Claude Opus 4.6 vs GPT-4o Search Preview
Claude Opus 4.6 (2026) and GPT-4o Search Preview (2025) are frontier reasoning models from Anthropic and OpenAI. Claude Opus 4.6 ships a 1m-token context window, while GPT-4o Search Preview ships a 128k-token context window. On pricing, GPT-4o Search Preview costs $2.50/1M 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.
GPT-4o Search Preview is ~100% cheaper at $2.50/1M; pay for Claude Opus 4.6 only for coding workflow support.
Decision scorecard
Local evidence first| Signal | Claude Opus 4.6 | GPT-4o Search Preview |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | reasoning-heavy apps, multimodal apps, and tool-calling agents | general production evaluation |
| Decision fit | Coding, RAG, and Agents | RAG, Long context, and Classification |
| Context window | 1m | 128k |
| Cheapest output | $25/1M tokens | $10/1M tokens |
| Provider routes | 6 tracked | 1 tracked |
| Shared benchmarks | 0 rows | 0 rows |
Decision tradeoffs
- Claude Opus 4.6 has the larger context window for long prompts, retrieval packs, or transcript analysis.
- Claude Opus 4.6 has broader tracked provider coverage for fallback and procurement flexibility.
- Claude Opus 4.6 uniquely exposes Vision, Multimodal, and Reasoning in local model data.
- Local decision data tags Claude Opus 4.6 for Coding, RAG, and Agents.
- GPT-4o Search Preview has the lower cheapest tracked output price at $10/1M tokens.
- Local decision data tags GPT-4o Search Preview for RAG, Long context, and Classification.
Monthly cost at traffic
Estimate token spend from the cheapest tracked input and output route or tier on this page.
Claude Opus 4.6
$10,250
Cheapest tracked route/tier: Anthropic
GPT-4o Search Preview
$4,500
Cheapest tracked route/tier: OpenRouter
Estimated monthly gap: $5,750. Batch, cache, alternate speed tiers, and negotiated pricing are excluded from this local estimate.
Switch friction
- Provider overlap exists on OpenRouter; start route-level A/B tests there.
- GPT-4o Search Preview is $15/1M tokens lower on cheapest tracked output pricing before cache, batch, or negotiated discounts.
- Check replacement coverage for Vision, Multimodal, and Reasoning before moving production traffic.
- Provider overlap exists on OpenRouter; start route-level A/B tests there.
- Claude Opus 4.6 is $15/1M tokens higher on cheapest tracked output pricing, so quality gains need to justify the spend.
- Claude Opus 4.6 adds Vision, Multimodal, and Reasoning in local capability data.
Specs
| Specification | ||
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2026-02-05 | 2025-02-26 |
| Context window | 1m | 128k |
| Parameters | — | — |
| Architecture | decoder only | decoder only |
| License | Proprietary | Proprietary |
| Openness | Proprietary | Proprietary |
| Commercial use | Commercial use with conditions | Commercial use with conditions |
| Knowledge cutoff | 2025-12 | 2023-10 |
Pricing and availability
| Pricing attribute | Claude Opus 4.6 | GPT-4o Search Preview |
|---|---|---|
| Input price | $5/1M tokens | $2.50/1M tokens |
| Output price | $25/1M tokens | $10/1M tokens |
| Providers |
Capabilities
| Capability | Claude Opus 4.6 | GPT-4o Search Preview |
|---|---|---|
| Vision | Yes | No |
| Multimodal | Yes | No |
| Reasoning | Yes | No |
| Function calling | Yes | No |
| 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
No shared benchmark rows are currently sourced for this pair.
Deep dive
The capability footprint differs most on vision: Claude Opus 4.6, multimodal input: Claude Opus 4.6, reasoning mode: Claude Opus 4.6, function calling: Claude Opus 4.6, tool use: Claude Opus 4.6, and code execution: Claude Opus 4.6. Both models share 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 4.6 lists $5/1M input and $25/1M output tokens on the cheapest tracked provider, while GPT-4o Search Preview lists $2.50/1M input and $10/1M output tokens on the cheapest tracked provider. A 70/30 input-output blend puts GPT-4o Search Preview lower by about $6.25 per million blended tokens. Availability is 6 providers versus 1, so concentration risk also matters.
Choose Claude Opus 4.6 when coding workflow support, larger context windows, and broader provider choice are central to the workload. Choose GPT-4o Search Preview when provider fit 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 4.6 or GPT-4o Search Preview?
Claude Opus 4.6 supports 1m tokens, while GPT-4o Search 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 4.6 or GPT-4o Search Preview?
GPT-4o Search Preview is cheaper on tracked token pricing. Claude Opus 4.6 costs $5/1M input and $25/1M output tokens. GPT-4o Search Preview costs $2.50/1M input and $10/1M output tokens. Provider discounts or batch pricing can still change the final bill.
Is Claude Opus 4.6 or GPT-4o Search Preview open source?
Claude Opus 4.6 is listed under Proprietary. GPT-4o Search 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 4.6 or GPT-4o Search Preview?
Claude Opus 4.6 has the clearer documented vision signal in this comparison. If vision is mission-critical, validate it against the provider endpoint because model-level support and API-level exposure can differ.
Which is better for multimodal input, Claude Opus 4.6 or GPT-4o Search Preview?
Claude Opus 4.6 has the clearer documented multimodal input signal in this comparison. If multimodal input is mission-critical, validate it against the provider endpoint because model-level support and API-level exposure can differ.
Where can I run Claude Opus 4.6 and GPT-4o Search Preview?
Claude Opus 4.6 is available on Anthropic, AWS Bedrock, GCP Vertex AI, Microsoft Foundry, and OpenRouter. GPT-4o Search Preview is available on OpenRouter. Provider coverage can affect latency, region availability, compliance posture, and fallback options.
Continue comparing
Last reviewed: 2026-06-04. Data sourced from public model cards and provider documentation.