Model Comparison

Claude Sonnet 4.6 vs Claude Opus 4

Claude Sonnet 4.6 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Claude Sonnet 4.6 is 5.0x cheaper per token.

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Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

4 benchmarks

Claude Sonnet 4.6 outperforms in 4 benchmarks (ARC-AGI v2, GPQA, MMMLU, SWE-Bench Verified), while Claude Opus 4 is better at 0 benchmarks.

Claude Sonnet 4.6 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Sun May 31 2026 • llm-stats.com

Arena Performance

Human preference votes

Pricing Analysis

Price comparison per million tokens

Claude Sonnet 4.6 costs less

For input processing, Claude Sonnet 4.6 ($3.00/1M tokens) is 5.0x cheaper than Claude Opus 4 ($15.00/1M tokens).

For output processing, Claude Sonnet 4.6 ($15.00/1M tokens) is 5.0x cheaper than Claude Opus 4 ($75.00/1M tokens).

In conclusion, Claude Opus 4 is more expensive than Claude Sonnet 4.6.*

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

Lowest available price from all providers
Sun May 31 2026 • llm-stats.com
Anthropic
Claude Sonnet 4.6
Input tokens$3.00
Output tokens$15.00
Best providerAnthropic
Anthropic
Claude Opus 4
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 Sonnet 4.6 can generate longer responses up to 64,000 tokens, while Claude Opus 4 is limited to 32,000 tokens.

Anthropic
Claude Sonnet 4.6
Input200,000 tokens
Output64,000 tokens
Anthropic
Claude Opus 4
Input200,000 tokens
Output32,000 tokens
Sun May 31 2026 • llm-stats.com

Input Capabilities

Supported data types and modalities

Both Claude Sonnet 4.6 and Claude Opus 4 support multimodal inputs.

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

Claude Sonnet 4.6

Text
Images
Audio
Video

Claude Opus 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 Sonnet 4.6

Proprietary

Closed source

Claude Opus 4

Proprietary

Closed source

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

Claude Sonnet 4.6 was released on 2026-02-17, while Claude Opus 4 was released on 2025-05-22.

Claude Sonnet 4.6 is 9 months newer than Claude Opus 4.

Claude Sonnet 4.6

Feb 17, 2026

3 months ago

9mo newer
Claude Opus 4

May 22, 2025

1.0 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 4.6 is available from Anthropic. Claude Opus 4 is available from Anthropic, Bedrock, Google.

Claude Sonnet 4.6

anthropic logo
Anthropic
Input Price:Input: $3.00/1MOutput Price:Output: $15.00/1M

Claude Opus 4

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

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Key Takeaways

Anthropic
Less expensive input tokens
Less expensive output tokens
Higher ARC-AGI v2 score (58.3% vs 8.6%)
Higher GPQA score (89.9% vs 79.6%)
Higher MMMLU score (89.3% vs 88.8%)
Higher SWE-Bench Verified score (79.6% vs 72.5%)
Anthropic

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

AnthropicClaude Sonnet 4.6
AnthropicClaude Opus 4
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Detailed Comparison

AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
Anthropic
Claude Sonnet 4.6
Anthropic
Claude Opus 4

FAQ

Common questions about Claude Sonnet 4.6 vs Claude Opus 4.

Which is better, Claude Sonnet 4.6 or Claude Opus 4?

Claude Sonnet 4.6 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Claude Sonnet 4.6 is made by Anthropic and Claude Opus 4 is made by Anthropic. The best choice depends on your use case — compare their benchmark scores, pricing, and capabilities above.

How does Claude Sonnet 4.6 compare to Claude Opus 4 in benchmarks?

Claude Sonnet 4.6 scores Tau2 Telecom: 97.9%, Tau2 Retail: 91.7%, GPQA: 89.9%, MMMLU: 89.3%, SWE-Bench Verified: 79.6%. Claude Opus 4 scores MMMLU: 88.8%, TAU-bench Retail: 81.4%, GPQA: 79.6%, MMMU (validation): 76.5%, AIME 2025: 75.5%.

Is Claude Sonnet 4.6 cheaper than Claude Opus 4?

Claude Sonnet 4.6 is 5.0x cheaper for input tokens. Claude Sonnet 4.6 costs $3.00/M input and $15.00/M output via anthropic. Claude Opus 4 costs $15.00/M input and $75.00/M output via anthropic.

What are the context window sizes for Claude Sonnet 4.6 and Claude Opus 4?

Claude Sonnet 4.6 supports 200K tokens and Claude Opus 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 Sonnet 4.6 and Claude Opus 4?

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