Claude Opus 4.8 vs LongCat-2.5
Claude Opus 4.8 and LongCat-2.5 are closely matched at 49.6 and 50.0 on the LLM Stats Score. LongCat-2.5 is 19.0x cheaper per token.
Anthropic · Meituan · Updated for 2026
Which is better?
Claude Opus 4.8 and LongCat-2.5 are closely matched on the overall LLM Stats Score at 49.6 and 50.0.
In the 5 individual benchmarks reported for both models, LongCat-2.5 wins 5; this is a narrower head-to-head signal than the composite indexes.
On price, LongCat-2.5 is roughly 19.0x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.
LongCat-2.5 also accepts a larger context window (1,048,576 input tokens), making it the stronger choice for long documents and large codebases.
Based on current LLM Stats indexes, shared benchmarks, pricing, and model metadata for 2026.
Choose Claude Opus 4.8
- you want predictable pricing at $5.00/M input and $25.00/M output
Choose LongCat-2.5
- you value its reported benchmark strengths — it wins 5 of 5 exact shared results
- cost matters — it's about 19.0x cheaper per token
- you process long inputs — it offers a 1,048,576 token context window
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Nov 2026
At a glance
The differences that matter most.
Capability indexes
Additional strengths measured across groups of related public benchmarks
Individual benchmarks
27 reported for Claude Opus 4.8 · 23 for LongCat-2.5
Claude Opus 4.8 outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while LongCat-2.5 is better at 5 benchmarks (BrowseComp, CharXiv-R, DeepSWE 1.1, MCP Atlas, Terminal-Bench 4.0).
LongCat-2.5 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
Human preference
Blind head-to-head votes and playground preference scores
Pricing Analysis
Price comparison per million tokens
For input processing, Claude Opus 4.8 ($5.00/1M tokens) is 16.7x more expensive than LongCat-2.5 ($0.30/1M tokens).
For output processing, Claude Opus 4.8 ($25.00/1M tokens) is 20.8x more expensive than LongCat-2.5 ($1.20/1M tokens).
In conclusion, Claude Opus 4.8 is more expensive than LongCat-2.5.*
* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
LongCat-2.5 accepts 1,048,576 input tokens compared to Claude Opus 4.8's 1,000,000 tokens. LongCat-2.5 can generate longer responses up to 131,072 tokens, while Claude Opus 4.8 is limited to 128,000 tokens.
Input capabilities
Documented input modalities across available providers
Both Claude Opus 4.8 and LongCat-2.5 support multimodal inputs.
They are both capable of processing various types of data, offering versatility in application.
Claude Opus 4.8
LongCat-2.5
Release Timeline
When each model was launched
Claude Opus 4.8 was released on 2026-05-28, while LongCat-2.5 was released on 2026-11-01.
LongCat-2.5 is 5 months newer than Claude Opus 4.8.
May 28, 2026
5 months ago
Nov 1, 2026
0 days ago
5mo 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 Opus 4.8 is available from Anthropic, DeepInfra, Vertex AI. LongCat-2.5 is available from Meituan.
Claude Opus 4.8
LongCat-2.5
Outputs Comparison
Judge for yourself.
Run your own prompts against Claude Opus 4.8 and LongCat-2.5 side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.
FAQ
Common questions about Claude Opus 4.8 vs LongCat-2.5.