Claude 3 Haiku vs O3 Mini
Performance benchmarks + pricing comparison — updated April 2026
Claude 3 Haiku
AnthropicCheapest Claude model. Fast responses for simple tasks and basic coding.
| Input | $0.250/M |
| Output | $1.25/M |
| Context | 200K tokens |
| Best For | Simple queries, fast responses, cost-sensitive tasks |
| Benchmark | 45/100 |
O3 Mini
OpenAIOpenAI's reasoning model at lower cost. Strong at math, coding, and science tasks.
| Input | $1.10/M |
| Output | $4.40/M |
| Context | 200K tokens |
| Best For | Math, science, coding tasks requiring deep reasoning |
| Benchmark | 80/100 |
Benchmark Performance Comparison
Third-party benchmark scores — higher is better. Data sourced from SWE-bench, LiveCodeBench, HumanEval, and BigCodeBench.
| Benchmark | Claude 3 Haiku | O3 Mini | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Score | 45 | 80 | o3-mini leads by 35pts |
| SWE-bench Verified | 38 | 76 | o3-mini leads by 38pts |
| LiveCodeBench | 46 | 85 | o3-mini leads by 39pts |
| HumanEval | 68 | 94 | o3-mini leads by 26pts |
| BigCodeBench | 30 | 65 | o3-mini leads by 35pts |
Cost Comparison by Scenario
Estimated cost per project with 30% cache hit rate. Actual costs may vary based on usage patterns.
| Scenario | Claude 3 Haiku | O3 Mini | Savings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small Script (1K lines) | $0.05 | $0.17 | Claude 3 Haiku saves $0.12 (73%) |
| Medium Feature (10K lines) | $0.34 | $1.27 | Claude 3 Haiku saves $0.93 (73%) |
| Large Project (50K lines) | $1.69 | $6.33 | Claude 3 Haiku saves $4.64 (73%) |
| Code Review (5K lines) | $0.07 | $0.30 | Claude 3 Haiku saves $0.23 (75%) |
Value Analysis (Price per Benchmark Score Point)
Lower is better — how much you pay for each point of benchmark performance.
| Model | Overall Score | Price per Score Point | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| Claude 3 Haiku | 45 | $0.006/pt | Better value |
| O3 Mini | 80 | $0.014/pt | Higher cost per point |
Claude 3 Haiku delivers the best value at $0.006 per score point.
Strengths & Weaknesses
Claude 3 Haiku
- + Very cheap
- + Fast
- - Basic capability only
O3 Mini
- + Excellent at competitive programming
- + Strong algorithmic reasoning
- - Optimized for reasoning, not chat
Verdict
Claude 3 Haiku is cheaper at $0.250/M, but O3 Mini scores higher on benchmarks (80 vs 45).
Choose Claude 3 Haiku for cost-sensitive projects, O3 Mini when performance matters most.
Compare with Other Models
Claude Sonnet 4
AnthropicAnthropic's balanced model for coding and general tasks. Best price-performance ratio in the Claude family.
Claude Opus 4
AnthropicAnthropic's most powerful model. Best for complex reasoning and challenging coding tasks.
Claude 3.5 Sonnet
AnthropicPrevious generation Sonnet. Still excellent for coding tasks at the same price point.
Claude 3.5 Haiku
AnthropicFast, cost-effective model for high-volume tasks. Great for code review and simple queries.
Claude 3 Opus
AnthropicFirst generation Opus. Highest reasoning capability in the Claude 3 family.
Claude 3 Sonnet
AnthropicFirst generation Sonnet. Balanced performance for general tasks.