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Agentic AI  ·  15 Sep 2026  ·  2 min read

Claude

Claude is a family of large language models made by Anthropic, available as a web and mobile assistant, a developer API, and through cloud marketplaces. Tiers run Opus, Sonnet and Haiku, from most capable to fastest.

Made by Anthropic

at a glance
Maker
Anthropic
Category
Model family
Tiers
Opus, Sonnet, Haiku
Interfaces
Web, mobile, desktop
Developer API
Yes
Related tools
Claude Code, Cowork
Status
Generally available

Check current pricing with the vendor. Rates change often and we do not republish them.

what it does

One family, three sizes

The tiers trade capability against cost and speed. Opus is the most capable and the slowest, Sonnet is the general-purpose default, Haiku is the fastest and cheapest. The same models are reachable from the consumer apps and from the API, so a team can prototype in the interface and then ship against the endpoint without changing model.

choosing a tier

Start at Sonnet, move outward

The common mistake is standardising on the largest tier before measuring. Start at the middle tier, then move up only for the specific steps that fail and down for the high-volume steps that do not need it. In agentic workloads the planner often needs the top tier while the tool-formatting steps do not.

what to check

Before you standardise on it

  1. What are the data retention and training terms on your specific contract tier, in writing?
  2. Direct contract or cloud marketplace? It changes who you escalate to when something breaks.
  3. What does a tier change cost in engineering time, not just in rate per token?
  4. What is your migration path to a different provider, and has anyone tested it?

firms that build on it

Who we have seen deliver on Claude

A

Aulric Labs

Agent platform, model-agnostic tool layer
London
Agentic AI
›


T

Tredence

Analytics-adjacent agents and copilots
San Jose
Customer analytics
›


M

Marlowe AI

Document-heavy LLM applications
Bengaluru
Generative AI
›

Questions people ask

Who makes Claude?

Anthropic, a public benefit corporation founded in 2021 and based in San Francisco.

What are the Claude tiers?

Opus, Sonnet and Haiku, ordered from most capable to fastest and cheapest. All three are available via the API and the apps.

Which tier should we use for agents?

Usually the top tier for the planner and a cheaper tier for the mechanical steps. Standardising on one tier for the whole pipeline is the expensive mistake.

Does Claude have a developer API?

Yes, with the same model family available through it as through the consumer and team interfaces.
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