Claude Opus 5.5 (Xhigh, Default Fallback) vs GPT-6 Astra (Xhigh)Benchmark Comparison 2026

Objective comparison based on public benchmarks updated weekly: Intelligence Index, Chatbot Arena ELO, pricing and speed.

Overall winner (2026)

Claude Opus 5.5 (Xhigh, Default Fallback)

4 of 5 criteria won

Anthropic

Claude Opus 5.5 (Xhigh, Default Fallback)

Winner

Intelligence Index

57.0

4 criteria won

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OpenAI

GPT-6 Astra (Xhigh)

Intelligence Index

55.3

Coding Index

75.9

1 criterion won

View full profile →

Detailed Comparison

CritérioClaude Opus 5.5 (Xhigh, Default Fallback)GPT-6 Astra (Xhigh)
Chatbot Arena ELO——
Intelligence Index (AA)57.0 ✓55.3
Coding Index (AA)—75.9 ✓
Input price ($/1M tok)$4.00 ✓$10.00
Output price ($/1M tok)$20.00 ✓$50.00
Context window——
Speed (tokens/s)85 tok/s ✓66 tok/s

✓ = winner in this criterion • Source: Artificial Analysis, LMArena, official APIs • Updated weekly

Technical Specifications

Claude Opus 5.5 (Xhigh, Default Fallback)

Company
Anthropic
Input ($/1M tok)
$4.00
Output ($/1M tok)
$20.00
Speed
85 tok/s
Release
Sep 2026
Multimodal
No
Open Source
No

GPT-6 Astra (Xhigh)

Company
OpenAI
Input ($/1M tok)
$10.00
Output ($/1M tok)
$50.00
Speed
66 tok/s
Release
Sep 2026
Multimodal
No
Open Source
No

When to use Claude Opus 5.5 (Xhigh, Default Fallback) vs GPT-6 Astra (Xhigh)?

Choosing between Claude Opus 5.5 (Xhigh, Default Fallback) and GPT-6 Astra (Xhigh) depends on your use case, budget and technical requirements. Below, a practical guide based on benchmark data and each model's specifications.

Use Claude Opus 5.5 (Xhigh, Default Fallback) when:

Anthropic · Text

  • →API integration in SaaS applications — direct API access with documented SLA
View full Claude Opus 5.5 (Xhigh, Default Fallback) profile →

Use GPT-6 Astra (Xhigh) when:

OpenAI · Text

  • →Critical tasks where maximum quality justifies premium cost — ideal for one-off high-value decisions
  • →API integration in SaaS applications — direct API access with documented SLA
View full GPT-6 Astra (Xhigh) profile →
SWEN Verdict: Claude Opus 5.5 (Xhigh, Default Fallback) wins in more objective criteria in this comparison (4 vs 1). For most use cases, Claude Opus 5.5 (Xhigh, Default Fallback) offers better aggregate performance — but GPT-6 Astra (Xhigh) may be preferable if your project prioritizes critical tasks where maximum quality justifies premium cost.

Frequently Asked Questions

Claude Opus 5.5 (Xhigh, Default Fallback) or GPT-6 Astra (Xhigh): which is better?

Claude Opus 5.5 (Xhigh, Default Fallback) wins in 4 of 5 criteria analyzed. Check the full table to choose based on your use case.

Where does this benchmark data come from?

Data is aggregated from Artificial Analysis (Intelligence Index, Coding Index) and Chatbot Arena/LMArena (ELO). Pricing and specs come from official APIs. Updated weekly.

What is the Intelligence Index?

The Intelligence Index is an aggregate score from Artificial Analysis that combines multiple academic benchmarks (MMLU, GPQA, LiveBench, etc.) into a single rating. The higher the score, the more capable the model is at reasoning tasks.

Is Claude Opus 5.5 (Xhigh, Default Fallback) cheaper than GPT-6 Astra (Xhigh)?

Yes. Claude Opus 5.5 (Xhigh, Default Fallback) costs $4/1M input tokens, while GPT-6 Astra (Xhigh) costs $10/1M tokens — 150% more expensive. For high-volume projects, Claude Opus 5.5 (Xhigh, Default Fallback) represents significant savings. Total cost also depends on output pricing and your application's usage pattern.

Claude Opus 5.5 (Xhigh, Default Fallback) or GPT-6 Astra (Xhigh): which has a larger context window?

Context window data is not available for either model at this time.

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