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HEAD TO HEAD · UPDATED NOV 6, 2026
Gemini 4 Argon vs Claude Opus 5.5
Google DeepMind against Anthropic, on sourced numbers only. Green marks the higher (or cheaper) value on each row; the text below only calls a lead when the gap is bigger than measurement noise.
| Gemini 4 Argon | Claude Opus 5.5 | |
|---|---|---|
| Arena Elo | 1520 source ↗ | 1509 source ↗ |
| GPQA Diamond | 96.4% source ↗ | 90.6% source ↗ |
| $ per 1M in / out | $2 / $10 source ↗ | $4 / $20 source ↗ |
| Blended $ per 1M (3:1) | $4.00 source ↗ | $8.00 source ↗ |
| Context window | 1M source ↗ | 1M source ↗ |
| Output speed | 74 tok/s source ↗ | 110 tok/s source ↗ |
| Released | Oct 13, 2026 source ↗ | Sep 22, 2026 source ↗ |
| Open weights | No source ↗ | No source ↗ |
| Reasoning effort tiers | low · medium · high (default: medium) | low · medium · high · xhigh · max (default: medium) |
| API effort control | thinking_config={"thinking_level": "low" | "medium" | "high"} source ↗ | output_config={"effort": "low" | "medium" | "high" | "xhigh" | "max"} source ↗ |
| Additional benchmarks | DeepSWE v1.1: 77.9% source ↗ AA Intelligence Index v5.0.1: 50 (High) source ↗ | Arena WebDev: 1810 (#1) source ↗ SWE-bench Pro: 89.9% source ↗ Terminal-Bench 4.0: 66.4% (xhigh) source ↗ GDPval-AA v2.1: 1846 source ↗ CursorBench 4.0: 57.8% at max effort, 52.5% at default source ↗ AA Intelligence Index v5.0.1: 59 source ↗ |
| Best for (workload) | Highest GPQA Diamond score we track (96.4%, Epoch AI) and the top Arena Text score among models you can use today (1520). source ↗ | Anthropic suggests starting with Opus 5.5 for most workloads. #1 on Arena WebDev (1810); 66.4% on Terminal-Bench 4.0 at xhigh effort (Anthropic). source ↗ |
Arena Elo from the arena.ai text leaderboard as of Oct 27, 2026 source ↗. Speed measured by Artificial Analysis and varies by provider.
Which one should I use?
For high-volume work where cost matters most, Gemini 4 Argon is about 2.0 times cheaper per token. For hard science and analysis questions, Gemini 4 Argon scores higher on GPQA Diamond (96.4% vs 90.6%). For latency-sensitive use such as live chat, Claude Opus 5.5 is noticeably faster (110 vs 74 tokens per second). On release timing, Google DeepMind is at day 24 of a typical ~32-day gap (MID-CYCLE), and Anthropic is at day 30 of a typical ~15-day gap (PAST TYPICAL GAP).
Key differences from the sourced numbers
- Gemini 4 Argon is the cheaper option: $4.00 vs $8.00 per 1M tokens at a 3:1 input-to-output mix (about 2.0 times less).
- On the Arena text leaderboard they are close (1520 vs 1509): a gap under 20 points is within the leaderboard's margin of error.
- On GPQA Diamond, graduate-level science questions, Gemini 4 Argon leads 96.4% to 90.6%.
- Claude Opus 5.5 streams output faster: 110 vs 74 tokens per second (Artificial Analysis).
- Gemini 4 Argon pricing note: Introductory price until Nov 30, 2026; $4 / $20 from Dec 1. No higher rate for long prompts.
- Claude Opus 5.5 pricing note: Same rate across the full 1M context window.
Frequently asked questions
Is Gemini 4 Argon or Claude Opus 5.5 better?
Gemini 4 Argon is the cheaper option: $4.00 vs $8.00 per 1M tokens at a 3:1 input-to-output mix (about 2.0 times less). On the Arena text leaderboard they are close (1520 vs 1509): a gap under 20 points is within the leaderboard's margin of error. On GPQA Diamond, graduate-level science questions, Gemini 4 Argon leads 96.4% to 90.6%. Claude Opus 5.5 streams output faster: 110 vs 74 tokens per second (Artificial Analysis). Gemini 4 Argon pricing note: Introductory price until Nov 30, 2026; $4 / $20 from Dec 1. No higher rate for long prompts. Claude Opus 5.5 pricing note: Same rate across the full 1M context window.
Which one should I use: Gemini 4 Argon or Claude Opus 5.5?
For high-volume work where cost matters most, Gemini 4 Argon is about 2.0 times cheaper per token. For hard science and analysis questions, Gemini 4 Argon scores higher on GPQA Diamond (96.4% vs 90.6%). For latency-sensitive use such as live chat, Claude Opus 5.5 is noticeably faster (110 vs 74 tokens per second). On release timing, Google DeepMind is at day 24 of a typical ~32-day gap (MID-CYCLE), and Anthropic is at day 30 of a typical ~15-day gap (PAST TYPICAL GAP).
How much does Gemini 4 Argon cost compared with Claude Opus 5.5?
Gemini 4 Argon lists at $2 / $10 per 1M input/output tokens ($4.00/1M blended at 3:1). Claude Opus 5.5 lists at $4 / $20 per 1M input/output tokens ($8.00/1M blended at 3:1).
Facts checked Nov 5, 2026 against official sources. Every number links to its source. Spotted an error? Email [email protected].