Claude Opus 4.5 when coding workflow support, larger context windows, and broader provider choice are central to the workload. Choose Gemini Robotics-ER 1.6 Preview when vision-heavy evaluation and lower input-token cost are more important. For production, rerun your own prompts through the exact provider, region, and tool stack you plan to ship. This keeps the decision grounded in measurable tradeoffs instead of brand-level assumptions.
FAQ
Which has a larger context window, Claude Opus 4.5 or Gemini Robotics-ER 1.6 Preview?
Claude Opus 4.5 supports 200k tokens, while Gemini Robotics-ER 1.6 Preview supports 128k tokens. That gap matters most for long documents, large codebases, retrieval-heavy agents, and conversations where earlier context must remain visible.
Which is cheaper, Claude Opus 4.5 or Gemini Robotics-ER 1.6 Preview?
Gemini Robotics-ER 1.6 Preview is cheaper on tracked token pricing. Claude Opus 4.5 costs $5/1M input and $25/1M output tokens. Gemini Robotics-ER 1.6 Preview costs $1/1M input and $5/1M output tokens. Provider discounts or batch pricing can still change the final bill.
Is Claude Opus 4.5 or Gemini Robotics-ER 1.6 Preview open source?
Claude Opus 4.5 is listed under Proprietary. Gemini Robotics-ER 1.6 Preview is listed under Proprietary. License labels affect whether you can self-host, redistribute weights, or rely only on hosted APIs, so confirm the upstream license before deployment.
Which is better for vision, Claude Opus 4.5 or Gemini Robotics-ER 1.6 Preview?
Both Claude Opus 4.5 and Gemini Robotics-ER 1.6 Preview expose vision. The better choice depends on benchmark fit, context budget, pricing, and whether your provider route exposes the same capability surface.
Which is better for multimodal input, Claude Opus 4.5 or Gemini Robotics-ER 1.6 Preview?
Both Claude Opus 4.5 and Gemini Robotics-ER 1.6 Preview expose multimodal input. The better choice depends on benchmark fit, context budget, pricing, and whether your provider route exposes the same capability surface.
Where can I run Claude Opus 4.5 and Gemini Robotics-ER 1.6 Preview?
Claude Opus 4.5 is available on Microsoft Foundry, Anthropic, GCP Vertex AI, AWS Bedrock, and OpenRouter. Gemini Robotics-ER 1.6 Preview is available on Google AI Studio. Provider coverage can affect latency, region availability, compliance posture, and fallback options.
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Last reviewed: 2026-06-15. Data sourced from public model cards and provider documentation.