Claude Opus 4.5 vs Dolphin 2.9.3 72B

Compare Claude Opus 4.5 and Dolphin 2.9.3 72B: pricing, performance, context window, latency, and best use cases. Side-by-side comparison on XALEN.

Updated 2026-05-21 · By Abhishek Raj · Our methodology

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Feature Claude Opus 4.5 Dolphin 2.9.3 72B
CategoryFrontierOpen Source
Parameters~2.5T72B
Context Window200K128K
Input Price$0.15/1M tokens$0.04/1M tokens
Output Price$0.75/1M tokens$0.08/1M tokens
Latency~900ms~350ms

Choose Claude Opus 4.5 when:

  • ✓ Creative writing
  • ✓ Complex analysis
  • ✓ Research
Key Strengths:

Superior creativity, Nuanced reasoning, Complex analysis

Choose Dolphin 2.9.3 72B when:

  • ✓ Creative writing
  • ✓ Unrestricted generation
  • ✓ Research
Key Strengths:

Uncensored, Strong instruction following, Versatile

Verdict: Claude Opus 4.5 vs Dolphin 2.9.3 72B

For cost efficiency, Dolphin 2.9.3 72B wins at $0.04/1M input tokens. For speed, Dolphin 2.9.3 72B is faster at ~350ms. Claude Opus 4.5 excels at Creative writing while Dolphin 2.9.3 72B is better for Creative writing. Both are available on XALEN through a single API — try them in the Playground to see which fits your workload.

Detailed Analysis

Pricing Comparison

Claude Opus 4.5 costs $0.15/1M input tokens and $0.75/1M output tokens. Dolphin 2.9.3 72B costs $0.04 input and $0.08 output. Dolphin 2.9.3 72B is 3.8x cheaper on input tokens. XALEN offers batch processing at 50% discount on both models.

Performance & Context

Claude Opus 4.5 has a 200K context window with ~900ms latency. Dolphin 2.9.3 72B offers 128K context at ~350ms. Claude Opus 4.5 has the larger context window.

Best For

Claude Opus 4.5 (Frontier) is optimized for: Creative writing, Complex analysis, Research. Dolphin 2.9.3 72B (Open Source) works best for: Creative writing, Unrestricted generation, Research.

Try Both on XALEN

Both models are available through XALEN's OpenAI-compatible API. Switch between them by changing the model parameter:

from xalen import XALEN

client = XALEN(api_key="xln_test_YOUR_KEY")

# Use Claude Opus 4.5
response_a = client.chat.completions.create(
    model="claude-opus-4-5",
    messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "Your question here"}]
)

# Use Dolphin 2.9.3 72B
response_b = client.chat.completions.create(
    model="dolphin-2-9-3-72b",
    messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "Your question here"}]
)

Start Building with XALEN

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Get API Key Try in Playground

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is better, Claude Opus 4.5 or Dolphin 2.9.3 72B?

Claude Opus 4.5 (Frontier, ~2.5T) offers Superior creativity. Dolphin 2.9.3 72B (Open Source, 72B) offers Uncensored. Choose Claude Opus 4.5 for Creative writing or Dolphin 2.9.3 72B for Creative writing.

How much does Claude Opus 4.5 cost vs Dolphin 2.9.3 72B?

Claude Opus 4.5: $0.15/1M input, $0.75/1M output. Dolphin 2.9.3 72B: $0.04/1M input, $0.08/1M output. Both available on XALEN with batch processing at 50% discount.

Can I use both models on XALEN?

Yes. XALEN provides 200+ models through a single OpenAI-compatible API. Switch between Claude Opus 4.5 and Dolphin 2.9.3 72B by changing the model parameter. No code changes needed.

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Last updated: 2026-05-21. Pricing and specifications may change. Check pricing page for latest rates.