Model comparison

Claude Fable 5 vs Claude Opus 4.6

Pricing, context window and real answers (August 2026)

Claude Fable 5 (Anthropic) and Claude Opus 4.6 (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

anthropic logoClaude Fable 5anthropic logoClaude Opus 4.6
ProviderAnthropicAnthropic
Input (per 1M tokens)¥1,787¥850
Output (per 1M tokens)¥8,935¥4,200
Typical cost (1,000 in + 500 out tokens × 1,000 calls)¥6,255¥2,950
Context window1,000,000 tokens1,000,000 tokens
Release date6/9/20262/4/2026
Input modalitiestext, image, filetext, image
Arena · overall#1 · ELO 1,507#5 · ELO 1,497
Arena · Japanese#2 · ELO 1,526#16 · ELO 1,482
Arena · coding#3 · ELO 1,551#5 · ELO 1,546

Prices are FastMetal's yen rates before tax. Arena ranks are as of the latest leaderboard scrape.

Which should you pick?

  • On price, Claude Opus 4.6: ¥4,200 per 1M output tokens, 53% less than Claude Fable 5.
  • On the Overall arena board, Claude Fable 5 ranks higher (#1; Claude Opus 4.6 is #5).
  • On the Japanese arena board, Claude Fable 5 ranks higher (#2; Claude Opus 4.6 is #16).
  • On the Coding arena board, Claude Fable 5 ranks higher (#3; Claude Opus 4.6 is #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.

Claude Fable 5

# Counting 'r's in "strawberry" Let me spell out the word letter by letter and check each one: | Position | Letter | Is it 'r'? | |----------|--------|------------| | 1 | s | No | | 2 | t | No | | 3 | **r** | ✅ Yes (1st) | | 4 | a | No | | 5 | w | No | | 6 | b | No | | 7 | e | No | | 8 | **r** | ✅ Yes (2nd) | | 9 | **r** | ✅ Yes (3rd) | | 10 | y | No | ## Reasoning breakdown: - The word "strawberry" can be split into two parts: **straw** + **berry** - "straw" contains one 'r': st**r**aw - "berry" contains two 'r's: be**rr**y (a double-r) ## Answer: **3** There are **three 'r's** in "strawberry."
39.6s354 output tokens

Claude Opus 4.6

I need to count the number of 'r's in the word 'strawberry'. Let me go through it letter by letter. **s** - not an r **t** - not an r **r** - this is an r ✓ (count: 1) **a** - not an r **w** - not an r **b** - not an r **e** - not an r **r** - this is an r ✓ (count: 2) **r** - this is an r ✓ (count: 3) **y** - not an r There are **3** r's in 'strawberry'.
3.2s158 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…

Claude Fable 5

## Cause The error means that when `UserList` renders, the `users` prop is `undefined`, so calling `.map()` on it fails. This typically happens for one of these reasons: 1. **The parent isn't passing the prop** (or has a typo in the prop name): ```jsx <UserList /> // users is undefined <UserList user={users} /> // typo: "user" instead of "users" ``` 2. **Data is fetched asynchronously** — the component renders before the API call finishes, and the initial state is `undefined`: ```jsx const [users, setUsers] = useState(); // undefined initially! ``` ## Fixes **Option 1: Default parameter value** (quick fix) ```jsx function UserList({ users = [] }) { re…
51.3s686 output tokens

Claude Opus 4.6

# Understanding the Error The error `Cannot read properties of undefined (reading 'map')` means that **`users` is `undefined`** when the component renders. You're trying to call `.map()` on a value that doesn't exist yet. This typically happens when: - The parent component doesn't pass the `users` prop - The data is being fetched asynchronously and hasn't loaded yet - The prop name is misspelled ## Solutions ### 1. Add a Default Parameter Value (Simplest Fix) ```javascript function UserList({ users = [] }) { return ( <ul> {users.map(user => <li key={user.id}>{user.name}</li>)} </ul> ); } ``` ### 2. Add a Guard with Optional Chaining ```javascript function UserList({…
10.5s599 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):…

Claude Fable 5

# Code Review Your function works, but there are several issues worth addressing. Here's a breakdown by category: ## Issues Found ### 1. **Bare `except:` clause (critical)** This catches *everything*, including `KeyboardInterrupt`, `SystemExit`, and bugs like `KeyError` or `TypeError` in your own parsing code. You'll silently retry on programming errors and mask real problems. ### 2. **Imports inside the function** Imports belong at module level (PEP 8). Function-level imports add overhead on each call and hide dependencies. ### 3. **`== True` comparison** Use truthiness directly: `if item["active"]:` (PEP 8 explicitly recommends this). ### 4. **Silent failures** Returning `[]` on fail…
38.5s1528 output tokens

Claude Opus 4.6

# Code Review: `get_data` Function ## Original Issues Identified 1. **Imports inside function** – reduces clarity and adds per-call overhead 2. **Bare `except`** – catches everything including `KeyboardInterrupt` and `SystemExit` 3. **`== True` comparison** – non-Pythonic 4. **Manual list building** – could use a list comprehension 5. **No logging** – failures happen silently 6. **No response validation** – assumes JSON is always a list of dicts with specific keys 7. **Magic numbers** – `timeout=10`, `sleep(2)` unexplained 8. **Vague function/variable names** – `r`, `data`, `get_data` --- ## Improved Version ```python import logging import time from typing import Any import requests fr…
19.9s1223 output tokens

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Frequently asked questions

Which is cheaper, Claude Fable 5 or Claude Opus 4.6?
Per 1M output tokens, Claude Fable 5 is ¥8,935 and Claude Opus 4.6 is ¥4,200 on FastMetal (yen, before tax), so Claude Opus 4.6 is cheaper.
How do the context windows of Claude Fable 5 and Claude Opus 4.6 compare?
Claude Fable 5 takes 1,000,000 tokens; Claude Opus 4.6 takes 1,000,000.
Which ranks higher, Claude Fable 5 or Claude Opus 4.6?
Claude Fable 5 ranks higher on the public arena (Claude Fable 5 #2, Claude Opus 4.6 #16). Ranks move as the leaderboard updates.
Can I use Claude Fable 5 and Claude Opus 4.6 with the same API key?
Yes. On FastMetal's OpenAI-compatible endpoint, switch by passing "anthropic-claude-fable-5" or "anthropic-claude-opus-4-6" 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 Claude Fable 5 and Claude Opus 4.6 from the browser chat and the API. No monthly fee.

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