Claude Fable 5 vs Claude Opus 5.5
Claude Fable 5 was superseded by Claude Fable 5.1. The grades below are the last ones measured, so read them as history rather than as this week's board. See the current roster.
Claude Opus 5.5 leads overall, C+ to C. Claude Opus 5.5 is about 14x cheaper per task. By suite, real-world issues is even at C- and Claude Opus 5.5 takes spec planning (C+ to C). The data gives no reason to pick Claude Fable 5 over Claude Opus 5.5 this week.Measured
Each agent graded on the same private suites, running headless through its own tools. Advantages are oriented so a win is a win, whichever way the metric runs.
Verdict: Claude Opus 5.5 vs Claude Fable 5
Claude Opus 5.5 leads overall, C+ to C. By suite: real-world issues is even at C- (60% vs 60% capability); Claude Opus 5.5 takes spec planning, C+ to C (69% vs 63% capability); Claude Opus 5.5 takes vibe coding, B to C+ (85% vs 74% capability). Claude Fable 5 used 7% of Claude Max 20x's weekly limit per pass, $0.169 per task at the listed price; at the ~$100 tier the board defaults to that is an estimated ~14% of Claude Max 5x's weekly limit (est, about $0.169 per task). Claude Opus 5.5 used 1% of Claude Max 5x's weekly limit per pass, $0.012 per task at the listed price. Per task, Claude Opus 5.5 is about 14x cheaper ($0.012 vs $0.169). Claude Opus 5.5 is faster on real-world issues: a median task takes 2m 18s against 2m 37s. Both finished every task on it. The data gives no reason to pick Claude Fable 5 over Claude Opus 5.5 this week.
Changed since W35: Claude Fable 5: real-world issues C+ to C-, vibe coding C to C+.
| Dimension | Claude Fable 5 | Claude Opus 5.5 | Advantage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Capability | 60% | 60% | Even |
| Median task time | 2m 37s | 2m 18s | 19s faster (Claude Opus 5.5 leads) |
| Approx. task cost | $0.153 / task | $0.015 / task | $0.138 / task lower (Claude Opus 5.5 leads) |
Claude Fable 5: 33.0% of Claude Max 20x (33.0% / 5h, 5.0% / 1w) per run. Its weekly limit holds about 7 of the week's 33.6 5h windows. Claude Opus 5.5: 16.0% of Claude Max 5x (16.0% / 5h, 1.0% / 1w) per run. Its weekly limit holds about 14.6 of the week's 33.6 5h windows. Each figure is a share of that agent's own plan, so there is no delta to draw.
Work per window: Claude Fable 5 443 vs Claude Opus 5.5 913 suite runs per month (Claude Opus 5.5 leads); per plan-dollar: 2.21 vs 9.13 (Claude Opus 5.5 leads). Work figures compare outputs, so unlike quota shares they are comparable across plans.
| Dimension | Claude Fable 5 | Claude Opus 5.5 | Advantage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Capability | 63% | 69% | +6% (Claude Opus 5.5 leads) |
| Median task time | 5m 32s | 3m 45s | 1m 47s faster (Claude Opus 5.5 leads) |
| Approx. task cost | $0.230 / task | $0.010 / task | $0.220 / task lower (Claude Opus 5.5 leads) |
Claude Fable 5: 10.0% of Claude Max 20x (10.0% / 5h, 2.0% / 1w) per run. Its weekly limit holds about 7 of the week's 33.6 5h windows. Claude Opus 5.5: 6.0% of Claude Max 5x (6.0% / 5h) per run. Its weekly limit holds about 14.6 of the week's 33.6 5h windows. Each figure is a share of that agent's own plan, so there is no delta to draw.
Work per window: Claude Fable 5 1461 vs Claude Opus 5.5 2435 suite runs per month (Claude Opus 5.5 leads); per plan-dollar: 7.30 vs 24.35 (Claude Opus 5.5 leads). Work figures compare outputs, so unlike quota shares they are comparable across plans.
| Dimension | Claude Fable 5 | Claude Opus 5.5 | Advantage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Capability | 74% | 85% | +10% (Claude Opus 5.5 leads) |
| Median task time | 5m 28s | 2m 27s | 3m 2s faster (Claude Opus 5.5 leads) |
| Approx. task cost | $0.184 / task | $0.046 / task | $0.138 / task lower (Claude Opus 5.5 leads) |
Claude Fable 5: 2.8% of Claude Max 20x (2.8% / 5h, 0.4% / 1w) per good solve. Its weekly limit holds about 7 of the week's 33.6 5h windows. Claude Opus 5.5: 0.8% of Claude Max 5x (0.8% / 5h, 0.2% / 1w) per good solve. Its weekly limit holds about 14.6 of the week's 33.6 5h windows. Each figure is a share of that agent's own plan, so there is no delta to draw.
Work per window: Claude Fable 5 5218 vs Claude Opus 5.5 18263 good solves per month (Claude Opus 5.5 leads); per plan-dollar: 26.09 vs 182.63 (Claude Opus 5.5 leads). Work figures compare outputs, so unlike quota shares they are comparable across plans.
Grades and deltas are comparable only within a suite version. See methodology.
Frequently asked questions
Which is better for coding, Claude Fable 5 or Claude Opus 5.5?
They are even on our ladder: both clear tier 4 of 5 at 60% capability on real-world@v3, our private suite of real-world coding problems. Latest measurement 2026-08-30.
Which is cheaper per task, Claude Fable 5 or Claude Opus 5.5?
Claude Fable 5 used 7% of Claude Max 20x's weekly limit per pass, $0.169 per task at the listed price; at the ~$100 tier the board defaults to that is an estimated ~14% of Claude Max 5x's weekly limit (est, about $0.169 per task). Claude Opus 5.5 used 1% of Claude Max 5x's weekly limit per pass, $0.012 per task at the listed price. Per task, Claude Opus 5.5 is about 14x cheaper ($0.012 vs $0.169).
Which gives more coding work per dollar, Claude Fable 5 or Claude Opus 5.5?
Claude Opus 5.5 delivers more benchmark work per subscription dollar: 9.13 suite runs per plan-dollar versus 2.21 for Claude Fable 5 (at $100/month priced 2026-07-27, and $200/month priced 2026-08-05). Work figures compare outputs, so unlike raw quota shares they are comparable across plans.
What do Claude Fable 5 and Claude Opus 5.5 cost a month?
Claude Fable 5 runs on Claude Max 20x at $200/month (public price as of 2026-08-05). Claude Opus 5.5 runs on Claude Max 5x at $100/month (public price as of 2026-07-27).