Opus follows instructions better than sonnet for big tasks, but it can sometimes overthink or overengineer something. Sonnet tends to be more direct but can sometimes not follow instructions as good as opus. I'd say opus is great at planning and executing big tasks, while sonnet is best for simpler tasks that dont need the intelligence of opus.or at least plan with opus, code with sonnet, is another way. Answer from Hauven on reddit.com
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Skywork
skywork.ai › home › claude sonnet 4.5 vs claude opus: which one should you choose?
Claude Sonnet 4.5 vs Claude Opus: which one should you choose? - Skywork ai
October 3, 2025 - A: Yes, the data shows clear gains on software-focused evaluations for Claude Sonnet 4.5. It retains context for much longer, which is critical for complex debugging and large code refactoring projects. Q2: How much more expensive is Claude Opus compared to Sonnet?
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Anthropic
anthropic.com › news › claude-opus-4-5
Introducing Claude Opus 4.5
November 24, 2025 - Claude Opus 4.5 excels at long-horizon, autonomous tasks, especially those that require sustained reasoning and multi-step execution. In our evaluations it handled complex workflows with fewer dead-ends. On Terminal Bench it delivered a 15% improvement over Sonnet 4.5, a meaningful gain that ...
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Lisa Peyton
lisapeyton.com › home › claude 4.1 opus vs. claude 4.5 sonnet: a real-world showdown for content marketers
Claude 4.1 Opus vs. Claude 4.5 Sonnet: A Real-World Showdown for Content Marketers | Lisa Peyton
October 2, 2025 - Claude 4.1 Opus came out swinging with energy. The opening line—”Let’s talk real talk: You’re not getting replaced by AI”—hits hard and immediately establishes a conversational vibe. It leaned heavily into metaphors (the orchestra conductor theme) and maintained a consistently upbeat, almost motivational speaker energy throughout. Claude 4.5 Sonnet opened with: “Here’s the truth nobody’s saying out loud: Your job isn’t one thing—it’s fifty things wrapped in a fancy title.” Different approach, but equally engaging.
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Eden AI
edenai.co › post › claude-sonnet-4-vs-claude-opus-4
Claude Sonnet 4 vs Claude Opus 4
Claude Opus 4 and Claude Sonnet 4 are both strong performers, but with distinct strengths. Claude Opus 4 outperforms Sonnet 4 in several key areas: it achieves higher accuracy in terminal coding (50.0% vs. 41.3%), high school math competition ...
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Writingmate
writingmate.ai › blog › claude-sonnet-vs-opus
Claude 3.5 Sonnet vs Claude 3 Opus: A Comprehensive Comparison | Writingmate Blog
January 31, 2025 - Claude 3 Opus, on the other hand, focuses on delivering deep analytical capabilities, making it ideal for more intensive tasks like research, strategy, and high-level content creation. Many think that there is Claude 3.5 Opus, but… not yet. So we will compare models that actually exist, Claude3opus and Claude 3.5 sonnet, giving features comparison table with competitors.
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Anthropic
anthropic.com › news › claude-4
Introducing Claude 4
Claude Opus 4 and Sonnet 4 are hybrid models offering two modes: near-instant responses and extended thinking for deeper reasoning. The Pro, Max, Team, and Enterprise Claude plans include both models and extended thinking, with Sonnet 4 also available to free users.
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Hacker News
news.ycombinator.com › item
I still feel like the difference between Sonnet and Opus is a bit unclear. Somew... | Hacker News
October 25, 2024 - And finally, in the table in the blogpost, Opus isn't even included? It seems to me like Opus is the best model they have, but they don't want people to default using it, maybe the ROI is lower on Opus or something · When I manually tested it, I feel like Opus gives slightly better replies ...
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Claude Docs
platform.claude.com › docs › en › about-claude › models › overview
Models overview - Claude Docs
If you're unsure which model to use, we recommend starting with Claude Sonnet 4.5.
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Data Studios
datastudios.org › post › claude-opus-4-5-vs-claude-sonnet-4-5-model-differences-pricing-structure-context-windows-and-mor
Claude Opus 4.5 vs Claude Sonnet 4.5: Model Differences, Pricing Structure, Context Windows, and more
1 month ago - Opus, while included, uses the subscription allowance more quickly due to longer responses and increased token density, making it best suited for fewer but more critical tasks under subscription tiers.
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Medium
medium.com › @leucopsis › claude-sonnet-4-and-opus-4-a-review-db68b004db90
Claude Sonnet 4 and Opus 4, a Review | by Barnacle Goose | Medium
May 29, 2025 - In Anthropic’s nomenclature, Opus denotes the top-tier, most capable model, while Sonnet models aim to balance high intelligence with efficiency. Claude Opus 4 is described as “our most intelligent model to date, pushing the frontier in ...
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Overchat
overchat.ai › home › blog › chatgpt killer? i reviewed claude sonnet 4 & opus 4 ai models
ChatGPT Killer? I reviewed Claude Sonnet 4 & Opus 4 AI Models | AI Hub
September 10, 2025 - I was eager to test these models' ... the TL;DR? Sonnet 4 is a workhorse upgrade that costs the same as before, while Opus 4 is their bet on "what if we made an AI that could finish an entire project."...
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Creole Studios
creolestudios.com › home › claude opus 4 or sonnet 4? how to choose the right ai for your workflow
Claude Opus 4 vs Sonnet 4: Pick the Right AI Model
September 23, 2025 - Claude Opus 4 is Anthropic’s flagship model—best for deep reasoning, advanced coding, and long-context tasks. Claude Sonnet 4 is a balanced model—ideal for content generation, support bots, and cost-effective AI use.
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Medium
medium.com › @ayaanhaider.dev › sonnet-4-5-vs-haiku-4-5-vs-opus-4-1-which-claude-model-actually-works-best-in-real-projects-7183c0dc2249
Sonnet 4.5 vs Haiku 4.5 vs Opus 4.1 — Which Claude Model Actually Works Best in Real Projects | by Ayaan haider | Medium
October 18, 2025 - Sonnet 4.5 Sonnet is the all-rounder. It’s the model I trust for daily work — writing logic, managing state, connecting APIs, and handling multiple files. It’s reliable, consistent, and doesn’t freeze easily.
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Anthropic
anthropic.com › news › claude-sonnet-4-5
Introducing Claude Sonnet 4.5
September 29, 2025 - Claude Sonnet 4.5 is our most powerful model to date. See footnotes for methodology. Experts in finance, law, medicine, and STEM found Sonnet 4.5 shows dramatically better domain-specific knowledge and reasoning compared to older models, including Opus 4.1.
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DataCamp
datacamp.com › blog › claude-4
Claude 4: Tests, Features, Access, Benchmarks & More | DataCamp
May 23, 2025 - Compared to Claude Sonnet 3.7, this version is faster, better at following instructions, and more reliable in code-heavy workflows. It supports up to 64K output tokens, which helps with slightly longer outputs like structured plans, multi-part ...
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Bind AI IDE
blog.getbind.co › 2025 › 09 › 30 › claude-sonnet-4-5-vs-gpt-5-vs-claude-opus-4-1-ultimate-coding-comparison
Claude Sonnet 4.5 vs GPT-5 vs Claude Opus 4.1 – Ultimate Coding Comparison
September 30, 2025 - Sonnet is more specialized toward endurance, safety, and long workflows. Opus remains a reliable all-rounder in the Claude family with strong coding/logic capabilities.
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Spartner
spartner.software › blog › claude-sonnet-vs-opus-which-one-do-you-choose
Claude 3.5 Sonnet vs. Opus: the fastest sprinter or the deepest thinker? | Spartner
June 27, 2024 - The latest Claude 3.5 Sonnet is a game changer. It operates up to twice as fast as Opus, making it significantly more cost-effective for daily tasks, rapid iterations, and customer-facing applications where response time is crucial.