Claude Sonnet 5.5 vs Grok 4.6
Claude Sonnet 5.5 leads the LLM Stats Score 58.4 to 44.5. Grok 4.6 is 1.3x cheaper per token.
Anthropic · xAI · Updated for 2026
Which is better?
Claude Sonnet 5.5 leads the overall LLM Stats Score 58.4 to 44.5, ranking #2 overall.
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, Grok 4.6 is roughly 1.3x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.
Claude Sonnet 5.5 also accepts a larger context window (1,000,000 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
- overall performance matters — it scores 58.4 and ranks #2 on LLM Stats
- your work emphasizes reasoning and coding — it leads those capability indexes
- you value its reported benchmark strengths — it wins 2 of 2 exact shared results
- you process long inputs — it offers a 1,000,000 token context window
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Sep 2026
Choose Grok 4.6
- cost matters — it's about 1.3x cheaper per token
At a glance
The differences that matter most.
Capability indexes
Additional strengths measured across groups of related public benchmarks
Individual benchmarks
47 reported for Claude Sonnet 5.5 · 11 for Grok 4.6
Claude Sonnet 5.5 outperforms in 2 benchmarks (DeepSWE 1.1, Terminal-Bench 4.0), while Grok 4.6 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) costs the same as Grok 4.6 ($2.00/1M tokens).
For output processing, Claude Sonnet 5.5 ($10.00/1M tokens) is 1.7x more expensive than Grok 4.6 ($6.00/1M tokens).
In conclusion, Claude Sonnet 5.5 is more expensive than Grok 4.6.*
* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
Claude Sonnet 5.5 accepts 1,000,000 input tokens compared to Grok 4.6's 500,000 tokens. Only Claude Sonnet 5.5 specifies output context (128,000 tokens).
Input capabilities
Documented input modalities across available providers
Both Claude Sonnet 5.5 and Grok 4.6 support multimodal inputs.
They are both capable of processing various types of data, offering versatility in application.
Claude Sonnet 5.5
Grok 4.6
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 Grok 4.6 was released on 2026-08-12.
Claude Sonnet 5.5 is 2 months newer than Grok 4.6.
Sep 28, 2026
3 weeks ago
1mo newerAug 12, 2026
2 months ago
Knowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
Claude Sonnet 5.5 has a knowledge cutoff of 2026-06-01, while Grok 4.6 has a cutoff of 2026-02-01.
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 Grok 4.6 (2026-02-01).
Jun 2026
4 mo newerFeb 2026
Provider Availability
Claude Sonnet 5.5 is available from Anthropic. Grok 4.6 is available from xAI.
Claude Sonnet 5.5
Grok 4.6
Outputs Comparison
Judge for yourself.
Run your own prompts against Claude Sonnet 5.5 and Grok 4.6 side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.
FAQ
Common questions about Claude Sonnet 5.5 vs Grok 4.6.