Model Comparison

Claude Sonnet 4.6 vs MiniMax M3

MiniMax M3 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. MiniMax M3 is 5.7x cheaper per token.

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Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

4 benchmarks

Claude Sonnet 4.6 outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while MiniMax M3 is better at 4 benchmarks (BrowseComp, MCP Atlas, MMMU-Pro, SWE-Bench Verified).

MiniMax M3 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Sat Jun 06 2026 • llm-stats.com

Arena Performance

Human preference votes

Pricing Analysis

Price comparison per million tokens

MiniMax M3 costs less

For input processing, Claude Sonnet 4.6 ($3.00/1M tokens) is 5.0x more expensive than MiniMax M3 ($0.60/1M tokens).

For output processing, Claude Sonnet 4.6 ($15.00/1M tokens) is 6.3x more expensive than MiniMax M3 ($2.40/1M tokens).

In conclusion, Claude Sonnet 4.6 is more expensive than MiniMax M3.*

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

Lowest available price from all providers
Sat Jun 06 2026 • llm-stats.com
Anthropic
Claude Sonnet 4.6
Input tokens$3.00
Output tokens$15.00
Best providerAnthropic
MiniMax
MiniMax M3
Input tokens$0.60
Output tokens$2.40
Best providerMiniMax
Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue→

Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

MiniMax M3 accepts 1,000,000 input tokens compared to Claude Sonnet 4.6's 200,000 tokens. MiniMax M3 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 M3
Input1,000,000 tokens
Output1,000,000 tokens
Sat Jun 06 2026 • llm-stats.com

Input Capabilities

Supported data types and modalities

Both Claude Sonnet 4.6 and MiniMax M3 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

MiniMax M3

Text
Images
Audio
Video

License

Usage and distribution terms

Claude Sonnet 4.6 is licensed under a proprietary license, while MiniMax M3 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 M3

MIT

Open weights

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

Claude Sonnet 4.6 was released on 2026-02-17, while MiniMax M3 was released on 2026-06-01.

MiniMax M3 is 3 months newer than Claude Sonnet 4.6.

Claude Sonnet 4.6

Feb 17, 2026

3 months ago

MiniMax M3

Jun 1, 2026

5 days ago

3mo newer

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 M3 is available from MiniMax.

Claude Sonnet 4.6

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

MiniMax M3

minimax logo
MiniMax
Input Price:Input: $0.60/1MOutput Price:Output: $2.40/1M
* Prices shown are per million tokens

Outputs Comparison

Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue discussion→

Key Takeaways

Anthropic

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

MiniMax
Larger context window (1,000,000 tokens)
Less expensive input tokens
Less expensive output tokens
Has open weights
Higher BrowseComp score (83.5% vs 74.7%)
Higher MCP Atlas score (74.2% vs 61.3%)
Higher MMMU-Pro score (78.1% vs 75.6%)
Higher SWE-Bench Verified score (80.5% vs 79.6%)

Detailed Comparison

AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
Anthropic
Claude Sonnet 4.6
MiniMax
MiniMax M3

FAQ

Common questions about Claude Sonnet 4.6 vs MiniMax M3.

Which is better, Claude Sonnet 4.6 or MiniMax M3?

MiniMax M3 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Claude Sonnet 4.6 is made by Anthropic and MiniMax M3 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 M3 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 M3 scores OmniDocBench 1.5: 91.6%, SpreadSheetBench-v1: 89.3%, USAMO 2026: 85.7%, Video-MME: 85.4%, VideoMMMU: 84.6%.

Is Claude Sonnet 4.6 cheaper than MiniMax M3?

MiniMax M3 is 5.0x cheaper for input tokens. Claude Sonnet 4.6 costs $3.00/M input and $15.00/M output via anthropic. MiniMax M3 costs $0.60/M input and $2.40/M output via minimax.

What are the context window sizes for Claude Sonnet 4.6 and MiniMax M3?

Claude Sonnet 4.6 supports 200K tokens and MiniMax M3 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 M3?

Key differences include context window (200K vs 1.0M), input pricing ($3.00 vs $0.60/M), licensing (Proprietary vs MIT). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.

Who makes Claude Sonnet 4.6 and MiniMax M3?

Claude Sonnet 4.6 is developed by Anthropic and MiniMax M3 is developed by MiniMax.