Model Comparison
Claude 3 Sonnet vs GPT-5.6 SolWhich is better in 2026?
GPT-5.6 Sol significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Claude 3 Sonnet is 1.9x cheaper per token.
Verdict: Claude 3 Sonnet vs GPT-5.6 Sol — which is better?
Claude 3 Sonnet (by Anthropic) and GPT-5.6 Sol (by OpenAI) are two of the AI models people compare most. Here is how they stack up on benchmarks, price and capabilities, and which one to pick in 2026.
Claude 3 Sonnet outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while GPT-5.6 Sol is better at 1 benchmark (GPQA). GPT-5.6 Sol significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
On price, Claude 3 Sonnet is roughly 1.9x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.
GPT-5.6 Sol also accepts a larger context window (1,050,000 input tokens), making it the stronger choice for long documents and large codebases.
Choose Claude 3 Sonnet if…
- cost matters — it's about 1.9x cheaper per token
Choose GPT-5.6 Sol if…
- you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 1 of 1 shared benchmarks
- you process long inputs — it offers a 1,050,000 token context window
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Jul 2026
Performance Benchmarks
Comparative analysis across standard metrics
Claude 3 Sonnet outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while GPT-5.6 Sol is better at 1 benchmark (GPQA).
GPT-5.6 Sol significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
Arena Performance
Human preference votes
Pricing Analysis
Price comparison per million tokens
For input processing, Claude 3 Sonnet ($3.00/1M tokens) is 1.7x cheaper than GPT-5.6 Sol ($5.00/1M tokens).
For output processing, Claude 3 Sonnet ($15.00/1M tokens) is 2.0x cheaper than GPT-5.6 Sol ($30.00/1M tokens).
In conclusion, GPT-5.6 Sol is more expensive than Claude 3 Sonnet.*
* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
GPT-5.6 Sol accepts 1,050,000 input tokens compared to Claude 3 Sonnet's 200,000 tokens. Claude 3 Sonnet can generate longer responses up to 200,000 tokens, while GPT-5.6 Sol is limited to 128,000 tokens.
Input Capabilities
Supported data types and modalities
Both Claude 3 Sonnet and GPT-5.6 Sol support multimodal inputs.
They are both capable of processing various types of data, offering versatility in application.
Claude 3 Sonnet
GPT-5.6 Sol
License
Usage and distribution terms
Both models are licensed under proprietary licenses.
Both models have usage restrictions defined by their respective organizations.
Proprietary
Closed source
Proprietary
Closed source
Release Timeline
When each model was launched
Claude 3 Sonnet was released on 2024-02-29, while GPT-5.6 Sol was released on 2026-07-09.
GPT-5.6 Sol is 29 months newer than Claude 3 Sonnet.
Feb 29, 2024
2.4 years ago
Jul 9, 2026
1 weeks ago
2.4yr newerKnowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
GPT-5.6 Sol has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2026-02-16, while Claude 3 Sonnet's cutoff date is not specified.
We can confirm GPT-5.6 Sol's training data extends to 2026-02-16, but cannot make a direct comparison without Claude 3 Sonnet's cutoff date.
—
Feb 2026
Provider Availability
Claude 3 Sonnet is available from Anthropic, Bedrock, Google. GPT-5.6 Sol is available from OpenAI.
Claude 3 Sonnet
GPT-5.6 Sol
Outputs Comparison
Key Takeaways
Claude 3 Sonnet
View detailsAnthropic
GPT-5.6 Sol
View detailsOpenAI
Detailed Comparison
Interactive Arena
Judge for yourself.
Run your own prompts against Claude 3 Sonnet and GPT-5.6 Sol side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.
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FAQ
Common questions about Claude 3 Sonnet vs GPT-5.6 Sol.