Claude Sonnet 5.5 vs MiniMax M2.5
Claude Sonnet 5.5 leads the LLM Stats Score 58.0 to 36.8. MiniMax M2.5 is 7.6x cheaper per token.
Anthropic · MiniMax · Updated for 2026
Which is better?
Claude Sonnet 5.5 leads the overall LLM Stats Score 58.0 to 36.8, ranking #3 overall.
In the 1 individual benchmarks reported for both models, Claude Sonnet 5.5 wins 1; this is a narrower head-to-head signal than the composite indexes.
On price, MiniMax M2.5 is roughly 7.6x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.
Based on current LLM Stats indexes, shared benchmarks, pricing, and model metadata for 2026.
Choose Claude Sonnet 5.5
- overall performance matters — it scores 58.0 and ranks #3 on LLM Stats
- your work emphasizes reasoning and coding — it leads those capability indexes
- you value its reported benchmark strengths — it wins 1 of 1 exact shared results
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Sep 2026
Choose MiniMax M2.5
- cost matters — it's about 7.6x cheaper per token
- you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune
At a glance
The differences that matter most.
Individual benchmarks
47 reported for Claude Sonnet 5.5 · 8 for MiniMax M2.5
Claude Sonnet 5.5 outperforms in 1 benchmarks (SWE-Bench Pro), while MiniMax M2.5 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 6.7x more expensive than MiniMax M2.5 ($0.30/1M tokens).
For output processing, Claude Sonnet 5.5 ($10.00/1M tokens) is 8.3x more expensive than MiniMax M2.5 ($1.20/1M tokens).
In conclusion, Claude Sonnet 5.5 is more expensive than MiniMax M2.5.*
* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
Both models have the same input context window of 1,000,000 tokens. MiniMax M2.5 can generate longer responses up to 1,000,000 tokens, while Claude Sonnet 5.5 is limited to 128,000 tokens.
Input capabilities
Documented input modalities across available providers
Claude Sonnet 5.5 supports multimodal inputs, whereas MiniMax M2.5 does not.
Claude Sonnet 5.5 can handle both text and other forms of data like images, making it suitable for multimodal applications.
Claude Sonnet 5.5
MiniMax M2.5
License
Usage and distribution terms
Claude Sonnet 5.5 is licensed under a proprietary license, while MiniMax M2.5 uses MIT.
License differences may affect how you can use these models in commercial or open-source projects.
Proprietary
Closed source
MIT
Open weights
Release Timeline
When each model was launched
Claude Sonnet 5.5 was released on 2026-09-28, while MiniMax M2.5 was released on 2026-02-12.
Claude Sonnet 5.5 is 8 months newer than MiniMax M2.5.
Sep 28, 2026
4 days ago
7mo newerFeb 12, 2026
7 months ago
Knowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
Claude Sonnet 5.5 has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2026-06-01, while MiniMax M2.5's cutoff date is not specified.
We can confirm Claude Sonnet 5.5's training data extends to 2026-06-01, but cannot make a direct comparison without MiniMax M2.5's cutoff date.
Jun 2026
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Provider Availability
Claude Sonnet 5.5 is available from Anthropic. MiniMax M2.5 is available from MiniMax.
Claude Sonnet 5.5
MiniMax M2.5
Outputs Comparison
Judge for yourself.
Run your own prompts against Claude Sonnet 5.5 and MiniMax M2.5 side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.
FAQ
Common questions about Claude Sonnet 5.5 vs MiniMax M2.5.