Claude Haiku 5.5 — fastest small model, priced to match GPT-6 Luna
Anthropic's fastest small model, priced to match OpenAI's cheapest tier, for summarising, classifying and database work.
In this article: In brief · What announced · Cost and access · Why it matters · What to check · What is still unknown · At a glance · Sources
In brief
- What changed: Reported 1,620 on GDPval-AA knowledge-work benchmark vs 735 for Haiku 4.5 (reported figure, not our test). Positioned as a supporting worker for Opus and Sonnet.
- Who gets it: Released 7 Oct 2026, on AWS, Google Cloud and Azure
- The catch: $0.10 input / $0.50 output per 1M tokens for requests under 100,000 tokens
What Anthropic announced
On 7 Oct 2026, Anthropic released Claude Haiku 5.5 — fastest small model, priced to match GPT-6 Luna for chat / coding work. Reported 1,620 on GDPval-AA knowledge-work benchmark vs 735 for Haiku 4.5 (reported figure, not our test). Positioned as a supporting worker for Opus and Sonnet.
Anthropic’s official announcement calls Haiku 5.5 its cheapest, fastest and most capable small model, built for high-volume, cost-sensitive work such as summaries, classifications, database queries and subagent work for Opus and Sonnet. For prompts up to 100,000 tokens the published price is $0.10 per million input tokens and $0.50 per million output tokens, with $0.50 and $2.50 above that threshold. Anthropic also reports a 1 million-token context window and adjustable effort controls — figures from the maker, not an independent test by this site.
What it costs, and who can use it today
Price: $0.10 input / $0.50 output per 1M tokens for requests under 100,000 tokens. Access: General. Availability: Released 7 Oct 2026, on AWS, Google Cloud and Azure. A token, where prices are per million tokens, is roughly part of a word; prices are per million tokens processed, not per message. Open-weight means downloadable weights — check the licence for commercial use, because downloadable does not automatically mean unrestricted.
Why it matters
This is a price war data point, not just a model. $0.10/$0.50 is now the floor both Anthropic and OpenAI are matching.
What to check before you rely on it
- The exact access route for your account and region, on the official website linked below.
- The current price and any introductory or preview price end date.
- The licence and commercial-use terms for your intended use, especially for open-weight models.
Benchmark figures in this article, where given, are reported figures from the maker or from named coverage — they are not tests run by AI Updates.
What is still unknown
- No major field is missing from the sources checked; prices, caps and availability can still change after the checked date
At a glance
| LAUNCHED | 7 Oct 2026 |
|---|---|
| Lab and type | Anthropic · Chat / Coding |
| Price | $0.10 input / $0.50 output per 1M tokens for requests under 100,000 tokens |
| Access | General |
| Last checked | 25 Oct 2026 |
Frequently asked questions
When was Claude Haiku 5.5 launched? 7 Oct 2026, by Anthropic.
How much does Claude Haiku 5.5 cost? $0.10 input / $0.50 output per 1M tokens for requests under 100,000 tokens
Who can use Claude Haiku 5.5 today? Released 7 Oct 2026, on AWS, Google Cloud and Azure
Sources
Also checked: VentureBeat category page, 9 Oct 2026, plus release calendar — a calendar or category page verifies date, lab and type only, not price or access.
Official sources are listed first, because a lab’s own announcement or product page is the primary source for price, access and availability. Secondary coverage is listed second, and is never used to upgrade an unverified figure into a settled fact.
Corrections: see Corrections for dated corrections already applied to this site, including the Kimi, Muse Wonder, Mistral and Duet corrections. If a price, date or access rule on this page has changed, it will be corrected here with a dated note. Last checked 25 Oct 2026. Prices and availability can change after the checked date — confirm on the provider page.
