Anthropic has introduced Claude Opus 5.5, the first model in its new Claude 5.5 family, which delivers performance comparable to Claude Fable 5.1 on most tasks while costing 40% less to run than Opus 5.
- Priced at $4/$20 per million tokens (input/output), representing a 20% price reduction from Opus 5, with cache costs at $0.20, which is 60% lower.
- Offers up to 30% faster speed and includes a fast mode option priced at $8/$40 that provides up to 2.5x the speed.
- Highlights improvements in agentic coding, security capabilities, and more natural communication styles that address previous feedback on writing clarity.
- Available with zero data retention (ZDR) options, though the article notes controversy regarding this feature given its high capability level.
The release aims to provide a cost-effective alternative for users requiring high-end performance, positioning Opus 5.5 as a versatile model for most tasks rather than encouraging a mix of specialized models.