Beam 1.0 501B A23B vs Claude Opus 5.5
Pricing, context window and real answers (October 2026)
Beam 1.0 501B A23B (Reflection AI) and Claude Opus 5.5 (Anthropic), compared as you can actually call them on FastMetal. Both are served from the same OpenAI-compatible endpoint and API key; switching is a change to the model string.
Specs and pricing
| Beam 1.0 501B A23B |  Claude Opus 5.5 | |
|---|---|---|
| Provider | Reflection AI | Anthropic |
| Input (per 1M tokens) | $0.422 | $4.22 |
| Output (per 1M tokens) | $1.27 | $21.10 |
| Typical cost (1,000 in + 500 out tokens × 1,000 calls) | $1.06 | $14.77 |
| Context window | 1,048,576 tokens | 1,000,000 tokens |
| Release date | 10/16/2026 | 9/22/2026 |
| Input modalities | text | text, image, file |
| Throughput (p50) | — | 166 tokens/s (n=26) |
| Arena · overall | Unranked | #3 · ELO 1,508 |
| Arena · Japanese | Unranked | Unranked |
| Arena · coding | Unranked | #6 · ELO 1,548 |
Prices are FastMetal's rates, before tax.
Rankings: LMArena leaderboard dataset (lmarena-ai/leaderboard-dataset), CC BY 4.0, snapshot 2026-10-15; category names mapped and ratings rounded by FastMetal.
Which should you pick?
- On price, Beam 1.0 501B A23B: $1.27 per 1M output tokens, 94% less than Claude Opus 5.5.
- For long documents, Beam 1.0 501B A23B: a 1,048,576-token context window against 1,000,000 for Claude Opus 5.5.
- If in doubt, try both on the same key. Switching is a change to the model string, and each is billed at its own rate.
Real answers to the same prompts
Exactly what the FastMetal gateway returned, side by side. Not benchmark scores: actual output.
Count the number of 'r's in 'strawberry'
Count the number of 'r's in 'strawberry'. Explain your reasoning step by step.
Beam 1.0 501B A23B
The word “strawberry” is spelled:
s - t - r - a - w - b - e - r - r - y
The letter “r” appears in these positions:
- s**r**awberry (1st r)
- strawbe**r**ry (2nd r)
- strawber**r**y (3rd r)
Therefore, there are **3** r's in “strawberry.”
7.6s278 output tokens
Claude Opus 5.5
# Counting 'r's in "strawberry"
**Step 1: Spell out the word letter by letter.**
| Position | Letter |
|----------|--------|
| 1 | s |
| 2 | t |
| 3 | **r** ← |
| 4 | a |
| 5 | w |
| 6 | b |
| 7 | e |
| 8 | **r** ← |
| 9 | **r** ← |
| 10 | y |
**Step 2: Mark each 'r'.**
- Position 3: the "r" in "st**r**aw"
- Positions 8 and 9: the double "rr" in "be**rr**y"
**Step 3: Add them up.**
1 (in "straw") + 2 (in "berry") = **3**
**Answer: There are 3 'r's in "strawberry."**
A common mistake is to count only 2, because the double "rr" in "berry" can be read as a single sound. Breaking the word into its parts, "straw" + "berry," makes all three easy to see.
5.4s376 output tokens
Debug This Error
I'm getting the following error in my Node.js application: TypeError: Cannot read properties of undefined (reading 'map') at UserList (/app/components/UserList.js:12:25) at renderWithHooks (/app/node_modules/rea…
Beam 1.0 501B A23B
The error means `users` is `undefined` when `UserList` renders, so calling `.map` on `undefined` throws.
### Common causes
1. Parent renders `<UserList />` without a `users` prop.
2. Parent passes `users={data}` where `data` is still `undefined` (e.g., fetch not resolved).
3. Destructured prop name mismatch.
### Fixes
**1. Default the prop**
```js
function UserList({ users = [] }) {
return (
<ul>
{users.map(user => <li key={user.id}>{user.name}</li>)}
</ul>
);
}
```
**2. Guard in JSX**
```js
{Array.isArray(users) && users.map(user => <li key={user.id}>{user.name}</li>)}
```
**3. Optional chaining**
```js
{users?.map(user => <li key={user.id}>{user.name}</li>)}
```
Note…
12.8s414 output tokens
Claude Opus 5.5
## What's causing it
The error means `users` is `undefined` when `UserList` renders, so `users.map(...)` fails. The component itself is fine. The problem is the value it receives from its parent. Common reasons:
1. **Async data hasn't loaded yet.** This is the most common cause. The parent fetches users from an API, and on the first render the state is still `undefined`:
```jsx
const [users, setUsers] = useState(); // undefined on first render
useEffect(() => {
fetch('/api/users').then(r => r.json()).then(setUsers);
}, []);
return <UserList users={users} />; // crashes before fetch completes
```
2. **The prop isn't being passed**, or has a different name:
```js…
10.9s1040 output tokens
Code Review
Please review the following Python function and suggest improvements for readability, performance, and best practices: def get_data(url, retries=3): import requests import time for i in range(retries):…
Beam 1.0 501B A23B
Here are some key issues and improvements:
### Main issues in the original
- **Imports inside the function** run on every call and hurt readability.
- **Bare `except:`** catches `KeyboardInterrupt`, `SystemExit`, and programming errors.
- **Retries every non-200 response**, including `404`/`400`, which usually should not be retried.
- **`item["active"] == True`** can raise `KeyError` and is stricter than necessary unless you truly need exact boolean equality.
- **Fixed sleep and unnecessary final sleep** before returning.
- **Repeated `item["name"]` / `item["id"]`** lookups are slightly slower and less clean than a comprehension.
- No handling/validation for malformed JSON or non-list respo…
16.8s1927 output tokens
Claude Opus 5.5
# Code Review: `get_data`
The function works in the happy path, but it has several issues that can hide bugs, waste time, and make failures hard to diagnose.
## Issues
### 🔴 Correctness and Reliability
**1. The bare `except:` is the most serious problem.**
It catches everything, including `KeyboardInterrupt`, `SystemExit`, and bugs in your own code. For example, if an item is missing the `"name"` key, the resulting `KeyError` gets swallowed and the request is retried as if it were a network error. The same happens with invalid JSON. Catch only the exceptions you expect, such as `requests.ConnectionError` and `requests.Timeout`.
**2. Failure is indistinguishable from "no results."**
Ret…
33.5s4023 output tokens
Frequently asked questions
- Which is cheaper, Beam 1.0 501B A23B or Claude Opus 5.5?
- Per 1M output tokens, Beam 1.0 501B A23B is $1.27 and Claude Opus 5.5 is $21.10 on FastMetal (US dollars, before tax), so Beam 1.0 501B A23B is cheaper.
- How do the context windows of Beam 1.0 501B A23B and Claude Opus 5.5 compare?
- Beam 1.0 501B A23B takes 1,048,576 tokens; Claude Opus 5.5 takes 1,000,000.
- Can I use Beam 1.0 501B A23B and Claude Opus 5.5 with the same API key?
- Yes. On FastMetal's OpenAI-compatible endpoint, switch by passing "beam-1.0" or "anthropic-claude-opus-5-5" as the model. Each is billed at its own rate from the same prepaid balance.
Try both on one API key
Create an account and add credit to call Beam 1.0 501B A23B and Claude Opus 5.5 from the browser chat and the API. No monthly fee.