Claude Haiku 5.5 vs Solar Mini 4
Pricing, context window and real answers (October 2026)
Claude Haiku 5.5 (Anthropic) and Solar Mini 4 (Upstage), 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
 Claude Haiku 5.5 | Solar Mini 4 | |
|---|---|---|
| Provider | Anthropic | Upstage |
| Input (per 1M tokens) | $0.1055 | $0.055 |
| Output (per 1M tokens) | $0.5275 | $0.22 |
| Typical cost (1,000 in + 500 out tokens × 1,000 calls) | $0.3693 | $0.165 |
| Context window | 1,000,000 tokens | 524,288 tokens |
| Release date | 10/7/2026 | 9/23/2026 |
| Input modalities | text, image, file | text |
| Throughput (p50) | — | — |
| Arena · overall | Unranked | Unranked |
| Arena · Japanese | Unranked | Unranked |
| Arena · coding | Unranked | Unranked |
Prices are FastMetal's rates, before tax.
Rankings: LMArena leaderboard dataset (lmarena-ai/leaderboard-dataset), CC BY 4.0, snapshot 2026-10-02; category names mapped and ratings rounded by FastMetal.
Which should you pick?
- On price, Solar Mini 4: $0.22 per 1M output tokens, 58% less than Claude Haiku 5.5.
- For long documents, Claude Haiku 5.5: a 1,000,000-token context window against 524,288 for Solar Mini 4.
- 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 Haiku 5.5
There are **3** r's in "strawberry."
1. **Spell out the word:** s, t, r, a, w, b, e, r, r, y
2. **Go through each letter and count the r's:**
- Position 3: **r** (count = 1)
- Position 8: **r** (count = 2)
- Position 9: **r** (count = 3)
3. **Check the rest:** s, t, a, w, b, e, and y are not r's.
Total: **3**
2.4s200 output tokens
Solar Mini 4
Sure! Let’s count the letter **'r'** in the word **'strawberry'** step by step.
**Step 1: Write out the word and its letters**
`s t r a w b e r r y`
**Step 2: Go through each letter one by one and check if it is 'r'**
1. `s` → not 'r'
2. `t` → not 'r'
3. `r` → **yes** (1st 'r')
4. `a` → not 'r'
5. `w` → not 'r'
6. `b` → not 'r'
7. `e` → not 'r'
8. `r` → **yes** (2nd 'r')
9. `r` → **yes** (3rd 'r')
10. `y` → not 'r'
**Step 3: Tally the total**
Total 'r' count = 3
**Final answer:** There are **3** letter 'r's in the word **'strawberry'**.
2.5s239 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 Haiku 5.5
The error means `users` is `undefined` when `UserList` renders, so `.map` is called on nothing. The component destructures the `users` prop, but the parent didn't pass it, or passed `undefined`.
## Common causes
**1. The parent doesn't pass the prop, or uses a different name**
```jsx
<UserList /> // users is undefined
<UserList user={users} /> // wrong name: "user" instead of "users"
```
**2. The data hasn't loaded yet (most common with fetched data)**
```jsx
function App() {
const [users, setUsers] = useState(); // undefined initially
useEffect(() => {
fetch('/api/users').then(r => r.json()).then(setUsers);
}, []);
return <UserList users={users} />;…
5.1s888 output tokens
Solar Mini 4
This error occurs because the `users` prop being passed to your `UserList` component is `undefined` (or the component is rendered without that prop), and your code tries to call `.map()` on it.
### 🔍 Why this happens
In JavaScript, `undefined.map` is not a function, so calling it throws:
```
TypeError: Cannot read properties of undefined (reading 'map')
```
This commonly happens when:
- The parent component doesn't pass the `users` prop at all
- The parent passes `users` as `undefined`, `null`, or a non-array value (like a promise, object, or string)
- Data hasn't finished loading yet (e.g., fetched from an API asynchronously)
### ✅ How to fix it
The most robust solution is to provide a…
9.2s701 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 Haiku 5.5
## Issues
**Correctness and robustness**
1. **Bare `except:`** catches everything, including `KeyboardInterrupt` and `SystemExit`, so Ctrl+C may not stop the program. Catch specific exceptions: `requests.RequestException` for network problems and `ValueError` for invalid JSON.
2. **Retries non-retryable errors.** A 404 or 401 won't succeed on retry, so retrying wastes time. Only retry transient failures such as 429, 5xx, timeouts, and connection errors.
3. **Sleeps after the final attempt.** The loop sleeps even when no retry follows.
4. **Fixed sleep with no backoff.** Exponential backoff is the standard approach for retries.
5. **Silent failure.** Every failure returns `[]` with no loggin…
18.1s4096 output tokens
Solar Mini 4
Here’s a reviewed version of your function, followed by a breakdown of the improvements:
```python
import time
import requests
from requests.adapters import HTTPAdapter
from urllib3.util.retry import Retry
def get_data(url: str, retries: int = 3) -> list[dict]:
"""
Fetch JSON from a URL and return a list of active items with name/id.
Args:
url: The endpoint to request.
retries: Number of retry attempts on failure.
Returns:
A list of dicts matching {'name': str, 'id': any} for active items.
"""
if retries < 1:
raise ValueError("retries must be at least 1")
session = requests.Session()
retry_strategy = Retry(
total=re…
10.8s1278 output tokens
Frequently asked questions
- Which is cheaper, Claude Haiku 5.5 or Solar Mini 4?
- Per 1M output tokens, Claude Haiku 5.5 is $0.5275 and Solar Mini 4 is $0.22 on FastMetal (US dollars, before tax), so Solar Mini 4 is cheaper.
- How do the context windows of Claude Haiku 5.5 and Solar Mini 4 compare?
- Claude Haiku 5.5 takes 1,000,000 tokens; Solar Mini 4 takes 524,288.
- Can I use Claude Haiku 5.5 and Solar Mini 4 with the same API key?
- Yes. On FastMetal's OpenAI-compatible endpoint, switch by passing "anthropic-claude-haiku-5-5" or "solar-mini4" 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 Haiku 5.5 and Solar Mini 4 from the browser chat and the API. No monthly fee.