Claude 3 Sonnet vs o4-mini
o4-mini leads the LLM Stats Score 27.5 to 1.7. o4-mini is 3.1x cheaper per token.
Anthropic · OpenAI · Updated for 2026
Which is better?
o4-mini leads the overall LLM Stats Score 27.5 to 1.7, ranking #151 overall.
In the 1 individual benchmarks reported for both models, o4-mini wins 1; this is a narrower head-to-head signal than the composite indexes.
On price, o4-mini is roughly 3.1x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.
Based on current LLM Stats indexes, shared benchmarks, pricing, and model metadata for 2026.
Choose Claude 3 Sonnet
- you want predictable pricing at $3.00/M input and $15.00/M output
Choose o4-mini
- overall performance matters — it scores 27.5 and ranks #151 on LLM Stats
- your work emphasizes reasoning — it leads those capability indexes
- you value its reported benchmark strengths — it wins 1 of 1 exact shared results
- cost matters — it's about 3.1x cheaper per token
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Apr 2025
At a glance
The differences that matter most.
Capability indexes
Additional strengths measured across groups of related public benchmarks
Individual benchmarks
11 reported for Claude 3 Sonnet · 14 for o4-mini
Claude 3 Sonnet outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while o4-mini is better at 1 benchmark (GPQA).
o4-mini significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
Human preference
Blind head-to-head votes and playground preference scores
Pricing Analysis
Price comparison per million tokens
For input processing, Claude 3 Sonnet ($3.00/1M tokens) is 2.7x more expensive than o4-mini ($1.10/1M tokens).
For output processing, Claude 3 Sonnet ($15.00/1M tokens) is 3.4x more expensive than o4-mini ($4.40/1M tokens).
In conclusion, Claude 3 Sonnet is more expensive than o4-mini.*
* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
Both models have the same input context window of 200,000 tokens. Claude 3 Sonnet can generate longer responses up to 200,000 tokens, while o4-mini is limited to 100,000 tokens.
Input capabilities
Documented input modalities across available providers
Both Claude 3 Sonnet and o4-mini support multimodal inputs.
They are both capable of processing various types of data, offering versatility in application.
Claude 3 Sonnet
o4-mini
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 o4-mini was released on 2025-04-16.
o4-mini is 14 months newer than Claude 3 Sonnet.
Feb 29, 2024
2.6 years ago
Apr 16, 2025
1.5 years ago
1.1yr newerKnowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
o4-mini has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2024-05-31, while Claude 3 Sonnet's cutoff date is not specified.
We can confirm o4-mini's training data extends to 2024-05-31, but cannot make a direct comparison without Claude 3 Sonnet's cutoff date.
—
May 2024
Provider Availability
Claude 3 Sonnet is available from Anthropic, Bedrock, Google. o4-mini is available from OpenAI.
Claude 3 Sonnet
o4-mini
Outputs Comparison
Judge for yourself.
Run your own prompts against Claude 3 Sonnet and o4-mini side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.
FAQ
Common questions about Claude 3 Sonnet vs o4-mini.