Anthropic Launches Cheaper Claude Sonnet 5 Before IPO

Anthropic has released Claude Sonnet 5, promising near-flagship AI performance at mid-tier prices. The model becomes the default for Free and Pro plan users, with introductory API pricing of $2 per million input tokens and $10 per million output tokens through August 31, rising modestly after that. The launch comes as Anthropic races toward a high-profile IPO that will test whether sky-high private AI valuations hold up under public market scrutiny. Sonnet 5 is priced well below the company's premium Opus 4 model, signaling a clear push to attract cost-conscious enterprise developers.