Model Comparison

Claude Sonnet 4.6 vs MiniMax M2.1Which is better in 2026?

Claude Sonnet 4.6 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. MiniMax M2.1 is 11.4x cheaper per token.

Verdict: Claude Sonnet 4.6 vs MiniMax M2.1 — which is better?

Claude Sonnet 4.6 (by Anthropic) and MiniMax M2.1 (by MiniMax) 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 5 benchmarks (BrowseComp, GPQA, Humanity's Last Exam, SWE-Bench Verified, Tau2 Telecom), while MiniMax M2.1 is better at 0 benchmarks. Claude Sonnet 4.6 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

On price, MiniMax M2.1 is roughly 11.4x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.

MiniMax M2.1 also accepts a larger context window (1,000,000 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 5 of 5 shared benchmarks
  • you want the most recent training data — it shipped Feb 2026

Choose MiniMax M2.1 if…

  • cost matters — it's about 11.4x cheaper per token
  • you process long inputs — it offers a 1,000,000 token context window
  • you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune
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Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

5 benchmarks

Claude Sonnet 4.6 outperforms in 5 benchmarks (BrowseComp, GPQA, Humanity's Last Exam, SWE-Bench Verified, Tau2 Telecom), while MiniMax M2.1 is better at 0 benchmarks.

Claude Sonnet 4.6 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Mon Jun 15 2026 • llm-stats.com

Arena Performance

Human preference votes

Pricing Analysis

Price comparison per million tokens

MiniMax M2.1 costs less

For input processing, Claude Sonnet 4.6 ($3.00/1M tokens) is 10.0x more expensive than MiniMax M2.1 ($0.30/1M tokens).

For output processing, Claude Sonnet 4.6 ($15.00/1M tokens) is 12.5x more expensive than MiniMax M2.1 ($1.20/1M tokens).

In conclusion, Claude Sonnet 4.6 is more expensive than MiniMax M2.1.*

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

Lowest available price from all providers
Mon Jun 15 2026 • llm-stats.com
Anthropic
Claude Sonnet 4.6
Input tokens$3.00
Output tokens$15.00
Best providerAnthropic
MiniMax
MiniMax M2.1
Input tokens$0.30
Output tokens$1.20
Best providerMiniMax
Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue→

Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

MiniMax M2.1 accepts 1,000,000 input tokens compared to Claude Sonnet 4.6's 200,000 tokens. MiniMax M2.1 can generate longer responses up to 1,000,000 tokens, while Claude Sonnet 4.6 is limited to 64,000 tokens.

Anthropic
Claude Sonnet 4.6
Input200,000 tokens
Output64,000 tokens
MiniMax
MiniMax M2.1
Input1,000,000 tokens
Output1,000,000 tokens
Mon Jun 15 2026 • llm-stats.com

Input Capabilities

Supported data types and modalities

Claude Sonnet 4.6 supports multimodal inputs, whereas MiniMax M2.1 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

MiniMax M2.1

Text
Images
Audio
Video

License

Usage and distribution terms

Claude Sonnet 4.6 is licensed under a proprietary license, while MiniMax M2.1 uses MIT.

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

Claude Sonnet 4.6

Proprietary

Closed source

MiniMax M2.1

MIT

Open weights

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

Claude Sonnet 4.6 was released on 2026-02-17, while MiniMax M2.1 was released on 2025-12-23.

Claude Sonnet 4.6 is 2 months newer than MiniMax M2.1.

Claude Sonnet 4.6

Feb 17, 2026

3 months ago

1mo newer
MiniMax M2.1

Dec 23, 2025

5 months 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. MiniMax M2.1 is available from MiniMax.

Claude Sonnet 4.6

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

MiniMax M2.1

minimax logo
MiniMax
Input Price:Input: $0.30/1MOutput Price:Output: $1.20/1M
* Prices shown are per million tokens

Outputs Comparison

Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue discussion→

Key Takeaways

Anthropic
Supports multimodal inputs
Higher BrowseComp score (74.7% vs 62.0%)
Higher GPQA score (89.9% vs 81.0%)
Higher Humanity's Last Exam score (49.0% vs 22.0%)
Higher SWE-Bench Verified score (79.6% vs 67.0%)
Higher Tau2 Telecom score (97.9% vs 87.0%)
MiniMax
Larger context window (1,000,000 tokens)
Less expensive input tokens
Less expensive output tokens
Has open weights

Detailed Comparison

AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
Anthropic
Claude Sonnet 4.6
MiniMax
MiniMax M2.1

FAQ

Common questions about Claude Sonnet 4.6 vs MiniMax M2.1.

Which is better, Claude Sonnet 4.6 or MiniMax M2.1?

Claude Sonnet 4.6 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Claude Sonnet 4.6 is made by Anthropic and MiniMax M2.1 is made by MiniMax. The best choice depends on your use case — compare their benchmark scores, pricing, and capabilities above.

How does Claude Sonnet 4.6 compare to MiniMax M2.1 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%. MiniMax M2.1 scores VIBE Web: 91.5%, VIBE Android: 89.7%, VIBE: 88.6%, MMLU-Pro: 88.0%, VIBE iOS: 88.0%.

Is Claude Sonnet 4.6 cheaper than MiniMax M2.1?

MiniMax M2.1 is 10.0x cheaper for input tokens. Claude Sonnet 4.6 costs $3.00/M input and $15.00/M output via anthropic. MiniMax M2.1 costs $0.30/M input and $1.20/M output via minimax.

What are the context window sizes for Claude Sonnet 4.6 and MiniMax M2.1?

Claude Sonnet 4.6 supports 200K tokens and MiniMax M2.1 supports 1.0M 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 MiniMax M2.1?

Key differences include context window (200K vs 1.0M), input pricing ($3.00 vs $0.30/M), multimodal support (yes vs no), licensing (Proprietary vs MIT). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.

Who makes Claude Sonnet 4.6 and MiniMax M2.1?

Claude Sonnet 4.6 is developed by Anthropic and MiniMax M2.1 is developed by MiniMax.

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