Every Claude Model: Complete Guide from Claude 3 to Opus 4.6
Compare every Claude model Anthropic has released. Specs, pricing, benchmarks, and practical guidance from Claude 3 through Opus 4.6.
Anthropic has released over a dozen Claude models since March 2024. Each generation brought meaningful capability jumps, pricing shifts, or entirely new features. This page tracks every model in one place so you can compare specs, understand the evolution, and pick the right model for your work.
Complete Model Timeline
| Date | Model | Key Innovation | Pricing (Input/Output per 1M) | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 2026 | Opus 4.6 | 1M context, Agent Teams, PowerPoint | $5/$25 | Active |
| Nov 2025 | Opus 4.5 | 67% cheaper, 76% fewer tokens | $5/$25 | Active |
| Oct 2025 | Haiku 4.5 | Smart model switching, budget tier | Budget | Active |
| Sep 2025 | Sonnet 4.5 | Best coding model, 1M beta context | $3/$15 | Active |
| Aug 2025 | Opus 4.1 | Production reliability improvements | $15/$75 | Superseded |
| May 2025 | Claude 4 | Sonnet 4 + Opus 4, Claude Code mainstream | Varies | Active |
| Feb 2025 | Claude 3.7 Sonnet | Hybrid reasoning, extended thinking | $3/$15 | Superseded |
| Oct 2024 | Claude 3.5 Sonnet v2 | Computer Use, upgraded Sonnet + Haiku | $3/$15 | Superseded |
| Jun 2024 | Claude 3.5 Sonnet | Mid-tier beats flagship | $3/$15 | Superseded |
| Mar 2024 | Claude 3 | Three-tier family, vision, 200K context | $0.25-$15 | Retired |
Which Model Should You Use Today?
For most developers using Claude Code, the choice comes down to three active models:
Daily driver: Sonnet 4.5. Best balance of speed, intelligence, and cost. Handles 90% of coding tasks without breaking a sweat. At $3/$15 per million tokens, it's the sweet spot for iterative development.
Heavy lifting: Opus 4.6. When you need deep reasoning, massive context (up to 1M tokens), or multi-agent coordination. Same price as Opus 4.5 ($5/$25) with a significant capability jump. Use for complex architecture decisions, large codebase analysis, and agent teams.
Budget tasks: Haiku 4.5. Smart model switching routes simple tasks here automatically. Good for file reads, quick edits, and routine questions. The cheapest option that still delivers quality output.
For a deeper dive into tactical model switching during development sessions, see the model selection guide. For managing costs across your team, check the usage optimization guide.
How Pricing Evolved
One of the most important trends across Claude generations is falling costs. The original Claude 3 Opus cost $15/$75 per million tokens. Today's Opus 4.6 costs $5/$25 for the same tier, a 67% reduction. Meanwhile, capabilities have increased dramatically.
| Model | Input (per 1M) | Output (per 1M) | Context Window |
|---|---|---|---|
| Claude 3 Opus | $15 | $75 | 200K |
| Claude 3.5 Sonnet | $3 | $15 | 200K |
| Opus 4.5 | $5 | $25 | 200K (1M beta) |
| Opus 4.6 | $5 | $25 | 200K (1M beta) |
| Sonnet 4.5 | $3 | $15 | 200K (1M beta) |
The trend is clear: each generation delivers more capability per dollar spent.
Key Milestones
March 2024: The three-tier model with Claude 3. Anthropic established the Opus/Sonnet/Haiku naming convention and introduced vision capabilities. This was the foundation everything else built on.
June 2024: Mid-tier disruption with Claude 3.5 Sonnet. A cheaper model outperforming the flagship changed how developers thought about model selection. Bigger stopped meaning better.
October 2024: Computer Use with Claude 3.5 Sonnet v2. The first major AI model to directly control a computer interface. Cursor movement, clicking, typing. A new category of agentic capability.
February 2025: Extended thinking with Claude 3.7 Sonnet. Hybrid reasoning let Claude pause and think step-by-step before responding. Quality jumped on complex math, science, and multi-step code problems.
May 2025: Claude 4 generation with Claude 4. Professional-grade coding capabilities made Claude Code a daily driver for serious development work.
November 2025: The efficiency revolution with Opus 4.5. 67% price cut and 76% fewer output tokens made premium intelligence affordable for everyday use.
February 2026: 1M context and Agent Teams with Opus 4.6. The largest context window and native multi-agent collaboration open new categories of work that weren't possible before.
Each model page in this section covers the full specs, benchmarks, pricing, and practical guidance for that specific release. Click any model in the timeline above to get the details.
Last updated on