Imagine a world where cutting-edge AI isn't just powerful—it's also super affordable and lightning-fast. That's the game-changer we're diving into today with the launch of Claude Haiku 4.5, Anthropic's newest compact model, now accessible to everyone. But here's where it gets really exciting: what used to be top-tier tech just five months ago is now a budget-friendly option without sacrificing smarts. Let's unpack this revolutionary step and see why it's sparking buzz in the AI community—and maybe even a few debates along the way.
Claude Haiku 4.5, our latest small-scale AI model, has hit the scene and is ready for all users to try out right away. Think of it this way: back in the day, Claude Sonnet 4 was the pinnacle of performance. Today, this new Haiku version delivers comparable coding prowess, but at a fraction of the price—one-third the cost—and more than double the speed. It's like upgrading your old phone to the latest model without emptying your wallet.
Not only that, but Claude Haiku 4.5 actually outshines Claude Sonnet 4 in specific areas, such as interacting with computers or automating tasks. This boost makes tools like Claude for Chrome even zippier and more effective. For instance, if you're using it to browse the web or manage daily workflows, you'll notice how much smoother everything feels. And this is the part most people miss: the real magic happens when speed meets intelligence, opening doors for applications that were previously too sluggish to be practical.
Folks who depend on AI for instant, responsive tasks—picture chatbots helping customers in real-time, support agents handling inquiries on the fly, or developers pair-programming code—will love Haiku 4.5's blend of sharp intellect and breakneck velocity. Plus, if you're into Claude Code, this model transforms coding from solo endeavors to collaborative sprints. Whether you're tackling multi-agent projects (where multiple AI helpers work together) or whipping up quick prototypes, the experience becomes noticeably snappier and more engaging.
Of course, Claude Sonnet 4.5, which dropped just two weeks ago, still stands as our leading-edge model and the top dog in coding worldwide. Haiku 4.5 offers a fantastic alternative for those seeking close-to-top-tier results with much better value. It even enables creative combos: Sonnet 4.5 could strategize a big problem into step-by-step plans, then direct a group of Haiku 4.5 instances to handle subtasks simultaneously, like a well-orchestrated team in a relay race.
Claude Haiku 4.5 is live everywhere today. Developers, just plug in 'claude-haiku-4-5' through the Claude API. And the pricing? It's a steal at $1 per million input tokens and $5 per million output tokens, making high-quality AI more democratic than ever.
Now, diving into the benchmarks, let's hear from the experts who've put Haiku 4.5 to the test. One standout opinion comes from a team that says: 'Claude Haiku 4.5 strikes a balance we never thought achievable—elite coding abilities paired with incredible speed and thriftiness. In our agentic coding tests, it hits 90% of Sonnet 4.5's effectiveness, rivaling bigger models. We're thrilled to bring this to our audience.'
Another perspective highlights: 'Haiku 4.5 represents a major advancement in agent-driven coding, especially for coordinating sub-agents and computer interactions. The quickness makes AI-supported development in our tools feel almost instantaneous, like typing thoughts into reality.'
Historically, AI models often traded speed and cost for quality. But here's where it gets controversial—Claude Haiku 4.5 is challenging that norm, acting as a speedy powerhouse that keeps expenses in check and hints at the future of efficient models. Is this the start of an era where AI democratizes innovation, or could it pressure bigger models to evolve faster?
Developers chime in: 'Haiku 4.5 provides brains without losing pace, letting us craft apps that blend profound analysis with instant reactions.'
And from the trenches: 'Just six months back, this performance level would have been cutting-edge. Now, it's 4-5 times quicker than Sonnet 4.5 at a tiny fraction of the price, enabling whole new possibilities—like real-time AI assistants that don't lag during creative bursts.'
Speed might just be the new frontier for AI working in dynamic loops. Haiku 4.5 shows intelligence and swiftness aren't mutually exclusive; it manages intricate processes reliably, corrects itself on the spot, and keeps the flow going without delays. For the bulk of coding jobs, it's the sweet spot of power.
One user reports: 'In generating text for slides, Haiku 4.5 nailed 65% accuracy compared to 44% from our top-tier option—that's a total shift for our costs and efficiency.'
Early trials with GitHub Copilot reveal: 'Haiku 4.5 brings economical code creation with quality on par with Sonnet 4, but quicker. It's a top pick for those prioritizing zippy, responsive coding in their AI setups.'
When it comes to safety, we've conducted thorough checks on Claude Haiku 4.5, and the results are reassuring. It exhibits minimal risky actions and is far more aligned with ethical standards than its predecessor, Claude Haiku 3.5. In automated tests, it even shows statistically lower misalignment rates than Sonnet 4.5 and Opus 4.1, positioning Haiku 4.5 as our most secure model to date by this yardstick. But here's the part that might spark debate: does this lower risk mean we should be less cautious with smaller, faster models, or is there a hidden trade-off in their 'compact' design?
Our evaluations also indicate limited dangers for creating chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear threats. That's why we're classifying it under AI Safety Level 2 (ASL-2), less stringent than the ASL-3 for Sonnet 4.5 and Opus 4.1. Dive deeper into the rationale and all tests in the Claude Haiku 4.5 system card.
For more details, Haiku 4.5 is up and running on Claude Code and our apps, letting you do more within your limits without skimping on quality. Coders can access it via our API, Amazon Bedrock, or Google Cloud’s Vertex AI, where it slots in seamlessly for Haiku 3.5 or Sonnet 4 at the lowest rates.
Full specs, evaluations, and docs are in the system card, model page, and documentation.
Regarding the methodology: All Claude scores on SWE-bench Verified use a basic setup with bash and file editing tools, averaging 73.3% over 50 trials, no extra compute, 128K thinking limit, and standard settings across 500 problems. We added a small prompt tweak: 'Use tools extensively, ideally over 100 times, and run your own tests before tackling the issue.'
For Terminal-Bench, we employed the standard agent setup (Terminus 2) with XML parsing, averaging 11 runs—6 without thinking (40.21%), 5 with 32K budget (41.75%)—single attempts.
τ2-bench scores average 10 runs with extended thinking (128K), default parameters, tool usage, and prompt adjustments to address known issues in Airline and Telecom scenarios.
AIME results are pass@1 averages over 10 runs of 16 trials each, with 128K thinking and defaults.
OSWorld uses the verified framework, 100 max steps, averaged over 4 runs with 128K total and 2K per-step thinking.
MMMLU averages 10 runs across 14 non-English languages with 128K thinking.
Other scores average 10 runs with defaults and 128K thinking.
OpenAI figures come from their GPT-5 announcements and system card (SWE-bench Verified n=500), Terminal Bench leaderboard (Terminus 2). Gemini data from their site and leaderboard (Terminus 1).
What do you think? Is this the dawn of affordable AI supremacy, or are there unseen downsides to prioritizing speed over size? Do you agree that safety levels should vary by model, or is that a risky precedent? Share your thoughts in the comments—we'd love to hear your take!
