Claude Sonnet 5 vs GPT-5.6 Sol
GPT-5.6 Sol leads the LLM Stats Score 55.3 to 48.5. Claude Sonnet 5 is 2.8x cheaper per token.
Anthropic · OpenAI · Updated for 2026
Which is better?
GPT-5.6 Sol leads the overall LLM Stats Score 55.3 to 48.5, ranking #4 overall.
In the 10 individual benchmarks reported for both models, GPT-5.6 Sol wins 9; this is a narrower head-to-head signal than the composite indexes.
On price, Claude Sonnet 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
- cost matters — it's about 2.8x cheaper per token
Choose GPT-5.6 Sol
- overall performance matters — it scores 55.3 and ranks #4 on LLM Stats
- your work emphasizes reasoning and coding — it leads those capability indexes
- you value its reported benchmark strengths — it wins 9 of 10 exact shared results
- you process long inputs — it offers a 1,050,000 token context window
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Jul 2026
At a glance
The differences that matter most.
Capability indexes
Additional strengths measured across groups of related public benchmarks
Individual benchmarks
23 reported for Claude Sonnet 5 · 45 for GPT-5.6 Sol
Claude Sonnet 5 outperforms in 1 benchmarks (GDP.pdf), while GPT-5.6 Sol is better at 9 benchmarks (AutomationBench, BenchCAD, BrowseComp, DeepSWE 1.1, FrontierCode 1.1, HealthBench Professional, SWE-Bench Pro, Terminal-Bench 4.0, Toolathlon).
GPT-5.6 Sol 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 ($2.00/1M tokens) is 2.5x cheaper than GPT-5.6 Sol ($5.00/1M tokens).
For output processing, Claude Sonnet 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.*
* 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's 1,000,000 tokens. GPT-5.6 Sol can generate longer responses up to 128,000 tokens, while Claude Sonnet 5 is limited to 64,000 tokens.
Input capabilities
Documented input modalities across available providers
Both Claude Sonnet 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
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 was released on 2026-06-30, while GPT-5.6 Sol was released on 2026-07-09.
GPT-5.6 Sol is 0 month newer than Claude Sonnet 5.
Jun 30, 2026
2 months ago
Jul 9, 2026
1 months ago
1w newerKnowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
GPT-5.6 Sol has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2026-02-16, while Claude Sonnet 5's cutoff date is not specified.
We can confirm GPT-5.6 Sol's training data extends to 2026-02-16, but cannot make a direct comparison without Claude Sonnet 5's cutoff date.
—
Feb 2026
Provider Availability
Claude Sonnet 5 is available from Anthropic. GPT-5.6 Sol is available from OpenAI.
Claude Sonnet 5
GPT-5.6 Sol
Outputs Comparison
Judge for yourself.
Run your own prompts against Claude Sonnet 5 and GPT-5.6 Sol side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.
FAQ
Common questions about Claude Sonnet 5 vs GPT-5.6 Sol.