Claude 4 Opus was retired on June 15, 2026. If you're still using it, your API calls are returning 404 errors. The good news: Claude Opus 4.8 is the official successor, it's 67% cheaper, and migration takes 30 minutes.
This comparison covers everything that changed between Claude 4 Opus and Claude Opus 4.8 — pricing, performance, context window, and how to migrate.
Quick Comparison
| Feature | Claude 4 Opus (DEAD) | Claude Opus 4.8 (SUCCESSOR) |
|---|---|---|
| Status | Retired June 15, 2026 | Active — current flagship |
| Input Cost | $15 / 1M tokens | $5 / 1M tokens (67% cheaper) |
| Output Cost | $75 / 1M tokens | $25 / 1M tokens (67% cheaper) |
| Context Window | 100K tokens | 200K tokens (2x larger) |
| API Format | Messages API | Messages API (identical) |
| Model ID | claude-4-opus |
claude-opus-4-8 |
| Reasoning | Good | Improved |
| Coding | Good | Better |
| Math | Good | Better |
| Speed | Standard | Faster |
| Availability | None — 404 errors | 100% uptime SLA |
Pricing Breakdown
Here's the cost difference per 1M tokens:
Monthly Cost Scenarios
| Monthly Usage | Claude 4 Opus Cost | Opus 4.8 Cost | You Save |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1M input + 500K output | $52.50 | $17.50 | $35/mo (67%) |
| 5M input + 2M output | $225 | $75 | $150/mo (67%) |
| 10M input + 5M output | $525 | $175 | $350/mo (67%) |
| 50M input + 20M output | $2,250 | $750 | $1,500/mo (67%) |
Calculate Your Exact Savings
Enter your monthly token usage and see exactly how much you'll save by migrating to Opus 4.8.
What Changed in Opus 4.8?
2x Larger Context Window
Opus 4.8 supports 200K tokens (up from 100K). That's roughly 150,000 words or 500 pages of text in a single prompt. You can now process entire codebases, long documents, or complex multi-turn conversations without hitting limits.
Improved Reasoning
Opus 4.8 shows measurable improvements in complex reasoning tasks, particularly on multi-step problems, code generation, and mathematical proofs. Anthropic reports 15-20% improvement on difficult benchmarks.
Faster Response Times
Despite being more capable, Opus 4.8 is faster than Claude 4 Opus. Anthropic optimized the inference pipeline, resulting in 20-30% faster time-to-first-token for most use cases.
67% Lower Price
The biggest change: Opus 4.8 costs $5/$25 per 1M tokens instead of $15/$75. Same quality tier, same API format, dramatically lower cost. This makes it competitive with mid-tier models while maintaining flagship quality.
How to Migrate
Migration is a one-line change. Here's exactly what to do:
// Before (dead — returning 404)
model: "claude-4-opus"
// After (official successor)
model: "claude-opus-4-8"That's it. Same API, same SDK, same parameters, same prompts. Your existing code works without any other changes.
LangChain / LlamaIndex
# LangChain
chat = ChatAnthropic(model="claude-opus-4-8") # was "claude-4-opus"
# LlamaIndex
llm = Anthropic(model="claude-opus-4-8") # was "claude-4-opus"Find All References
grep -r "claude-4-opus" --include="*.js" --include="*.ts" --include="*.py" --include="*.json" .Ready to Migrate?
Use the APIpulse migration calculator to see your exact savings, then update your model ID. It takes 30 minutes.
Calculate Savings →Should You Switch to a Cheaper Alternative?
Opus 4.8 is the best drop-in replacement, but if cost is your primary concern, there are cheaper options:
| Model | Input / Output | vs Claude 4 Opus | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Claude Opus 4.8 | $5 / $25 | 67% cheaper | Drop-in replacement |
| Claude Sonnet 4.6 | $3 / $15 | 80% cheaper | Most tasks (excellent quality) |
| GPT-5 | $2.50 / $10 | 83% cheaper | OpenAI ecosystem |
| Gemini 3.1 Pro | $1.25 / $5 | 93% cheaper | Google ecosystem, long context |
| DeepSeek V4 Pro | $0.44 / $0.87 | 97% cheaper | Maximum savings |
| Llama 4 Maverick | $0.27 / $0.85 | 98% cheaper | Self-hosted, open source |
Use the APIpulse comparison tool to test these models against your specific use case.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will my prompts work the same on Opus 4.8?
Yes. Claude Opus 4.8 uses the same API format and responds to the same prompts. You may see slightly different outputs (it's a newer model), but your existing prompts will work without modification.
Is Opus 4.8 compatible with Claude 4 Opus SDKs?
Yes. The Anthropic SDK, OpenAI SDK (with Anthropic adapter), LangChain, LlamaIndex, and all other popular frameworks work with Opus 4.8. Only the model ID string changes.
What about Claude 4 Sonnet?
Claude 4 Sonnet is also retired. Its successor is Claude Sonnet 4.6 ($3/$15) — same price, 5x larger context window (200K vs 40K), better performance.
Can I still use Claude 4 Opus through OpenRouter or Bedrock?
No. All providers have removed Claude 4 Opus from their available models. The model is gone from Anthropic's API entirely.
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