Claude Sonnet 5.5 vs GPT-5.6 Sol
Claude Sonnet 5.5 and GPT-5.6 Sol are closely matched at 51.5 and 54.3 on the LLM Stats Score. Claude Sonnet 5.5 is 2.8x cheaper per token.
Anthropic · OpenAI · Updated for 2026
Which is better?
Claude Sonnet 5.5 and GPT-5.6 Sol are closely matched on the overall LLM Stats Score at 51.5 and 54.3.
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 2.8x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.
GPT-5.6 Sol also accepts a larger context window (1,050,000 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 5.5
- you value its reported benchmark strengths — it wins 2 of 2 exact shared results
- cost matters — it's about 2.8x cheaper per token
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Sep 2026
Choose GPT-5.6 Sol
- you process long inputs — it offers a 1,050,000 token context window
At a glance
The differences that matter most.
Individual benchmarks
8 reported for Claude Sonnet 5.5 · 45 for GPT-5.6 Sol
Claude Sonnet 5.5 outperforms in 2 benchmarks (FrontierCode 1.1, Terminal-Bench 4.0), while GPT-5.6 Sol is better at 0 benchmarks.
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 5.5 ($2.00/1M tokens) is 2.5x cheaper than GPT-5.6 Sol ($5.00/1M tokens).
For output processing, Claude Sonnet 5.5 ($10.00/1M tokens) is 3.0x cheaper than GPT-5.6 Sol ($30.00/1M tokens).
In conclusion, GPT-5.6 Sol 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
GPT-5.6 Sol accepts 1,050,000 input tokens compared to Claude Sonnet 5.5's 1,000,000 tokens. Both models can generate responses up to 128,000 tokens.
Input capabilities
Documented input modalities across available providers
Both Claude Sonnet 5.5 and GPT-5.6 Sol support multimodal inputs.
They are both capable of processing various types of data, offering versatility in application.
Claude Sonnet 5.5
GPT-5.6 Sol
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 5.5 was released on 2026-09-28, while GPT-5.6 Sol was released on 2026-07-09.
Claude Sonnet 5.5 is 3 months newer than GPT-5.6 Sol.
Sep 28, 2026
0 days ago
2mo newerJul 9, 2026
2 months ago
Knowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
Claude Sonnet 5.5 has a knowledge cutoff of 2026-06-01, while GPT-5.6 Sol has a cutoff of 2026-02-16.
Claude Sonnet 5.5 has more recent training data (up to 2026-06-01), making it potentially better informed about events through that date compared to GPT-5.6 Sol (2026-02-16).
Jun 2026
4 mo newerFeb 2026
Provider Availability
Claude Sonnet 5.5 is available from Anthropic. GPT-5.6 Sol is available from OpenAI.
Claude Sonnet 5.5
GPT-5.6 Sol
Outputs Comparison
Judge for yourself.
Run your own prompts against Claude Sonnet 5.5 and GPT-5.6 Sol side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.
FAQ
Common questions about Claude Sonnet 5.5 vs GPT-5.6 Sol.