Claude Fable 5.1 vs Claude Opus 4: price, context and capabilities

Choose Claude Fable 5.1 for very long inputs and the latest release; on the other points the two are level or the data is missing.

In short

  • Claude Opus 4 has been retired; Claude Fable 5.1 is the one you can still call.
  • A price comparison is not possible: one of them has no comparable published price.
  • Claude Fable 5.1 reads more per request: 1M tokens against 200k.
  • Claude Fable 5.1 is the newer model (September 2026, against May 2025).

Open in the full comparison table

Which should you choose?

Each answer below comes straight from the published prices, specifications and independent benchmark results.

Very long inputs

Choose Claude Fable 5.1

Claude Fable 5.1 reads up to 1M tokens per request, against 200k for Claude Opus 4.

Latest release

Choose Claude Fable 5.1

Claude Fable 5.1 is the newer release (September 2026, against May 2025 for Claude Opus 4).

Specifications side by side

Claude Fable 5.1Claude Opus 4
ProviderAnthropicAnthropic
CategoryLanguage modelsLanguage models
StatusGenerally availableRetired
Headline price$20.00 / 1M tokens$30.00 / 1M tokens
Input$10.00 / 1M tokens$15.00 / 1M tokens
Output$50.00 / 1M tokens$75.00 / 1M tokens
Cached input$0.25 / 1M tokens$1.50 / 1M tokens
Context window1M200k
Max output128kNo data
ReleasedSeptember 2026May 2025
Knowledge cutoffJune 2026No data
LicenceProprietaryProprietary
CapabilitiesVision, Reasoning, Tool calling, Structured output, Prompt caching, Batch APIVision, Reasoning, Tool calling, Structured output, Prompt caching, Batch API
API model idclaude-fable-5-1claude-opus-4-20250514

Benchmarks side by side

Leader in bold.

BenchmarkClaude Fable 5.1Claude Opus 4
Intelligence Index 53.4 No data
SciCode 63.1% No data
GPQA Diamond 93.7% No data
Humanity's Last Exam 59.1% No data
Long-context reasoning (AA-LCR) 85.3% No data

Independent evaluations by Artificial Analysis, run the same way for every model, at the reasoning setting shown. Percentages unless marked as an index.

Frequently asked questions

Should I choose Claude Fable 5.1 or Claude Opus 4?

Choose Claude Fable 5.1 for very long inputs and the latest release; on the other points the two are level or the data is missing.

Which is cheaper, Claude Fable 5.1 or Claude Opus 4?

A price comparison is not possible: one of them has no comparable published price.

Which has the larger context window, Claude Fable 5.1 or Claude Opus 4?

Claude Fable 5.1 reads more per request: 1M tokens against 200k.

What is the difference between Claude Fable 5.1 and Claude Opus 4?

Claude Fable 5.1 is made by Anthropic and Claude Opus 4 by Anthropic. Claude Opus 4 has been retired; Claude Fable 5.1 is the one you can still call. A price comparison is not possible: one of them has no comparable published price. Claude Fable 5.1 reads more per request: 1M tokens against 200k. Claude Fable 5.1 is the newer model (September 2026, against May 2025).

Which is newer, Claude Fable 5.1 or Claude Opus 4?

Claude Fable 5.1 was released on September 2026 and Claude Opus 4 on May 2025.