How low will the Claude Opus 4.8 input token price get in 2026?

Claude Opus 4.8 maintained its stated input token price in 2026. This model, launched May 28, 2026, set its regular usage input token price at $5 per million tokens (MTok) and $25 per million output tokens ^{[1][2][3][4][5][6]}. Fast Mode pricing for Opus 4.8 was $10/MTok input and $50/MTok output ^[1]. Anthropic’s pricing documentation also lists a Batch input rate of $2.50/MTok, cache reads at $0.50/MTok, five-minute cache writes at $6.25/MTok, and one-hour cache writes at $10/MTok ^[7][8]. The model’s overview page confirms these $5/$25 standard rates and 50% Batch discounts ^[2]. Even after Claude Opus 5 superseded it on July 24, Opus 4.8 maintained these prices, with Opus 5 adopting the same $5/$25 standard rate, as reported by a September 7, 2026 pricing tracker ^[2][9]. Publicly available information does not indicate a specific price floor or a planned price-reduction roadmap for Claude Opus 4.8 ^[5][6].

Prediction markets show low probability for a $4/MTok price. The Kalshi market tracks whether the explicitly displayed Claude API input price reaches or falls below $4/MTok during 2026 ^[10][11]. As of September 17, 2026, market snapshots indicated varying probabilities: Parity reported approximately 19% for the price to be at or below $4/MTok, while CoinRithm showed 9% ^[11][12]. This market signal suggests that a drop to $4/MTok or lower for the standard input price is unlikely ^[12][11]. Anthropic’s Sonnet 5, released August 10, 2026, introduced a permanent $2/MTok input price, which may exert future pressure on flagship model pricing but has not altered Opus 4.8’s listed prices ^[13]. The most defensible forecast for Opus 4.8’s lowest regular, explicitly displayed input price by year-end 2026 remains $5/MTok ^[1][7]. The $2.50/MTok Batch input price could qualify if considered for the settlement condition ^[7][11]. The estimated probability of a new standard list price at or below $4/MTok stands at 10–20% ^{[1][7][12][11]}.