On Thursday, Anthropic introduced Claude Opus 5, a new AI model that the company claims approaches the performance of its leading Claude Fable 5 — but at about half the cost. This release provides developers and businesses with a more affordable, less restricted option for nearly flagship performance without the hefty price tag. Anthropic arranges its Claude models similarly to how phone manufacturers offer standard and Pro versions. Halving that cost while maintaining performance close to the best model is crucial for anyone operating these services on a large scale. One commenter on Reddit’s r/ClaudeAI wrote: “Half the price for ‘close’ capabilities is doing a lot of work.