Claude Opus 5 is the stronger model for agentic coding and computer use. GPT 5.6 Sol is the faster option, with an edge on hard math and a lower price per token while its promotion lasts. Neither wins every test, and the overall gap between them is small.
This guide covers Claude Opus 5 vs GPT 5.6 Sol across Opus 5 features, GPT 5.6 Sol features, benchmarks, pricing, and weak spots. It ends with a clear pick for each type of work. Every score and price is attributed to its source.
Opus 5 and GPT 5.6 Sol at a Glance
Opus 5 and Sol are both flagship models built for coding, reasoning, and agents. Anthropic released Claude Opus 5 on July 24, 2026. OpenAI released GPT 5.6 Sol on July 9, 2026, after a preview with select partners.
Specs come from Anthropic's release notes and OpenAI's model page.
Both Models Have Newer Successors
Anthropic's release notes list Claude Opus 5.5, launched September 22, 2026, at $4 input and $20 output. It keeps the 1M context window and 128k output limit.
OpenAI’s developer docs now list a GPT-6 family, and ChatGPT’s pricing page lists GPT-6.1 Sol, GPT-6 Astra, and GPT-6 Sol above the GPT-5.6 models. Artificial Analysis marks both Opus 5 and Sol as deprecated on its model pages. Treat this comparison as a guide to the previous generation. It remains useful if you already run one of these models or a cloud provider only offers them.
What Each Model Is Built For
Opus 5 is built for long, tool-heavy work where the model must plan, act, and recover from errors. Sol is built for frontier reasoning and coding at a lower per-token price.
Claude Opus 5
Anthropic positions Opus 5 as its flagship for agentic coding, computer use, and knowledge work. Thinking is on by default. Effort is the main control, with levels from low to max.
The release notes show where Anthropic has invested since launch. It added computer and browser toolsets in August. It added per-message effort changes in September. It also added mid-conversation tool changes in beta, which let developers swap tools without breaking the prompt cache.
GPT 5.6 Sol
Sol is the top tier of the GPT-5.6 series, which also includes Terra and Luna. OpenAI's launch announcement describes a max reasoning effort for hard tasks. It also describes an ultra mode that uses subagents to split work.
The model page lists a broad set of built-in tools, covered in the next section. OpenAI’s launch post reports that Sol scored 88.8% on Terminal-Bench 2.1 with standard reasoning settings and 91.9% in ultra mode, a new state of the art at launch.
Feature-by-Feature Comparison
The Opus 5 features and GPT 5.6 Sol features overlap on context size and effort controls. They differ in the tools each vendor documents.
Effort Controls
Both models trade tokens for quality through effort settings. Opus 5 returns an error if you disable thinking at xhigh or max effort. That is a breaking change from Opus 4.8, so test existing calls before you migrate.
Sol offers one more step at the low end, with a none setting for fast, simple calls. Artificial Analysis finds that Opus 5's output token use varies about eightfold between low and max effort, and says Sol behaves similarly. Cost depends on the setting as much as the rate card.
Tools and Agents
Sol documents the longer list of built-in tools, including web search, file search, code interpreter, a hosted shell, and an apply patch tool. Opus 5 documents deeper agent plumbing, such as per-message effort and mid-conversation tool changes.
For a working view of how agents combine planning, tools, and memory, read our guide to the principles of building AI agents. If you want to build one yourself, see how to build AI agents from scratch.
To skip the setup, an AI agent builder lets you describe the agent in plain language and choose which model and tools it uses.
Modalities
Both models accept text and images and return text. OpenAI lists Sol as text and image input with text output, and Opus 5 has the same input and output types.
Benchmarks and Real-World Performance
On Opus 5 vs GPT 5.6 Sol benchmarks, Opus 5 leads on agentic and coding tests, and Sol leads on the hardest math and some science tests. Two sources give the clearest picture: BenchLM for shared benchmark scores, and Artificial Analysis for independent indexes.
Shared Benchmark Scores
These scores come from BenchLM's comparison page, with data as of October 29, 2026.
Opus 5 leads by 14.6 points on SWE-bench Pro and 8 points on OSWorld 2.0. Those are the largest practical gaps. Sol's leads on ARC-AGI-2, BrowseComp, and GPQA Diamond are small, within about two points.
BenchLM scores Opus 5 at 79.68 overall and Sol at 74.83. It notes that the intervals overlap, so it does not declare a winner.
Independent Index Results
Artificial Analysis runs its own evaluations. At max effort, Opus 5 scores 61 on its Intelligence Index and Sol scores 59. The site calls Opus 5 "narrowly the most intelligent model" on the index.
Speed also differs. Artificial Analysis lists Sol at 82.1 output tokens per second and Opus 5 at 52.9. For interactive tools, that gap is noticeable.
What the Results Mean
Agentic work favors Opus 5. It leads on software engineering, computer use, and the GDPval-AA knowledge-work test. Sol holds the edge on hard math and scientific reasoning, and it responds faster.
On Terminal-Bench 2.1, OpenAI reports 88.8% for Sol with standard settings and 91.9% in ultra mode. Artificial Analysis puts Opus 5 at 89% at max effort. The runs use different setups, so read the two as roughly level.
Real-World Performance
Benchmarks approximate your workload but do not replace testing. A strong approach is to run 20 to 30 of your own tasks on both models. Score accuracy, tool errors, and cost per finished task, not token price alone.
Pricing and Access Compared
Opus 5 vs GPT 5.6 Sol pricing looks close on the rate card. Opus 5 charges $5 input and $25 output per million tokens. Sol charges $4 and $20 during a promotion.
Opus 5 figures come from Anthropic's pricing page. Sol cache writes cost 1.25x the uncached input rate. Sol figures come from OpenAI's model page and OpenAI's price-reduction announcement.
The Sol Promotion
OpenAI cut Sol prices by about 20% on input and 33% on output on August 21, 2026. The announcement says the promotion runs for three months, and a reply says it is available at least through November 21, 2026. The post does not say what happens afterward.
That matters for budgeting. If the earlier rate returns, Sol's output cost rises from $20 to $30, which is higher than Opus 5's $25.
A Worked Example
Take a job with 10 million input tokens and 2 million output tokens. At promotional rates, Sol costs $40 plus $40, which is $80. Opus 5 costs $50 plus $50, which is $100. At Sol's earlier rate, the job costs $50 plus $60, which is $110.
Long prompts change the math. Opus 5 bills the full 1M window at one rate. Sol bills the whole request at 2x input and 1.5x output when the prompt passes 272K tokens.
Cost per Finished Task
Token price is only half the picture. A model that finishes in fewer attempts can cost less overall. Artificial Analysis reports Opus 5 at an average of $2.03 per Intelligence Index task at max effort. For the other cost drivers, see our breakdown of AI agent cost.
Access
Anthropic lists Opus 5 on the Claude API, Amazon Bedrock, Google Cloud, and Microsoft Foundry. Sol is available through the OpenAI API and Codex, and OpenAI’s price announcement says the cut also applies to Codex credits and ChatGPT Work. In ChatGPT, OpenAI’s pricing page lists GPT 5.6 Sol on the Plus and Pro plans, and Sol Pro on Pro only. Free and Go plans do not include it.
Where Each Model Falls Short
Each model has documented gaps.
Claude Opus 5
- Opus 5 is slower, at 52.9 output tokens per second against 82.1 for Sol.
- Thinking cannot be disabled at xhigh or max effort, which breaks older calls.
- Fast mode for Opus 5 is still a research preview.
- Anthropic says Opus 5 trails its Mythos 5 model in cybersecurity and biology.
- Opus 5.5 is newer, and Artificial Analysis marks Opus 5 as deprecated.
GPT 5.6 Sol
- Sol trails Opus 5 on SWE-bench Pro, OSWorld 2.0, and ARC-AGI-3 in BenchLM's comparison.
- It trails Opus 5 by more than 100 Elo on GDPval-AA v2.
- Prompts above 272K tokens cost 2x input and 1.5x output.
- The lower price is a promotion with a stated end window.
- The GPT-6 family now sits above it, and Artificial Analysis marks it as deprecated.
What Neither Solves
Both models can produce confident errors. Both need tests, guardrails, and human review when the output affects customers or money. A stronger model reduces mistakes but does not remove the need to verify.
Which One Should You Choose?
For the question which is better Opus 5 or GPT 5.6 Sol, the answer depends on the work. Opus 5 is the better pick for agentic coding, computer use, and long multi-step tasks. Sol is the better pick for hard math, scientific reasoning, and low-latency use.
A Simple Decision Path
- Start with the task. Is it agentic and tool-heavy, or reasoning-heavy?
- Estimate monthly tokens at each rate, including the end of Sol's promotion.
- Run the same 20 to 30 tasks on both models.
- Compare against Opus 5.5 and the GPT-6 models before you lock in.
Smaller models also cover many jobs well. Our explainers on what is Claude Sonnet 5.5 and what is Claude Haiku 5.5 show where a cheaper model is enough.
Conclusion
On Opus 5 vs. GPT 5.6 Sol, Claude Opus 5 leads on agentic work, computer use, and most coding benchmarks. Sol is faster, ahead on some of the hardest math and science tests, and cheaper while its promotion lasts. Both have newer successors, so treat this as a snapshot and test on your own tasks.
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