Claude 3 Opus vs Claude Opus 4.1
Claude Opus 4.1 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Claude 3 Opus and Claude Opus 4.1 cost the same.
Anthropic · Anthropic · Updated for 2026
Which is better?
Claude 3 Opus outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while Claude Opus 4.1 is better at 1 benchmark (GPQA). Claude Opus 4.1 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
Based on current benchmark, pricing, and model metadata for 2026.
Choose Claude 3 Opus
- you want predictable pricing at $15.00/M input and $75.00/M output
Choose Claude Opus 4.1
- you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 1 of 1 shared benchmarks
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Aug 2025
At a glance
The differences that matter most.
Performance Benchmarks
Comparative analysis across standard metrics
Claude 3 Opus outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while Claude Opus 4.1 is better at 1 benchmark (GPQA).
Claude Opus 4.1 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
Arena Performance
Playground indexes and blind preference scores
Pricing Analysis
Price comparison per million tokens
For input processing, Claude 3 Opus ($15.00/1M tokens) costs the same as Claude Opus 4.1 ($15.00/1M tokens).
For output processing, Claude 3 Opus ($75.00/1M tokens) costs the same as Claude Opus 4.1 ($75.00/1M tokens).
In conclusion, Claude 3 Opus and Claude Opus 4.1 cost the same.*
* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
Both models have the same input context window of 200,000 tokens. Claude 3 Opus can generate longer responses up to 200,000 tokens, while Claude Opus 4.1 is limited to 32,000 tokens.
Input Capabilities
Supported data types and modalities
Both Claude 3 Opus and Claude Opus 4.1 support multimodal inputs.
They are both capable of processing various types of data, offering versatility in application.
Claude 3 Opus
Claude Opus 4.1
License
Usage and distribution terms
Both models are licensed under proprietary licenses.
Both models have usage restrictions defined by their respective organizations.
Proprietary
Closed source
Proprietary
Closed source
Release Timeline
When each model was launched
Claude 3 Opus was released on 2024-02-29, while Claude Opus 4.1 was released on 2025-08-05.
Claude Opus 4.1 is 17 months newer than Claude 3 Opus.
Feb 29, 2024
2.5 years ago
Aug 5, 2025
1.1 years ago
1.4yr newerKnowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
Neither model specifies a knowledge cutoff date.
Unable to compare the recency of their training data.
Provider Availability
Claude 3 Opus is available from Anthropic, Bedrock, Google. Claude Opus 4.1 is available from Anthropic, Bedrock, Google.
Claude 3 Opus
Claude Opus 4.1
Outputs Comparison
Judge for yourself.
Run your own prompts against Claude 3 Opus and Claude Opus 4.1 side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.
FAQ
Common questions about Claude 3 Opus vs Claude Opus 4.1.