Source: https://docs.claude.com/en/docs/about-claude/models/choosing-a-model

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Models & pricing

Choosing the right model

Home Developer Guide API Reference Model Context Protocol (MCP) Resources Release Notes

On this page

• Establish key criteria

• Choose the best model to start with

• Option 1: Start with a fast, cost-effective model

• Option 2: Start with the most capable model

• Model selection matrix

• Decide whether to upgrade or change models

• Next steps

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Establish key criteria

When choosing a Claude model, we recommend first evaluating these factors:

• Capabilities: What specific features or capabilities will you need the model to have in order to meet your needs?
• Speed: How quickly does the model need to respond in your application?
• Cost: What’s your budget for both development and production usage?

Knowing these answers in advance will make narrowing down and deciding which model to use much easier.

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Choose the best model to start with

There are two general approaches you can use to start testing which Claude model best works for your needs.

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Option 1: Start with a fast, cost-effective model

For many applications, starting with a faster, more cost-effective model like Claude Haiku 4.5 can be the optimal approach:

1. Begin implementation with Claude Haiku 4.5
2. Test your use case thoroughly
3. Evaluate if performance meets your requirements
4. Upgrade only if necessary for specific capability gaps

This approach allows for quick iteration, lower development costs, and is often sufficient for many common applications. This approach is best for:

• Initial prototyping and development
• Applications with tight latency requirements
• Cost-sensitive implementations
• High-volume, straightforward tasks

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Option 2: Start with the most capable model

For complex tasks where intelligence and advanced capabilities are paramount, you may want to start with the most capable model and then consider optimizing to more efficient models down the line:

1. Implement with Claude Sonnet 4.5
2. Optimize your prompts for these models
3. Evaluate if performance meets your requirements
4. Consider increasing efficiency by downgrading intelligence over time with greater workflow optimization

This approach is best for:

• Complex reasoning tasks
• Scientific or mathematical applications
• Tasks requiring nuanced understanding
• Applications where accuracy outweighs cost considerations
• Advanced coding

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Model selection matrix

| When you need… | We recommend starting with… | Example use cases | | --- | --- | --- | | Best model for complex agents and coding, highest intelligence across most tasks, superior tool orchestration for long-running autonomous tasks | Claude Sonnet 4.5 | Autonomous coding agents, cybersecurity automation, complex financial analysis, multi-hour research tasks, multi agent frameworks | | Exceptional intelligence and reasoning for specialized complex tasks | Claude Opus 4.1 | Highly complex codebase refactoring, nuanced creative writing, specialized scientific analysis | | Near-frontier performance with lightning-fast speed and extended thinking - our fastest and most intelligent Haiku model at the most economical price point | Claude Haiku 4.5 | Real-time applications, high-volume intelligent processing, cost-sensitive deployments needing strong reasoning, sub-agent tasks |

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Decide whether to upgrade or change models

To determine if you need to upgrade or change models, you should:

1. Create benchmark tests specific to your use case - having a good evaluation set is the most important step in the process
2. Test with your actual prompts and data
3. Compare performance across models for:
   • Accuracy of responses
   • Response quality
   • Handling of edge cases
4. Weigh performance and cost tradeoffs

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Next steps

Model comparison chart
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See detailed specifications and pricing for the latest Claude models What's new in Claude 4.5
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