GPT-3.5 Turbo vs Claude 4 Haiku
Performance benchmarks + pricing comparison — updated April 2026
GPT-3.5 Turbo
OpenAIBudget model for simple tasks. Being phased out but still widely used.
| Input | $0.500/M |
| Output | $1.50/M |
| Context | 16K tokens |
| Best For | Simple chatbots, basic text generation |
| Benchmark | 40/100 |
Claude 4 Haiku
AnthropicUpdated Haiku model with improved reasoning over Claude 3.5 Haiku. Fast and affordable for high-volume tasks.
| Input | $0.800/M |
| Output | $4.00/M |
| Context | 200K tokens |
| Best For | High-volume tasks, simple queries, cost-sensitive workflows |
| Benchmark | 55/100 |
Benchmark Performance Comparison
Third-party benchmark scores — higher is better. Data sourced from SWE-bench, LiveCodeBench, HumanEval, and BigCodeBench.
| Benchmark | GPT-3.5 Turbo | Claude 4 Haiku | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Score | 40 | 55 | Claude 4 Haiku leads by 15pts |
| SWE-bench Verified | 32 | 48 | Claude 4 Haiku leads by 16pts |
| LiveCodeBench | 42 | 58 | Claude 4 Haiku leads by 16pts |
| HumanEval | 62 | 78 | Claude 4 Haiku leads by 16pts |
| BigCodeBench | 26 | 40 | Claude 4 Haiku leads by 14pts |
Cost Comparison by Scenario
Estimated cost per project with 30% cache hit rate. Actual costs may vary based on usage patterns.
| Scenario | GPT-3.5 Turbo | Claude 4 Haiku | Savings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small Script (1K lines) | $0.06 | $0.16 | GPT-3.5 Turbo saves $0.10 (62%) |
| Medium Feature (10K lines) | $0.48 | $1.24 | GPT-3.5 Turbo saves $0.77 (62%) |
| Large Project (50K lines) | $2.38 | $6.21 | GPT-3.5 Turbo saves $3.83 (62%) |
| Code Review (5K lines) | $0.13 | $0.32 | GPT-3.5 Turbo saves $0.20 (61%) |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| GPT-3.5 Turbo | 40 | $0.013/pt | Better value |
| Claude 4 Haiku | 55 | $0.015/pt | Higher cost per point |
GPT-3.5 Turbo delivers the best value at $0.013 per score point.
Strengths & Weaknesses
GPT-3.5 Turbo
- + Ultra-cheap
- + Very fast
- - Basic coding only
Claude 4 Haiku
- + Fast
- + Good value
- + Improved over 3.5 Haiku
- - Limited reasoning depth
Verdict
GPT-3.5 Turbo is cheaper at $0.500/M, but Claude 4 Haiku scores higher on benchmarks (55 vs 40).
Choose GPT-3.5 Turbo for cost-sensitive projects, Claude 4 Haiku 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.