Claude Sonnet 4.5 vs Seed 2.0 Mini
Claude Sonnet 4.5 leads the LLM Stats Score 32.2 to 27.9. Seed 2.0 Mini is 34.3x cheaper per token.
Anthropic · ByteDance · Updated for 2026
Which is better?
Claude Sonnet 4.5 leads the overall LLM Stats Score 32.2 to 27.9, ranking #105 overall.
In the 3 individual benchmarks reported for both models, Claude Sonnet 4.5 wins 2; this is a narrower head-to-head signal than the composite indexes.
On price, Seed 2.0 Mini is roughly 34.3x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.
Seed 2.0 Mini also accepts a larger context window (256,000 input tokens), making it the stronger choice for long documents and large codebases.
Based on current LLM Stats indexes, shared benchmarks, pricing, and model metadata for 2026.
Choose Claude Sonnet 4.5
- overall performance matters — it scores 32.2 and ranks #105 on LLM Stats
- your work emphasizes reasoning — it leads those capability indexes
- you value its reported benchmark strengths — it wins 2 of 3 exact shared results
Choose Seed 2.0 Mini
- cost matters — it's about 34.3x cheaper per token
- you process long inputs — it offers a 256,000 token context window
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Feb 2026
At a glance
The differences that matter most.
Capability indexes
Additional strengths measured across groups of related public benchmarks
Individual benchmarks
9 reported for Claude Sonnet 4.5 · 83 for Seed 2.0 Mini
Claude Sonnet 4.5 outperforms in 2 benchmarks (GPQA, MMMLU), while Seed 2.0 Mini is better at 0 benchmarks.
Claude Sonnet 4.5 shows notably better performance in the majority of benchmarks.
Human preference
Blind head-to-head votes and playground preference scores
Pricing Analysis
Price comparison per million tokens
For input processing, Claude Sonnet 4.5 ($3.00/1M tokens) is 30.0x more expensive than Seed 2.0 Mini ($0.10/1M tokens).
For output processing, Claude Sonnet 4.5 ($15.00/1M tokens) is 37.5x more expensive than Seed 2.0 Mini ($0.40/1M tokens).
In conclusion, Claude Sonnet 4.5 is more expensive than Seed 2.0 Mini.*
* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
Seed 2.0 Mini accepts 256,000 input tokens compared to Claude Sonnet 4.5's 200,000 tokens. Seed 2.0 Mini can generate longer responses up to 256,000 tokens, while Claude Sonnet 4.5 is limited to 64,000 tokens.
Input capabilities
Documented input modalities across available providers
Both Claude Sonnet 4.5 and Seed 2.0 Mini support multimodal inputs.
They are both capable of processing various types of data, offering versatility in application.
Claude Sonnet 4.5
Seed 2.0 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 Sonnet 4.5 was released on 2025-09-29, while Seed 2.0 Mini was released on 2026-02-17.
Seed 2.0 Mini is 5 months newer than Claude Sonnet 4.5.
Sep 29, 2025
11 months ago
Feb 17, 2026
6 months ago
4mo newerKnowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
Claude Sonnet 4.5 has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2025-01-31, while Seed 2.0 Mini's cutoff date is not specified.
We can confirm Claude Sonnet 4.5's training data extends to 2025-01-31, but cannot make a direct comparison without Seed 2.0 Mini's cutoff date.
Jan 2025
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Provider Availability
Claude Sonnet 4.5 is available from Anthropic. Seed 2.0 Mini is available from DeepInfra.
Claude Sonnet 4.5
Seed 2.0 Mini
Outputs Comparison
Judge for yourself.
Run your own prompts against Claude Sonnet 4.5 and Seed 2.0 Mini side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.
FAQ
Common questions about Claude Sonnet 4.5 vs Seed 2.0 Mini.