Model Comparison

Claude Sonnet 5 vs GPT-5.6 SolWhich is better in 2026?

GPT-5.6 Sol significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Claude Sonnet 5 is 1.9x cheaper per token.

Verdict: Claude Sonnet 5 vs GPT-5.6 Sol — which is better?

Claude Sonnet 5 (by Anthropic) and GPT-5.6 Sol (by OpenAI) 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 GPT-5.6 Sol is better at 7 benchmarks (AutomationBench, BenchCAD, BrowseComp, GDPval-AA, HealthBench Professional, SWE-Bench Pro, Toolathlon). GPT-5.6 Sol significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

On price, Claude Sonnet 5 is roughly 1.9x 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.

Choose Claude Sonnet 5 if…

  • cost matters — it's about 1.9x cheaper per token

Choose GPT-5.6 Sol if…

  • you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 7 of 8 shared benchmarks
  • you process long inputs — it offers a 1,050,000 token context window
  • you want the most recent training data — it shipped Jul 2026

Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

8 benchmarks

Claude Sonnet 5 outperforms in 1 benchmarks (GDP.pdf), while GPT-5.6 Sol is better at 7 benchmarks (AutomationBench, BenchCAD, BrowseComp, GDPval-AA, HealthBench Professional, SWE-Bench Pro, Toolathlon).

GPT-5.6 Sol 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 1.7x cheaper than GPT-5.6 Sol ($5.00/1M tokens).

For output processing, Claude Sonnet 5 ($15.00/1M tokens) is 2.0x 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

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
OpenAI
GPT-5.6 Sol
Input tokens$5.00
Output tokens$30.00
Best providerOpenAI
Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue→

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.

Anthropic
Claude Sonnet 5
Input1,000,000 tokens
Output64,000 tokens
OpenAI
GPT-5.6 Sol
Input1,050,000 tokens
Output128,000 tokens
Fri Jul 17 2026 • llm-stats.com

Input Capabilities

Supported data types and modalities

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

Text
Images
Audio
Video

GPT-5.6 Sol

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

GPT-5.6 Sol

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.

Claude Sonnet 5

Jun 30, 2026

2 weeks ago

GPT-5.6 Sol

Jul 9, 2026

1 weeks ago

1w newer

Knowledge 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.

Claude Sonnet 5

—

GPT-5.6 Sol

Feb 2026

Provider Availability

Claude Sonnet 5 is available from Anthropic. GPT-5.6 Sol is available from OpenAI.

Claude Sonnet 5

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

GPT-5.6 Sol

openai logo
OpenAI
Input Price:Input: $5.00/1MOutput Price:Output: $30.00/1M
* 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 30.7%)
OpenAI
Larger context window (1,050,000 tokens)
Higher AutomationBench score (18.1% vs 13.5%)
Higher BenchCAD score (70.6% vs 37.3%)
Higher BrowseComp score (90.4% vs 84.7%)
Higher GDPval-AA score (58.3% vs 53.9%)
Higher HealthBench Professional score (60.5% vs 57.8%)
Higher SWE-Bench Pro score (64.6% vs 63.2%)
Higher Toolathlon score (58.0% vs 54.3%)

Detailed Comparison

Interactive Arena

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.

Claude Sonnet 5
✓ Preferred
GPT-5.6 Sol
Open in Playground
AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
Anthropic
Claude Sonnet 5
OpenAI
GPT-5.6 Sol

FAQ

Common questions about Claude Sonnet 5 vs GPT-5.6 Sol.

Which is better, Claude Sonnet 5 or GPT-5.6 Sol?

GPT-5.6 Sol significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Claude Sonnet 5 is made by Anthropic and GPT-5.6 Sol is made by OpenAI. The best choice depends on your use case — compare their benchmark scores, pricing, and capabilities above.

How does Claude Sonnet 5 compare to GPT-5.6 Sol 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%. GPT-5.6 Sol scores Connectors: 100.0%, Capture-the-Flag Challenges (Internal): 96.7%, HealthBench Consensus: 95.5%, GPQA: 94.6%, MRCR v2 (8-needle): 91.5%.

Is Claude Sonnet 5 cheaper than GPT-5.6 Sol?

Claude Sonnet 5 is 1.7x cheaper for input tokens. Claude Sonnet 5 costs $3.00/M input and $15.00/M output via anthropic. GPT-5.6 Sol costs $5.00/M input and $30.00/M output via openai.

What are the context window sizes for Claude Sonnet 5 and GPT-5.6 Sol?

Claude Sonnet 5 supports 1.0M tokens and GPT-5.6 Sol supports 1.1M 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 GPT-5.6 Sol?

Key differences include context window (1.0M vs 1.1M), input pricing ($3.00 vs $5.00/M). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.

Who makes Claude Sonnet 5 and GPT-5.6 Sol?

Claude Sonnet 5 is developed by Anthropic and GPT-5.6 Sol is developed by OpenAI.

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