Model Comparison

Claude Sonnet 5 vs Gemma 4 26B-A4BWhich is better in 2026?

Claude Sonnet 5 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Gemma 4 26B-A4B is 30.4x cheaper per token.

Verdict: Claude Sonnet 5 vs Gemma 4 26B-A4B — which is better?

Claude Sonnet 5 (by Anthropic) and Gemma 4 26B-A4B (by Google) 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 (Humanity's Last Exam), while Gemma 4 26B-A4B is better at 0 benchmarks. Claude Sonnet 5 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

On price, Gemma 4 26B-A4B is roughly 30.4x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.

Claude Sonnet 5 also accepts a larger context window (1,000,000 input tokens), making it the stronger choice for long documents and large codebases.

Choose Claude Sonnet 5 if…

  • you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 1 of 1 shared benchmarks
  • you process long inputs — it offers a 1,000,000 token context window
  • you want the most recent training data — it shipped Jun 2026

Choose Gemma 4 26B-A4B if…

  • cost matters — it's about 30.4x cheaper per token
  • you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune

Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

1 benchmarks

Claude Sonnet 5 outperforms in 1 benchmarks (Humanity's Last Exam), while Gemma 4 26B-A4B is better at 0 benchmarks.

Claude Sonnet 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

Gemma 4 26B-A4B costs less

For input processing, Claude Sonnet 5 ($3.00/1M tokens) is 23.1x more expensive than Gemma 4 26B-A4B ($0.13/1M tokens).

For output processing, Claude Sonnet 5 ($15.00/1M tokens) is 37.5x more expensive than Gemma 4 26B-A4B ($0.40/1M tokens).

In conclusion, Claude Sonnet 5 is more expensive than Gemma 4 26B-A4B.*

* 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
Google
Gemma 4 26B-A4B
Input tokens$0.13
Output tokens$0.40
Best providerNovita
Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue→

Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

Claude Sonnet 5 accepts 1,000,000 input tokens compared to Gemma 4 26B-A4B's 262,144 tokens. Gemma 4 26B-A4B can generate longer responses up to 131,072 tokens, while Claude Sonnet 5 is limited to 64,000 tokens.

Anthropic
Claude Sonnet 5
Input1,000,000 tokens
Output64,000 tokens
Google
Gemma 4 26B-A4B
Input262,144 tokens
Output131,072 tokens
Fri Jul 17 2026 • llm-stats.com

Input Capabilities

Supported data types and modalities

Both Claude Sonnet 5 and Gemma 4 26B-A4B support multimodal inputs.

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

Claude Sonnet 5

Text
Images
Audio
Video

Gemma 4 26B-A4B

Text
Images
Audio
Video

License

Usage and distribution terms

Claude Sonnet 5 is licensed under a proprietary license, while Gemma 4 26B-A4B uses Apache 2.0.

License differences may affect how you can use these models in commercial or open-source projects.

Claude Sonnet 5

Proprietary

Closed source

Gemma 4 26B-A4B

Apache 2.0

Open weights

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

Claude Sonnet 5 was released on 2026-06-30, while Gemma 4 26B-A4B was released on 2026-04-02.

Claude Sonnet 5 is 3 months newer than Gemma 4 26B-A4B.

Claude Sonnet 5

Jun 30, 2026

2 weeks ago

2mo newer
Gemma 4 26B-A4B

Apr 2, 2026

3 months ago

Knowledge Cutoff

When training data ends

Gemma 4 26B-A4B has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2025-01-01, while Claude Sonnet 5's cutoff date is not specified.

We can confirm Gemma 4 26B-A4B's training data extends to 2025-01-01, but cannot make a direct comparison without Claude Sonnet 5's cutoff date.

Claude Sonnet 5

—

Gemma 4 26B-A4B

Jan 2025

Provider Availability

Claude Sonnet 5 is available from Anthropic. Gemma 4 26B-A4B is available from Novita.

Claude Sonnet 5

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

Gemma 4 26B-A4B

novita logo
Novita
Input Price:Input: $0.13/1MOutput Price:Output: $0.40/1M
* Prices shown are per million tokens

Outputs Comparison

Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue discussion→

Key Takeaways

Anthropic
Larger context window (1,000,000 tokens)
Higher Humanity's Last Exam score (57.4% vs 17.2%)
Google
Less expensive input tokens
Less expensive output tokens
Has open weights

Detailed Comparison

Interactive Arena

Judge for yourself.

Run your own prompts against Claude Sonnet 5 and Gemma 4 26B-A4B side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.

Claude Sonnet 5
✓ Preferred
Gemma 4 26B-A4B
Open in Playground
AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
Anthropic
Claude Sonnet 5
Google
Gemma 4 26B-A4B

FAQ

Common questions about Claude Sonnet 5 vs Gemma 4 26B-A4B.

Which is better, Claude Sonnet 5 or Gemma 4 26B-A4B?

Claude Sonnet 5 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Claude Sonnet 5 is made by Anthropic and Gemma 4 26B-A4B is made by Google. The best choice depends on your use case — compare their benchmark scores, pricing, and capabilities above.

How does Claude Sonnet 5 compare to Gemma 4 26B-A4B 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%. Gemma 4 26B-A4B scores AIME 2026: 88.3%, MMMLU: 86.3%, t2-bench: 85.5%, MMLU-Pro: 82.6%, MathVision: 82.4%.

Is Claude Sonnet 5 cheaper than Gemma 4 26B-A4B?

Gemma 4 26B-A4B is 23.1x cheaper for input tokens. Claude Sonnet 5 costs $3.00/M input and $15.00/M output via anthropic. Gemma 4 26B-A4B costs $0.13/M input and $0.40/M output via novita.

What are the context window sizes for Claude Sonnet 5 and Gemma 4 26B-A4B?

Claude Sonnet 5 supports 1.0M tokens and Gemma 4 26B-A4B supports 262K 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 Gemma 4 26B-A4B?

Key differences include context window (1.0M vs 262K), input pricing ($3.00 vs $0.13/M), licensing (Proprietary vs Apache 2.0). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.

Who makes Claude Sonnet 5 and Gemma 4 26B-A4B?

Claude Sonnet 5 is developed by Anthropic and Gemma 4 26B-A4B is developed by Google.

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