Model Comparison

Claude Sonnet 4.6 vs Gemma 4 31BWhich is better in 2026?

Claude Sonnet 4.6 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Gemma 4 31B is 31.2x cheaper per token.

Verdict: Claude Sonnet 4.6 vs Gemma 4 31B — which is better?

Claude Sonnet 4.6 (by Anthropic) and Gemma 4 31B (by Google) 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 4.6 outperforms in 4 benchmarks (GDPval-AA, GPQA, Humanity's Last Exam, MMMLU), while Gemma 4 31B is better at 1 benchmark (MMMU-Pro). Claude Sonnet 4.6 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

On price, Gemma 4 31B is roughly 31.2x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.

Gemma 4 31B also accepts a larger context window (262,144 input tokens), making it the stronger choice for long documents and large codebases.

Choose Claude Sonnet 4.6 if…

  • you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 4 of 5 shared benchmarks

Choose Gemma 4 31B if…

  • cost matters — it's about 31.2x cheaper per token
  • you process long inputs — it offers a 262,144 token context window
  • you want the most recent training data — it shipped Apr 2026
  • you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune

Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

5 benchmarks

Claude Sonnet 4.6 outperforms in 4 benchmarks (GDPval-AA, GPQA, Humanity's Last Exam, MMMLU), while Gemma 4 31B is better at 1 benchmark (MMMU-Pro).

Claude Sonnet 4.6 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Fri Jul 03 2026 • llm-stats.com

Arena Performance

Human preference votes

Pricing Analysis

Price comparison per million tokens

Gemma 4 31B costs less

For input processing, Claude Sonnet 4.6 ($3.00/1M tokens) is 23.1x more expensive than Gemma 4 31B ($0.13/1M tokens).

For output processing, Claude Sonnet 4.6 ($15.00/1M tokens) is 39.5x more expensive than Gemma 4 31B ($0.38/1M tokens).

In conclusion, Claude Sonnet 4.6 is more expensive than Gemma 4 31B.*

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

Lowest available price from all providers
Fri Jul 03 2026 • llm-stats.com
Anthropic
Claude Sonnet 4.6
Input tokens$3.00
Output tokens$15.00
Best providerAnthropic
Google
Gemma 4 31B
Input tokens$0.13
Output tokens$0.38
Best providerDeepinfra
Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue

Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

Gemma 4 31B accepts 262,144 input tokens compared to Claude Sonnet 4.6's 200,000 tokens. Gemma 4 31B 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
Google
Gemma 4 31B
Input262,144 tokens
Output131,072 tokens
Fri Jul 03 2026 • llm-stats.com

Input Capabilities

Supported data types and modalities

Both Claude Sonnet 4.6 and Gemma 4 31B 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

Gemma 4 31B

Text
Images
Audio
Video

License

Usage and distribution terms

Claude Sonnet 4.6 is licensed under a proprietary license, while Gemma 4 31B uses Apache 2.0.

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

Claude Sonnet 4.6

Proprietary

Closed source

Gemma 4 31B

Apache 2.0

Open weights

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

Claude Sonnet 4.6 was released on 2026-02-17, while Gemma 4 31B was released on 2026-04-02.

Gemma 4 31B is 1 month newer than Claude Sonnet 4.6.

Claude Sonnet 4.6

Feb 17, 2026

4 months ago

Gemma 4 31B

Apr 2, 2026

3 months ago

1mo newer

Knowledge Cutoff

When training data ends

Gemma 4 31B has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2025-01-01, while Claude Sonnet 4.6's cutoff date is not specified.

We can confirm Gemma 4 31B's training data extends to 2025-01-01, but cannot make a direct comparison without Claude Sonnet 4.6's cutoff date.

Claude Sonnet 4.6

Gemma 4 31B

Jan 2025

Provider Availability

Claude Sonnet 4.6 is available from Anthropic. Gemma 4 31B is available from DeepInfra, FriendliAI, Novita, Together.

Claude Sonnet 4.6

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

Gemma 4 31B

deepinfra logo
Deepinfra
Input Price:Input: $0.13/1MOutput Price:Output: $0.38/1M
friendli logo
FriendliAI
Input Price:Input: $0.14/1MOutput Price:Output: $0.40/1M
novita logo
Novita
Input Price:Input: $0.14/1MOutput Price:Output: $0.40/1M
together logo
Together
Input Price:Input: $0.39/1MOutput Price:Output: $0.97/1M
* Prices shown are per million tokens

Outputs Comparison

Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue discussion

Key Takeaways

Higher GDPval-AA score (47.2% vs 26.1%)
Higher GPQA score (89.9% vs 84.3%)
Higher Humanity's Last Exam score (49.0% vs 26.5%)
Higher MMMLU score (89.3% vs 88.4%)
Larger context window (262,144 tokens)
Less expensive input tokens
Less expensive output tokens
Has open weights
Higher MMMU-Pro score (76.9% vs 75.6%)

Detailed Comparison

Interactive Arena

Judge for yourself.

Run your own prompts against Claude Sonnet 4.6 and Gemma 4 31B side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.

Claude Sonnet 4.6
✓ Preferred
Gemma 4 31B
Open in Playground
AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
Anthropic
Claude Sonnet 4.6
Google
Gemma 4 31B

FAQ

Common questions about Claude Sonnet 4.6 vs Gemma 4 31B.

Which is better, Claude Sonnet 4.6 or Gemma 4 31B?

Claude Sonnet 4.6 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Claude Sonnet 4.6 is made by Anthropic and Gemma 4 31B is made by Google. The best choice depends on your use case — compare their benchmark scores, pricing, and capabilities above.

How does Claude Sonnet 4.6 compare to Gemma 4 31B 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%. Gemma 4 31B scores AIME 2026: 89.2%, MMMLU: 88.4%, t2-bench: 86.4%, MathVision: 85.6%, MMLU-Pro: 85.2%.

Is Claude Sonnet 4.6 cheaper than Gemma 4 31B?

Gemma 4 31B is 23.1x cheaper for input tokens. Claude Sonnet 4.6 costs $3.00/M input and $15.00/M output via anthropic. Gemma 4 31B costs $0.13/M input and $0.38/M output via deepinfra.

What are the context window sizes for Claude Sonnet 4.6 and Gemma 4 31B?

Claude Sonnet 4.6 supports 200K tokens and Gemma 4 31B supports 262K 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 Gemma 4 31B?

Key differences include context window (200K vs 262K), input pricing ($3.00 vs $0.13/M), licensing (Proprietary vs Apache 2.0). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.

Who makes Claude Sonnet 4.6 and Gemma 4 31B?

Claude Sonnet 4.6 is developed by Anthropic and Gemma 4 31B is developed by Google.