Claude Sonnet 4.6 vs Claude Sonnet 5.5
Claude Sonnet 5.5 leads the LLM Stats Score 58.0 to 36.9. Claude Sonnet 5.5 is 1.5x cheaper per token.
Anthropic · Anthropic · Updated for 2026
Which is better?
Claude Sonnet 5.5 leads the overall LLM Stats Score 58.0 to 36.9, ranking #3 overall.
In the 2 individual benchmarks reported for both models, Claude Sonnet 5.5 wins 2; this is a narrower head-to-head signal than the composite indexes.
On price, Claude Sonnet 5.5 is roughly 1.5x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.
Claude Sonnet 5.5 also accepts a larger context window (1,000,000 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 4.6
- you want predictable pricing at $3.00/M input and $15.00/M output
Choose Claude Sonnet 5.5
- overall performance matters — it scores 58.0 and ranks #3 on LLM Stats
- your work emphasizes reasoning and coding — it leads those capability indexes
- you value its reported benchmark strengths — it wins 2 of 2 exact shared results
- cost matters — it's about 1.5x cheaper per token
- you process long inputs — it offers a 1,000,000 token context window
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Sep 2026
At a glance
The differences that matter most.
Capability indexes
Additional strengths measured across groups of related public benchmarks
Individual benchmarks
17 reported for Claude Sonnet 4.6 · 47 for Claude Sonnet 5.5
Claude Sonnet 4.6 outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while Claude Sonnet 5.5 is better at 2 benchmarks (DeepSWE 1.1, Legal Agent Benchmark).
Claude Sonnet 5.5 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 Sonnet 4.6 ($3.00/1M tokens) is 1.5x more expensive than Claude Sonnet 5.5 ($2.00/1M tokens).
For output processing, Claude Sonnet 4.6 ($15.00/1M tokens) is 1.5x more expensive than Claude Sonnet 5.5 ($10.00/1M tokens).
In conclusion, Claude Sonnet 4.6 is more expensive than Claude Sonnet 5.5.*
* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
Claude Sonnet 5.5 accepts 1,000,000 input tokens compared to Claude Sonnet 4.6's 200,000 tokens. Claude Sonnet 5.5 can generate longer responses up to 128,000 tokens, while Claude Sonnet 4.6 is limited to 64,000 tokens.
Input capabilities
Documented input modalities across available providers
Both Claude Sonnet 4.6 and Claude Sonnet 5.5 support multimodal inputs.
They are both capable of processing various types of data, offering versatility in application.
Claude Sonnet 4.6
Claude Sonnet 5.5
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 4.6 was released on 2026-02-17, while Claude Sonnet 5.5 was released on 2026-09-28.
Claude Sonnet 5.5 is 7 months newer than Claude Sonnet 4.6.
Feb 17, 2026
7 months ago
Sep 28, 2026
1 days ago
7mo newerKnowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
Claude Sonnet 5.5 has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2026-06-01, while Claude Sonnet 4.6's cutoff date is not specified.
We can confirm Claude Sonnet 5.5's training data extends to 2026-06-01, but cannot make a direct comparison without Claude Sonnet 4.6's cutoff date.
—
Jun 2026
Provider Availability
Claude Sonnet 4.6 is available from Anthropic, DeepInfra. Claude Sonnet 5.5 is available from Anthropic.
Claude Sonnet 4.6
Claude Sonnet 5.5
Outputs Comparison
Judge for yourself.
Run your own prompts against Claude Sonnet 4.6 and Claude Sonnet 5.5 side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.
FAQ
Common questions about Claude Sonnet 4.6 vs Claude Sonnet 5.5.