Claude Opus 4.5 vs Gemma 4 31B IT
Claude Opus 4.5 (2025) and Gemma 4 31B IT (2026) are frontier reasoning models from Anthropic and Google DeepMind. Claude Opus 4.5 ships a 200k-token context window, while Gemma 4 31B IT ships a 256k-token context window. On MMLU PRO, Claude Opus 4.5 leads by 3.7 pts. This comparison covers specs, pricing, API access, capabilities, benchmarks, input and output token costs, and production fit for coding and agent workloads.
Gemma 4 31B IT is ~3746% cheaper at $0.13/1M; pay for Claude Opus 4.5 only for coding workflow support.
Decision scorecard
Local evidence first| Signal | Claude Opus 4.5 | Gemma 4 31B IT |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | reasoning-heavy apps, multimodal apps, and tool-calling agents | multimodal apps, tool-calling agents, and provider-routed production |
| Decision fit | Coding, RAG, and Agents | Coding, RAG, and Agents |
| Context window | 200k | 256k |
| Cheapest output | $25/1M tokens | $0.38/1M tokens |
| Provider routes | 6 tracked | 5 tracked |
| Shared benchmarks | MMLU PRO leader | 2 shared |
Decision tradeoffs
- Claude Opus 4.5 holds a shared-benchmark lead on MMLU PRO, ahead by 3.7 points.
- Claude Opus 4.5 has broader tracked provider coverage for fallback and procurement flexibility.
- Claude Opus 4.5 uniquely exposes Reasoning, Tool use, and Code execution in local model data.
- Local decision data tags Claude Opus 4.5 for Coding, RAG, and Agents.
- Gemma 4 31B IT has the larger context window for long prompts, retrieval packs, or transcript analysis.
- Gemma 4 31B IT has the lower cheapest tracked output price at $0.38/1M tokens.
- Local decision data tags Gemma 4 31B IT for Coding, RAG, and Agents.
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
Gemma 4 31B IT
$199
Cheapest tracked route/tier: OpenRouter
Estimated monthly gap: $10,051. Batch, cache, alternate speed tiers, and negotiated pricing are excluded from this local estimate.
Switch friction
- Provider overlap exists on GCP Vertex AI and OpenRouter; start route-level A/B tests there.
- Gemma 4 31B IT is $24.62/1M tokens lower on cheapest tracked output pricing before cache, batch, or negotiated discounts.
- Check replacement coverage for Reasoning, Tool use, and Code execution before moving production traffic.
- Provider overlap exists on GCP Vertex AI and OpenRouter; start route-level A/B tests there.
- Claude Opus 4.5 is $24.62/1M tokens higher on cheapest tracked output pricing, so quality gains need to justify the spend.
- Claude Opus 4.5 adds Reasoning, Tool use, and Code execution in local capability data.
Specs
| Specification | ||
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2025-11-01 | 2026-03-31 |
| Context window | 200k | 256k |
| Parameters | — | 31B |
| Architecture | Decoder Only | - |
| License | Proprietary | Apache 2.0OSI-approved |
| Openness | Proprietary | Open source |
| Commercial use | Commercial use: conditional | Commercial use: permitted |
| Knowledge cutoff | 2025-12 | 2025-01 |
Pricing and availability
| Pricing attribute | Claude Opus 4.5 | Gemma 4 31B IT |
|---|---|---|
| Input price | $5/1M tokens | $0.13/1M tokens |
| Output price | $25/1M tokens | $0.38/1M tokens |
| Providers |
Capabilities
| Capability | Claude Opus 4.5 | Gemma 4 31B IT |
|---|---|---|
| Vision | Yes | Yes |
| Multimodal | Yes | Yes |
| Reasoning | Yes | No |
| Function calling | Yes | Yes |
| Tool use | Yes | No |
| Structured outputs | Yes | Yes |
| Code execution | Yes | No |
| IDE integration | No | No |
| Computer use | No | No |
| Parallel agents | No | No |
Benchmarks
| Benchmark | Claude Opus 4.5 | Gemma 4 31B IT |
|---|---|---|
| MMLU PRO | 88.9 | 85.2 |
| Google-Proof Q&A | 87.0 | 84.3 |
Deep dive
On shared benchmark coverage, MMLU PRO has Claude Opus 4.5 at 88.9 and Gemma 4 31B IT at 85.2, with Claude Opus 4.5 ahead by 3.7 points; Google-Proof Q&A has Claude Opus 4.5 at 87 and Gemma 4 31B IT at 84.3, with Claude Opus 4.5 ahead by 2.7 points. The largest visible gap is 3.7 points on MMLU PRO, which matters most when that benchmark mirrors your workload. Treat isolated benchmark wins as directional, because provider routing, prompt style, and tool access can move real application results.
The capability footprint differs most on reasoning mode: Claude Opus 4.5, tool use: Claude Opus 4.5, and code execution: Claude Opus 4.5. Both models share vision, multimodal input, function calling, and structured outputs, 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 Gemma 4 31B IT lists $0.13/1M input and $0.38/1M output tokens on the cheapest tracked provider. A 70/30 input-output blend puts Gemma 4 31B IT lower by about $10.79 per million blended tokens. Availability is 6 providers versus 5, so concentration risk also matters.
Choose Claude Opus 4.5 when coding workflow support and broader provider choice are central to the workload. Choose Gemma 4 31B IT when long-context analysis, larger context windows, 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.
FAQ
Which has a larger context window, Claude Opus 4.5 or Gemma 4 31B IT?
Gemma 4 31B IT supports 256k tokens, while Claude Opus 4.5 supports 200k 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 Gemma 4 31B IT?
Gemma 4 31B IT is cheaper on tracked token pricing. Claude Opus 4.5 costs $5/1M input and $25/1M output tokens. Gemma 4 31B IT costs $0.13/1M input and $0.38/1M output tokens. Provider discounts or batch pricing can still change the final bill.
Is Claude Opus 4.5 or Gemma 4 31B IT open source?
Claude Opus 4.5 is listed under Proprietary. Gemma 4 31B IT is listed under Apache 2.0. 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 Gemma 4 31B IT?
Both Claude Opus 4.5 and Gemma 4 31B IT 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 Gemma 4 31B IT?
Both Claude Opus 4.5 and Gemma 4 31B IT 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 Gemma 4 31B IT?
Claude Opus 4.5 is available on Microsoft Foundry, Anthropic, GCP Vertex AI, AWS Bedrock, and OpenRouter. Gemma 4 31B IT is available on Google AI Studio, GCP Vertex AI, OpenRouter, Together AI, and Novita AI. 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.