Best Claude model for everyday work
For everyday work with Claude, use Sonnet 5.5 at low effort.
Sonnet 5.5 at low effort
Low efforteffort = low
Handles emails, drafts and quick questions well, and low effort keeps it fast and cheap. For thousands of these in an automation, use Haiku 5.5.
How it compares
Prices are in US dollars per million tokens, input then output. Sonnet 5.5 costs $2 / $10.
| Model | Price | Against the pick |
|---|---|---|
| Haiku 5.5 | $0.10 / $0.50 | 20x cheaper and built for bulk sorting and extraction. For text people will read, Sonnet's extra pennies pay off. |
| Opus 5.5 | $4 / $20 | Twice the price, and slower, for a two-line reply. |
| Fable 5.1 | $10 / $50 | The slowest option, at five times the price. Too much for everyday work. |
Setting it in the API
In an API request, set the model and effort like this:
model: "claude-sonnet-5-5", output_config: { effort: "low" }
Maintained by the AI team at Vegan Hacktivists
Prices are per million tokens, input / output. We pick for the best result per dollar, so a pricier model can score higher and still lose out. This pick last changed Oct 9, 2026. Sources: Anthropic docs, OpenAI docs, Gemini docs, Artificial Analysis, Vals AI.Last checked Oct 12, 2026.
Other picks
Claude for code, research, agents and automations.
Other labs for everyday work: OpenAI, Gemini.
Open the interactive picker to switch between labs and tasks.
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