Model Comparison

Claude 3 Opus vs Claude Sonnet 4

Claude Sonnet 4 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Claude Sonnet 4 is 5.0x cheaper per token.

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Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

1 benchmarks

Claude 3 Opus outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while Claude Sonnet 4 is better at 1 benchmark (GPQA).

Claude Sonnet 4 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Mon May 11 2026 • llm-stats.com

Arena Performance

Human preference votes

Pricing Analysis

Price comparison per million tokens

Claude Sonnet 4 costs less

For input processing, Claude 3 Opus ($15.00/1M tokens) is 5.0x more expensive than Claude Sonnet 4 ($3.00/1M tokens).

For output processing, Claude 3 Opus ($75.00/1M tokens) is 5.0x more expensive than Claude Sonnet 4 ($15.00/1M tokens).

In conclusion, Claude 3 Opus is more expensive than Claude Sonnet 4.*

* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens

Lowest available price from all providers
Mon May 11 2026 • llm-stats.com
Anthropic
Claude 3 Opus
Input tokens$15.00
Output tokens$75.00
Best providerAnthropic
Anthropic
Claude Sonnet 4
Input tokens$3.00
Output tokens$15.00
Best providerAnthropic
Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue→

Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

Both models have the same input context window of 200,000 tokens. Claude 3 Opus can generate longer responses up to 200,000 tokens, while Claude Sonnet 4 is limited to 64,000 tokens.

Anthropic
Claude 3 Opus
Input200,000 tokens
Output200,000 tokens
Anthropic
Claude Sonnet 4
Input200,000 tokens
Output64,000 tokens
Mon May 11 2026 • llm-stats.com

Input Capabilities

Supported data types and modalities

Both Claude 3 Opus and Claude Sonnet 4 support multimodal inputs.

They are both capable of processing various types of data, offering versatility in application.

Claude 3 Opus

Text
Images
Audio
Video

Claude Sonnet 4

Text
Images
Audio
Video

License

Usage and distribution terms

Both models are licensed under proprietary licenses.

Both models have usage restrictions defined by their respective organizations.

Claude 3 Opus

Proprietary

Closed source

Claude Sonnet 4

Proprietary

Closed source

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

Claude 3 Opus was released on 2024-02-29, while Claude Sonnet 4 was released on 2025-05-22.

Claude Sonnet 4 is 15 months newer than Claude 3 Opus.

Claude 3 Opus

Feb 29, 2024

2.2 years ago

Claude Sonnet 4

May 22, 2025

11 months ago

1.2yr newer

Knowledge Cutoff

When training data ends

Neither model specifies a knowledge cutoff date.

Unable to compare the recency of their training data.

No cutoff dates available

Provider Availability

Claude 3 Opus is available from Anthropic, Bedrock, Google. Claude Sonnet 4 is available from Anthropic, Bedrock, Google.

Claude 3 Opus

anthropic logo
Anthropic
Input Price:Input: $15.00/1MOutput Price:Output: $75.00/1M
bedrock logo
AWS Bedrock
Input Price:Input: $15.00/1MOutput Price:Output: $75.00/1M
google logo
Google
Input Price:Input: $15.00/1MOutput Price:Output: $75.00/1M

Claude Sonnet 4

anthropic logo
Anthropic
Input Price:Input: $3.00/1MOutput Price:Output: $15.00/1M
bedrock logo
AWS Bedrock
Input Price:Input: $3.00/1MOutput Price:Output: $15.00/1M
google logo
Google
Input Price:Input: $3.00/1MOutput Price:Output: $15.00/1M
* Prices shown are per million tokens

Outputs Comparison

Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue discussion→

Key Takeaways

Anthropic

No standout differentiators in the data we have for this pair.

Anthropic
Less expensive input tokens
Less expensive output tokens
Higher GPQA score (75.4% vs 50.4%)
AnthropicClaude 3 Opus
AnthropicClaude Sonnet 4
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Detailed Comparison

AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
Anthropic
Claude 3 Opus
Anthropic
Claude Sonnet 4

FAQ

Common questions about Claude 3 Opus vs Claude Sonnet 4.

Which is better, Claude 3 Opus or Claude Sonnet 4?

Claude Sonnet 4 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Claude 3 Opus is made by Anthropic and Claude Sonnet 4 is made by Anthropic. The best choice depends on your use case — compare their benchmark scores, pricing, and capabilities above.

How does Claude 3 Opus compare to Claude Sonnet 4 in benchmarks?

Claude 3 Opus scores ARC-C: 96.4%, HellaSwag: 95.4%, GSM8k: 95.0%, MGSM: 90.7%, BIG-Bench Hard: 86.8%. Claude Sonnet 4 scores MMMLU: 86.5%, TAU-bench Retail: 80.5%, GPQA: 75.4%, MMMU: 74.4%, SWE-Bench Verified: 72.7%.

Is Claude 3 Opus cheaper than Claude Sonnet 4?

Claude Sonnet 4 is 5.0x cheaper for input tokens. Claude 3 Opus costs $15.00/M input and $75.00/M output via anthropic. Claude Sonnet 4 costs $3.00/M input and $15.00/M output via anthropic.

What are the context window sizes for Claude 3 Opus and Claude Sonnet 4?

Claude 3 Opus supports 200K tokens and Claude Sonnet 4 supports 200K tokens. A larger context window lets you process longer documents, conversations, or codebases in a single request.

What are the main differences between Claude 3 Opus and Claude Sonnet 4?

Key differences include input pricing ($15.00 vs $3.00/M). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.