Anthropic is retiring Claude 4 Opus and Claude 4 Sonnet on June 15, 2026. If you're still using these models, you need to migrate — and the good news is that migration will likely save you significant money. Opus 4.8 is 67% cheaper than Claude 4 Opus, and Sonnet 4.6 delivers better performance at the same price.
This guide breaks down the exact cost differences at every usage level so you can calculate your savings and plan your migration with confidence.
Claude 4 vs. Newer Models: Price Comparison
Here's the head-to-head pricing breakdown. All prices are per 1M tokens.
| Model | Input | Output | Total | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Claude 4 Opus | $15.00 | $75.00 | $90.00 | Retiring Jun 15 |
| Opus 4.8 | $5.00 | $25.00 | $30.00 | Recommended |
| Claude 4 Sonnet | $3.00 | $15.00 | $18.00 | Retiring Jun 15 |
| Sonnet 4.6 | $3.00 | $15.00 | $18.00 | Recommended |
| Claude Haiku 4.5 | $1.00 | $5.00 | $6.00 | Budget Pick |
The numbers tell the story: Opus 4.8 costs $30/M total compared to Claude 4 Opus at $90/M total — that's 67% less for a model that's faster, smarter, and has a larger context window. Sonnet 4.6 matches Claude 4 Sonnet's $18/M total but with improved reasoning and fewer hallucinations.
Calculate Your Migration Savings
Use this table to estimate your monthly savings based on your current usage. Costs assume a 3:1 input-to-output ratio (common for most applications).
| Monthly Tokens | Claude 4 Opus Cost | Opus 4.8 Cost | Monthly Savings | Annual Savings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1M tokens | $90 | $30 | $60 | $720 |
| 10M tokens | $900 | $300 | $600 | $7,200 |
| 50M tokens | $4,500 | $1,500 | $3,000 | $36,000 |
| 100M tokens | $9,000 | $3,000 | $6,000 | $72,000 |
| 500M tokens | $45,000 | $15,000 | $30,000 | $360,000 |
At 10M tokens per month, you save $600/month or $7,200 per year just by switching from Claude 4 Opus to Opus 4.8. At 100M tokens per month, the savings jump to $6,000/month or $72,000 per year.
Calculate Your Exact Migration Cost
Enter your current Claude 4 token usage and see exactly how much you'll save by migrating to newer models.
Open Cost Calculator →Sonnet Migration: Same Price, Better Model
The Claude 4 Sonnet to Sonnet 4.6 migration is even simpler — the price doesn't change. You get the same $3/$15 per 1M tokens, but with meaningful quality improvements.
Here's what you get with Sonnet 4.6 that Claude 4 Sonnet doesn't have:
- 200K context window — up from 128K in Claude 4 Sonnet, so you can process larger documents and longer conversations in a single call
- Improved code generation — 15% better on HumanEval benchmarks, meaning fewer iterations to get working code
- Better instruction following — more reliable structured output and JSON generation
- Faster response times — 20-30% lower latency for most use cases
For Sonnet users, migration is a no-brainer. You're not saving money on the API call, but you're saving developer time through better quality output and fewer retries.
Budget Alternatives Beyond Claude
If you're already paying for Claude 4 and want to explore cheaper alternatives, here are the strongest options at different price points.
| # | Model | Input | Output | Total | vs Claude 4 Opus |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Claude Haiku 4.5 | $1.00 | $5.00 | $6.00 | 93% cheaper |
| 2 | DeepSeek V4 Pro | $0.44 | $0.87 | $1.31 | 99% cheaper |
| 3 | Opus 4.8 | $5.00 | $25.00 | $30.00 | 67% cheaper |
| 4 | GPT-5 mini | $0.25 | $2.00 | $2.25 | 98% cheaper |
| 5 | Gemini 2.0 Flash | $0.10 | $0.40 | $0.50 | 99% cheaper |
For most Claude 4 Opus users, Opus 4.8 is the natural migration path — you stay within the Anthropic ecosystem with the same API format, just at 67% less cost. But if budget is the top priority, Claude Haiku 4.5 at $6/M total or DeepSeek V4 Pro at $1.31/M total offer dramatic savings.
Migration Path Recommendations by Budget
Your ideal migration path depends on your budget and quality requirements. Here are our recommendations for each scenario.
Budget Under $5/M total
- Claude Haiku 4.5 — $1/$5 · Stay in Anthropic ecosystem, 93% cheaper than Opus
- DeepSeek V4 Pro — $0.44/$0.87 · Best value coding model, 99% cheaper than Opus
- GPT-5 mini — $0.25/$2.00 · Excellent general purpose at budget pricing
Best for: Startups, MVPs, internal tools, cost-sensitive production apps
Budget $5 — $35/M total
- Opus 4.8 — $5/$25 · Best Anthropic model for complex tasks, 67% cheaper
- Sonnet 4.6 — $3/$15 · Great mid-range, same price as Claude 4 Sonnet but better
- DeepSeek V4 Pro — $0.44/$0.87 · Handles most tasks well at extreme savings
Best for: Production chatbots, code generation, content creation, RAG pipelines
Budget $35+/M total
- Opus 4.8 — $5/$25 · The new Claude flagship, still cheaper than old Opus
- Hybrid approach — Route simple tasks to Haiku, complex to Opus
- Cost alert monitoring — Track spend with APIpulse to avoid surprises
Best for: Enterprise, complex reasoning, high-stakes applications
Track Your Migration Savings with APIpulse Pro
Set cost alerts for your new model, compare old vs new spending, and optimize your API budget. $29/month.
Get APIpulse Pro →Step-by-Step Migration Checklist
Follow this checklist to migrate off Claude 4 before the June 15 deadline.
- Audit your current usage. Check your Anthropic dashboard for the last 30 days of token usage by model. Note your input/output split.
- Calculate savings. Use the tables above or the APIpulse calculator to model your costs on the new models.
- Test your prompts on the new model. Opus 4.8 and Sonnet 4.6 may respond differently to the same prompts. Run a test batch before switching production.
- Update your API version. Change the model ID in your code from
claude-4-opus-20260101toclaude-opus-4.8(or the appropriate new model ID). - Set up cost monitoring. Use APIpulse to track your new spending and set alerts if costs exceed expectations.
- Monitor quality for 1 week. Check output quality, latency, and error rates after migration.
- Verify your bill. Compare your next bill to the old one to confirm savings match projections.
Don't Wait Until June 15
Claude 4 models will stop working on June 15, 2026. Start your migration now and lock in the savings. Use our calculator to model your exact costs.
Calculate My Migration Savings →The Bottom Line
Claude 4 deprecation is not a threat — it's an opportunity. Opus 4.8 delivers better performance at 67% less cost. Sonnet 4.6 improves on Claude 4 Sonnet at the same price. And if you want to go further, alternatives like Claude Haiku 4.5 ($1/$5) and DeepSeek V4 Pro ($0.44/$0.87) offer even more dramatic savings.
Here's the quick decision:
- Want to stay with Anthropic? → Opus 4.8 ($5/$25) or Sonnet 4.6 ($3/$15)
- Want maximum savings? → Claude Haiku 4.5 ($1/$5) or DeepSeek V4 Pro ($0.44/$0.87)
- Want the best of both worlds? → Hybrid routing: Haiku for simple tasks, Opus 4.8 for complex reasoning
- Want to track everything? → Use APIpulse calculator to model exact costs and set alerts
The migration is straightforward, the savings are real, and the new models are better. Start today and your June bill will thank you.