Model Comparison

Claude Sonnet 4.6 vs DeepSeek-V3

Claude Sonnet 4.6 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. DeepSeek-V3 is 12.6x cheaper per token.

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Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

2 benchmarks

Claude Sonnet 4.6 outperforms in 2 benchmarks (GPQA, SWE-Bench Verified), while DeepSeek-V3 is better at 0 benchmarks.

Claude Sonnet 4.6 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Thu Apr 16 2026 • llm-stats.com

Arena Performance

Human preference votes

Pricing Analysis

Price comparison per million tokens

DeepSeek-V3 costs less

For input processing, Claude Sonnet 4.6 ($3.00/1M tokens) is 11.1x more expensive than DeepSeek-V3 ($0.27/1M tokens).

For output processing, Claude Sonnet 4.6 ($15.00/1M tokens) is 13.6x more expensive than DeepSeek-V3 ($1.10/1M tokens).

In conclusion, Claude Sonnet 4.6 is more expensive than DeepSeek-V3.*

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

Lowest available price from all providers
Thu Apr 16 2026 • llm-stats.com
Anthropic
Claude Sonnet 4.6
Input tokens$3.00
Output tokens$15.00
Best providerAnthropic
DeepSeek
DeepSeek-V3
Input tokens$0.27
Output tokens$1.10
Best providerDeepSeek
Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue→

Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

Claude Sonnet 4.6 accepts 200,000 input tokens compared to DeepSeek-V3's 131,072 tokens. DeepSeek-V3 can generate longer responses up to 131,072 tokens, while Claude Sonnet 4.6 is limited to 64,000 tokens.

Anthropic
Claude Sonnet 4.6
Input200,000 tokens
Output64,000 tokens
DeepSeek
DeepSeek-V3
Input131,072 tokens
Output131,072 tokens
Thu Apr 16 2026 • llm-stats.com

Input Capabilities

Supported data types and modalities

Claude Sonnet 4.6 supports multimodal inputs, whereas DeepSeek-V3 does not.

Claude Sonnet 4.6 can handle both text and other forms of data like images, making it suitable for multimodal applications.

Claude Sonnet 4.6

Text
Images
Audio
Video

DeepSeek-V3

Text
Images
Audio
Video

License

Usage and distribution terms

Claude Sonnet 4.6 is licensed under a proprietary license, while DeepSeek-V3 uses MIT + Model License (Commercial use allowed).

License differences may affect how you can use these models in commercial or open-source projects.

Claude Sonnet 4.6

Proprietary

Closed source

DeepSeek-V3

MIT + Model License (Commercial use allowed)

Open weights

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

Claude Sonnet 4.6 was released on 2026-02-17, while DeepSeek-V3 was released on 2024-12-25.

Claude Sonnet 4.6 is 14 months newer than DeepSeek-V3.

Claude Sonnet 4.6

Feb 17, 2026

1 months ago

1.1yr newer
DeepSeek-V3

Dec 25, 2024

1.3 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 4.6 is available from Anthropic. DeepSeek-V3 is available from DeepSeek.

Claude Sonnet 4.6

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

DeepSeek-V3

deepseek logo
DeepSeek
Input Price:Input: $0.27/1MOutput Price:Output: $1.10/1M
* Prices shown are per million tokens

Outputs Comparison

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Key Takeaways

Anthropic
Larger context window (200,000 tokens)
Supports multimodal inputs
Higher GPQA score (89.9% vs 59.1%)
Higher SWE-Bench Verified score (79.6% vs 42.0%)
DeepSeek
Less expensive input tokens
Less expensive output tokens
Has open weights

Detailed Comparison

AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
Anthropic
Claude Sonnet 4.6
DeepSeek
DeepSeek-V3

FAQ

Common questions about Claude Sonnet 4.6 vs DeepSeek-V3

Claude Sonnet 4.6 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Claude Sonnet 4.6 is made by Anthropic and DeepSeek-V3 is made by DeepSeek. The best choice depends on your use case — compare their benchmark scores, pricing, and capabilities above.
Claude Sonnet 4.6 scores Tau2 Telecom: 97.9%, Tau2 Retail: 91.7%, GPQA: 89.9%, MMMLU: 89.3%, SWE-Bench Verified: 79.6%. DeepSeek-V3 scores DROP: 91.6%, CLUEWSC: 90.9%, MATH-500: 90.2%, MMLU-Redux: 89.1%, MMLU: 88.5%.
DeepSeek-V3 is 11.1x cheaper for input tokens. Claude Sonnet 4.6 costs $3.00/M input and $15.00/M output via anthropic. DeepSeek-V3 costs $0.27/M input and $1.10/M output via deepseek.
Claude Sonnet 4.6 supports 200K tokens and DeepSeek-V3 supports 131K tokens. A larger context window lets you process longer documents, conversations, or codebases in a single request.
Key differences include context window (200K vs 131K), input pricing ($3.00 vs $0.27/M), multimodal support (yes vs no), licensing (Proprietary vs MIT + Model License (Commercial use allowed)). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.
Claude Sonnet 4.6 is developed by Anthropic and DeepSeek-V3 is developed by DeepSeek.