Opus, Sonnet, Haiku: which Claude model should you choose?

Claude Opus — the most capable

Opus is the top tier: complex reasoning, deep analysis, hard coding, high-stakes tasks. It is slower and more expensive — reserve it for problems that truly warrant it.

Claude Sonnet — the balance

Sonnet is the workhorse: the best balance of performance, speed and cost. For the vast majority of everyday uses — writing, summarizing, routine code — it's the recommended default.

Claude Haiku — the fastest

Haiku is the fastest and most affordable: ideal for volume, real-time, classification and simple tasks at scale, where latency and cost come first.

How to choose in practice

Simple rule: start with Sonnet. If the task struggles (reasoning, hard code), move up to Opus. If you process large volumes or need minimal latency, drop to Haiku. Version numbers change each generation — follow the Models category of our feed.

Which Claude model is the most powerful?

Opus, built for complex reasoning, deep analysis and hard coding.

Which Claude model should I choose by default?

Sonnet: the best balance of performance, speed and cost for most uses.

Which Claude model is the cheapest?

Haiku, the fastest and most affordable, built for volume and real-time.

Difference between Opus and Sonnet?

Opus is more capable (but slower/pricier) for hard tasks; Sonnet is the everyday balance.