The openai and @anthropic-ai/sdk packages are official JavaScript/TypeScript clients for integrating leading large language models into your applications. OpenAI's SDK provides access to GPT-4 and its multimodal capabilities (text, images, audio, video), while Anthropic's SDK connects to Claude models known for extended context windows and safety-focused design. Both libraries offer modern async APIs, streaming support, and first-class TypeScript integration.
This comparison matters because choosing between these SDKs impacts not just API syntax but cost structure, model capabilities, and architectural decisions. OpenAI targets developers building versatile AI applications with broad ecosystem support and rapid prototyping needs. Anthropic appeals to teams prioritizing cost efficiency (70% cheaper in many scenarios), safety guardrails through Constitutional AI, and superior performance on coding, reasoning, and long-document tasks. The SDK you select will shape your application's capabilities and economics.
Choose openai if you're building customer-facing applications requiring multimodal capabilities, need extensive community support and third-party integrations, or want the fastest path from prototype to production. Its mature ecosystem, intuitive API design, and versatility make it the default choice for general-purpose AI features, especially when incorporating images, audio, or video. The broader community means you'll find solutions faster and have more hiring options for developers with relevant experience.
Choose @anthropic-ai/sdk when cost efficiency matters, you're processing large documents (legal, medical, technical documentation), building coding assistants, or require superior reasoning capabilities. Claude's 200K context window and prompt caching make it dramatically cheaper and more effective for applications with repeated context or long conversations. If your application is text-focused and demands high accuracy on complex reasoning, math, or code generation tasks, Anthropic's SDK provides measurably better results at lower cost. The safety-focused design also makes it preferable for regulated industries or ethically sensitive applications.