Model Comparison

Claude Sonnet 5 vs Claude Fable 5Which is better in 2026?

Claude Fable 5 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Claude Sonnet 5 is 3.3x cheaper per token.

Verdict: Claude Sonnet 5 vs Claude Fable 5 — which is better?

Claude Sonnet 5 (by Anthropic) and Claude Fable 5 (by Anthropic) 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 5 outperforms in 1 benchmarks (GDP.pdf), while Claude Fable 5 is better at 9 benchmarks (AutomationBench, FrontierCode, GDPval-AA, HealthBench Professional, Humanity's Last Exam, Legal Agent Benchmark, OSWorld-Verified, SWE-Bench Pro, SWE-Bench Verified). Claude Fable 5 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

On price, Claude Sonnet 5 is roughly 3.3x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.

Choose Claude Sonnet 5 if…

  • cost matters — it's about 3.3x cheaper per token
  • you want the most recent training data — it shipped Jun 2026

Choose Claude Fable 5 if…

  • you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 9 of 10 shared benchmarks

Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

10 benchmarks

Claude Sonnet 5 outperforms in 1 benchmarks (GDP.pdf), while Claude Fable 5 is better at 9 benchmarks (AutomationBench, FrontierCode, GDPval-AA, HealthBench Professional, Humanity's Last Exam, Legal Agent Benchmark, OSWorld-Verified, SWE-Bench Pro, SWE-Bench Verified).

Claude Fable 5 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Fri Jul 17 2026 • llm-stats.com

Arena Performance

Human preference votes

Pricing Analysis

Price comparison per million tokens

Claude Sonnet 5 costs less

For input processing, Claude Sonnet 5 ($3.00/1M tokens) is 3.3x cheaper than Claude Fable 5 ($10.00/1M tokens).

For output processing, Claude Sonnet 5 ($15.00/1M tokens) is 3.3x cheaper than Claude Fable 5 ($50.00/1M tokens).

In conclusion, Claude Fable 5 is more expensive than Claude Sonnet 5.*

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

Lowest available price from all providers
Fri Jul 17 2026 • llm-stats.com
Anthropic
Claude Sonnet 5
Input tokens$3.00
Output tokens$15.00
Best providerAnthropic
Anthropic
Claude Fable 5
Input tokens$10.00
Output tokens$50.00
Best providerAnthropic
Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue→

Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

Both models have the same input context window of 1,000,000 tokens. Claude Fable 5 can generate longer responses up to 128,000 tokens, while Claude Sonnet 5 is limited to 64,000 tokens.

Anthropic
Claude Sonnet 5
Input1,000,000 tokens
Output64,000 tokens
Anthropic
Claude Fable 5
Input1,000,000 tokens
Output128,000 tokens
Fri Jul 17 2026 • llm-stats.com

Input Capabilities

Supported data types and modalities

Both Claude Sonnet 5 and Claude Fable 5 support multimodal inputs.

They are both capable of processing various types of data, offering versatility in application.

Claude Sonnet 5

Text
Images
Audio
Video

Claude Fable 5

Text
Images
Audio
Video

License

Usage and distribution terms

Both models are licensed under proprietary licenses.

Both models have usage restrictions defined by their respective organizations.

Claude Sonnet 5

Proprietary

Closed source

Claude Fable 5

Proprietary

Closed source

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

Claude Sonnet 5 was released on 2026-06-30, while Claude Fable 5 was released on 2026-06-09.

Claude Sonnet 5 is 1 month newer than Claude Fable 5.

Claude Sonnet 5

Jun 30, 2026

2 weeks ago

3w newer
Claude Fable 5

Jun 9, 2026

1 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 5 is available from Anthropic. Claude Fable 5 is available from Anthropic.

Claude Sonnet 5

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

Claude Fable 5

anthropic logo
Anthropic
Input Price:Input: $10.00/1MOutput Price:Output: $50.00/1M
* Prices shown are per million tokens

Outputs Comparison

Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue discussion→

Key Takeaways

Anthropic
Less expensive input tokens
Less expensive output tokens
Higher GDP.pdf score (81.6% vs 29.8%)
Anthropic
Higher AutomationBench score (17.4% vs 13.5%)
Higher FrontierCode score (46.3% vs 38.8%)
Higher GDPval-AA score (60.5% vs 53.9%)
Higher HealthBench Professional score (66.0% vs 57.8%)
Higher Humanity's Last Exam score (64.5% vs 57.4%)
Higher Legal Agent Benchmark score (13.3% vs 5.8%)
Higher OSWorld-Verified score (85.0% vs 81.2%)
Higher SWE-Bench Pro score (80.0% vs 63.2%)
Higher SWE-Bench Verified score (95.0% vs 85.2%)

Detailed Comparison

Interactive Arena

Judge for yourself.

Run your own prompts against Claude Sonnet 5 and Claude Fable 5 side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.

Claude Sonnet 5
✓ Preferred
Claude Fable 5
Open in Playground
AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
Anthropic
Claude Sonnet 5
Anthropic
Claude Fable 5

FAQ

Common questions about Claude Sonnet 5 vs Claude Fable 5.

Which is better, Claude Sonnet 5 or Claude Fable 5?

Claude Fable 5 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Claude Sonnet 5 is made by Anthropic and Claude Fable 5 is made by Anthropic. The best choice depends on your use case — compare their benchmark scores, pricing, and capabilities above.

How does Claude Sonnet 5 compare to Claude Fable 5 in benchmarks?

Claude Sonnet 5 scores CharXiv-R: 88.3%, ChartMuseum: 86.7%, SWE-Bench Verified: 85.2%, BrowseComp: 84.7%, GDP.pdf: 81.6%. Claude Fable 5 scores SWE-Bench Verified: 95.0%, FrontierSWE: 90.0%, OSWorld-Verified: 85.0%, Terminal-Bench 2.1: 84.3%, SWE-Bench Pro: 80.0%.

Is Claude Sonnet 5 cheaper than Claude Fable 5?

Claude Sonnet 5 is 3.3x cheaper for input tokens. Claude Sonnet 5 costs $3.00/M input and $15.00/M output via anthropic. Claude Fable 5 costs $10.00/M input and $50.00/M output via anthropic.

What are the context window sizes for Claude Sonnet 5 and Claude Fable 5?

Claude Sonnet 5 supports 1.0M tokens and Claude Fable 5 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 5 and Claude Fable 5?

Key differences include input pricing ($3.00 vs $10.00/M). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.

Related comparisons