Model Comparison

Claude Sonnet 4 vs Claude 3 OpusWhich is better in 2026?

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

Verdict: Claude Sonnet 4 vs Claude 3 Opus — which is better?

Claude Sonnet 4 (by Anthropic) and Claude 3 Opus (by Anthropic) 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 Sonnet 4 outperforms in 1 benchmarks (GPQA), while Claude 3 Opus is better at 0 benchmarks. Claude Sonnet 4 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

On price, Claude Sonnet 4 is roughly 5.0x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.

Choose Claude Sonnet 4 if…

  • you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 1 of 1 shared benchmarks
  • cost matters — it's about 5.0x cheaper per token
  • you want the most recent training data — it shipped May 2025

Choose Claude 3 Opus if…

  • you want predictable pricing at $15.00/M input and $75.00/M output
Want to compare interactively?Try the playground

Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

1 benchmarks

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

Claude Sonnet 4 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Fri Jun 12 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 Sonnet 4 ($3.00/1M tokens) is 5.0x cheaper than Claude 3 Opus ($15.00/1M tokens).

For output processing, Claude Sonnet 4 ($15.00/1M tokens) is 5.0x cheaper than Claude 3 Opus ($75.00/1M 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
Fri Jun 12 2026 • llm-stats.com
Anthropic
Claude Sonnet 4
Input tokens$3.00
Output tokens$15.00
Best providerAnthropic
Anthropic
Claude 3 Opus
Input tokens$15.00
Output tokens$75.00
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 Sonnet 4
Input200,000 tokens
Output64,000 tokens
Anthropic
Claude 3 Opus
Input200,000 tokens
Output200,000 tokens
Fri Jun 12 2026 • llm-stats.com

Input Capabilities

Supported data types and modalities

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

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

Claude Sonnet 4

Text
Images
Audio
Video

Claude 3 Opus

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 Sonnet 4

Proprietary

Closed source

Claude 3 Opus

Proprietary

Closed source

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

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

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

Claude Sonnet 4

May 22, 2025

1.1 years ago

1.2yr newer
Claude 3 Opus

Feb 29, 2024

2.3 years ago

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

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

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
* Prices shown are per million tokens

Outputs Comparison

Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue discussion→

Key Takeaways

Anthropic
Less expensive input tokens
Less expensive output tokens
Higher GPQA score (75.4% vs 50.4%)
Anthropic

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

AnthropicClaude Sonnet 4
AnthropicClaude 3 Opus
Compare in Playground

Detailed Comparison

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

FAQ

Common questions about Claude Sonnet 4 vs Claude 3 Opus.

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

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

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

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

Is Claude Sonnet 4 cheaper than Claude 3 Opus?

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

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

Claude Sonnet 4 supports 200K tokens and Claude 3 Opus 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 Sonnet 4 and Claude 3 Opus?

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

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