---
title: "GPT 5 for OpenClaw: Pricing, Setup, and What It's Good At"
description: "Everything you need to know about using GPT 5 with OpenClaw. Costs $1.25/M input, $10/M output. 272K context window. Here's when to use it and when to pick something else."
date: 2026-03-12
updatedDate: 2026-03-12
image: /images/models/provider-openai-hero.jpg
keywords: "gpt 5 openclaw, gpt 5 pricing, gpt 5 review, openai openclaw, gpt 5 api"
category: model-guide
modelData:
  provider: "OpenAI"
  provider_slug: "openai"
  full_id: "openai/gpt-5"
  input_cost_per_1m: 1.25
  output_cost_per_1m: 10
  max_input_tokens: 272000
  max_output_tokens: 128000
  features: ["function_calling", "vision", "reasoning"]
  parameter_count: null
  architecture: null
  license: null
faq:
  - question: "How large is the context window?"
    answer: "GPT-5 supports 272K input tokens and up to 128K output tokens."
  - question: "What is the cost?"
    answer: "Input costs $1.25 per million tokens while output costs $10 per million tokens."
---

Current as of March 2026. GPT-5 is OpenAI's top general-purpose model right now — native reasoning, 272K context, and a 128K output ceiling that's genuinely useful for code generation. The $10/M output cost is the thing most teams choke on.

## Specs

| | |
|---|---|
| **Provider** | OpenAI |
| **Input cost** | $1.25 / M tokens |
| **Output cost** | $10 / M tokens |
| **Context window** | 272K tokens |
| **Max output** | 128K tokens |
| **Parameters** | N/A |
| **Features** | function_calling, vision, reasoning |

## What it's good at

#### Reasoning Depth

The built-in reasoning cuts down on hallucinations for complex multi-step workflows. Tasks that cause GPT-4o to hallucinate steps — things like long dependency chains or cross-file refactors — tend to hold up better here.

#### Large Output Window

128K max output is rare. You can generate entire project structures, long specs, or comprehensive test suites in one call instead of chunking and reassembling.

## Where it falls short

#### Latency

Reasoning adds real wait time before the first token appears. Fine for batch workflows, painful for anything interactive.

#### Output Pricing

The 8:1 output-to-input price ratio ($10 vs $1.25) bites hard if your agents generate verbose responses. Profile your actual output token usage before committing.

## Best use cases with OpenClaw

- **Agentic Coding** — A 272K context window is large enough to feed in substantial portions of a real codebase for refactoring or review.
- **Complex Logic Tasks** — Deep planning, constraint satisfaction, multi-step derivations. This is where the reasoning pays for itself.

## Not ideal for

- **Simple Tasks** — Running basic classification or summarization through GPT-5 is burning money. Use GPT-4o-mini.
- **Real-time Interfaces** — The reasoning delay makes it a bad fit for anything where users expect fast responses.

## Run it through Haimaker

Skip juggling API keys. One Haimaker key gives you access to every model on the platform. Tell OpenClaw:

```
Add Haimaker as a custom provider to my OpenClaw config. Use these details:

- Provider name: haimaker
- Base URL: https://api.haimaker.ai/v1
- API key: [PASTE YOUR HAIMAKER API KEY HERE]
- API type: openai-completions

Add the auto-router model:
- haimaker/auto (reasoning: false, context: 128000, max tokens: 32000)

Create an alias "auto" for easy switching. Apply the config when done.
```

Or skip model selection entirely — Haimaker's [auto-router](/blog/openclaw-auto-router-setup/) picks the best model for each task so you don't have to.

## OpenClaw setup

Set OPENAI_API_KEY and OpenClaw handles the rest.

```bash
export OPENAI_API_KEY="your-key-here"
```

That's it. OpenClaw picks up OpenAI models automatically.

## How it compares

- **vs Claude 3.5 Sonnet** — Claude is faster and better for creative tasks; GPT-5 has a larger context window and stronger reasoning for engineering problems.
- **vs GPT-4o** — GPT-4o is faster and cheaper for high-throughput work. Use GPT-5 when the task actually needs to think.

## Bottom line

GPT-5 earns its price tag on genuinely hard reasoning tasks. For everything else, the math doesn't work out.

<a href="https://app.haimaker.ai/sign-up?utm_source=model_guide&utm_medium=cta&utm_campaign=gpt-5-openclaw" class="cta-button">TRY GPT 5 ON HAIMAKER</a>

---

*For setup instructions, see our [API key guide](/blog/openclaw-api-key-setup). For all available models, see the [complete models guide](/blog/best-models-for-openclaw).*