GPT-4.1 vs Claude Opus 5.5: which is better?

Answer quality: the difference is clear

Claude Opus 5.5 is ahead in the current QueryWise ranking. It has 9.9 points versus 3.9 for GPT-4.1, while Claude Opus 5.5 holds first place with 9.9. GPT-4.1 ranks 34, whereas Claude Opus 5.5 is in 1 place.

This is more than a cosmetic difference. GPT-4.1 can be viewed as an affordable model with a particularly strong profile in specific areas: its coding score is 8.6, and its reasoning score is 5.1. Separate coding and reasoning scores for Claude Opus 5.5 have not yet been published, so assigning it specific values would be misleading. Its overall score nevertheless favors Claude.

Our practical takeaway is simple: for tasks requiring careful interpretation of requirements, long chains of reasoning, and fewer irrelevant digressions, choose Claude Opus 5.5. GPT-4.1 is the more rational choice when request volume is high and the budget is limited.

Price and speed in tenge

An average question sent to GPT-4.1 in QueryWise costs about 10 ₸. For Claude Opus 5.5, the estimate is 18 ₸. The difference becomes significant at scale: for example, analyzing a hundred short fragments costs noticeably more with Claude than with GPT-4.1.

We do not yet have enough telemetry to report the median speed of both models fairly: it is — for GPT-4.1 and — for Claude Opus 5.5. So we cannot promise that either model responds faster. The price is known; the speed is not yet conclusive.

For Kazakhstan, the practical choice looks like this. If you need to draft client replies in one evening or classify a large stream of short messages, GPT-4.1 is more economical. When a single question is valuable in its own right—such as reviewing contract terms or preparing a technical plan—the premium for Claude Opus 5.5 is justified if output quality is the priority.

Context and task types

The two models have contexts of 1M and 1M, respectively. These are the same capacity, so neither model wins on stated context size. You can upload a large contract, several code files, or a long conversation without immediately splitting it into smaller pieces.

GPT-4.1 is the more logical choice for programming. Its coding score is 8.6, giving it a concrete advantage in the available subscore comparison. For example, if you ask, “Find the bug in this function, explain the cause, and suggest a fix without changing the public interface,” GPT-4.1 is worth testing first: the model profile directly confirms its coding strength.

Claude Opus 5.5 is better suited to tasks that require preserving the meaning of a large body of material: comparing provisions in two documents, finding contradictions in requirements, or breaking a complex question down step by step. Here, we rely on its lead in the overall ranking rather than inventing a separate reasoning score.

For studying, the better choice depends on the format. GPT-4.1 is more cost-effective for a short explanation of an SQL or Python error. A topic involving multiple conditions, arguments, and exceptions is better assigned to Claude Opus 5.5, followed by a fact-check against a textbook or primary source. No model replaces a teacher, doctor, lawyer, or financial adviser.

How they compare side by side in QueryWise

In QueryWise, you can run both models on the same question and see where their answers agree or diverge. This is more useful than marketing copy: try asking, for example, “Compare two lease agreements and list the clauses that need clarification.” Claude may provide a more coherent analysis, while GPT-4.1 may return a concise list with a convenient structure. Legal conclusions should still be reviewed by a qualified professional.

Three free questions at signup let you try both models without paying immediately. The QueryWise interface is available in Russian and Kazakh, and payments can be made in tenge.

Our honest verdict

Claude Opus 5.5 wins on the current score. For complex questions, long documents, and tasks requiring coherent reasoning, choose Claude Opus 5.5. It costs more: 18 ₸ versus 10 ₸ for an average question sent to GPT-4.1.

GPT-4.1 is the choice for coding and economical everyday use. Its 8.6 coding score matters more than the overall table if you need to fix functions quickly, write tests, or investigate errors. But when overall quality is compared, Claude Opus 5.5 remains ahead, with the ranking leader posting 9.9. Check answers either way: QueryWise helps you compare models, but it does not replace human review.