Claude’s tokenizer makes TypeScript 73% costlier than GPT
Claude's newest tokenizer turns the same TypeScript code into up to 73% more tokens than GPT, inflating the effective cost despite identical list prices. The analysis shows Opus 4.8 and Sonnet 5 charge the same per‑token rates but behave like $7.5/$37.5 for Opus and $4.5/$22.5 for Sonnet after accounting for token bloat. This reshapes budgeting for AI‑assisted development.