Claude Sonnet 4.5 vs Gemini 2.0 Flash

Side-by-side benchmark comparison across coding, math, reasoning, speed, and pricing.

Claude Sonnet 4.5 by Anthropic wins on 10 of 15 benchmarks against Gemini 2.0 Flash by Google, which leads on 5. This head-to-head comparison covers coding, math, reasoning, speed, and pricing metrics from our benchmark data.

Category-by-Category Breakdown

General Intelligence: In general intelligence, Claude Sonnet 4.5 scores 1380 on Chatbot Arena ELO compared to Gemini 2.0 Flash's 1240, while Claude Sonnet 4.5 scores 83.0% on MMLU-Pro compared to Gemini 2.0 Flash's 66.0%, while Claude Sonnet 4.5 scores 88.0% on IFEval compared to Gemini 2.0 Flash's 86.6%.

Coding: In coding, Claude Sonnet 4.5 scores 90.0% on HumanEval+ compared to Gemini 2.0 Flash's 76.0%, while Claude Sonnet 4.5 scores 77.2% on SWE-bench Verified compared to Gemini 2.0 Flash's 28.0%, while Claude Sonnet 4.5 scores 62.0% on LiveCodeBench compared to Gemini 2.0 Flash's 32.0%.

Math: In math, Claude Sonnet 4.5 scores 87.0% on MATH compared to Gemini 2.0 Flash's 68.0%, while Claude Sonnet 4.5 scores 95.5% on GSM8K compared to Gemini 2.0 Flash's 86.0%.

Reasoning: In reasoning, Claude Sonnet 4.5 scores 83.4% on GPQA Diamond compared to Gemini 2.0 Flash's 38.0%, while Claude Sonnet 4.5 scores 45.0% on ARC-AGI compared to Gemini 2.0 Flash's 18.0%.

Context: In context, Gemini 2.0 Flash scores 1.0M on Context Length compared to Claude Sonnet 4.5's 1.0M.

Pricing Comparison

Claude Sonnet 4.5 costs $3.0/1M input tokens and $15.0/1M output tokens, while Gemini 2.0 Flash costs $0.10/1M input and $0.40/1M output. Gemini 2.0 Flash is the more affordable option for API usage.

Speed Comparison

Claude Sonnet 4.5 generates output at 67 tok/s compared to Gemini 2.0 Flash's 220 tok/s, and the time to first token is 1170 ms for Claude Sonnet 4.5 versus 85 ms for Gemini 2.0 Flash. Gemini 2.0 Flash delivers faster throughput.

Verdict

For developers prioritizing coding and general intelligence and math, Claude Sonnet 4.5 has the edge. For those who value affordability and speed, Gemini 2.0 Flash is the stronger choice.

Claude Sonnet 4.5 vs Gemini 2.0 Flash — FAQ

Which is better, Claude Sonnet 4.5 or Gemini 2.0 Flash?

Claude Sonnet 4.5 wins on more benchmarks overall (10 vs 5). However, the best choice depends on your specific needs — each model excels in different areas.

How does Claude Sonnet 4.5 compare to Gemini 2.0 Flash for coding?

Claude Sonnet 4.5 is better for coding, scoring 77.2% on SWE-bench Verified compared to 28.0%. SWE-bench tests real-world software engineering by resolving actual GitHub issues.

Is Claude Sonnet 4.5 cheaper than Gemini 2.0 Flash?

Yes, Gemini 2.0 Flash is cheaper. Claude Sonnet 4.5 costs $3.0/1M input and $15.0/1M output tokens. Gemini 2.0 Flash costs $0.10/1M input and $0.40/1M output tokens.

Which is faster, Claude Sonnet 4.5 or Gemini 2.0 Flash?

Gemini 2.0 Flash is faster, generating output at 220 tok/s compared to 67 tok/s. Faster output speed means shorter wait times for API responses.

What benchmarks does the Claude Sonnet 4.5 vs Gemini 2.0 Flash comparison cover?

This comparison covers 15 benchmarks including Chatbot Arena ELO, MMLU-Pro, HumanEval+, IFEval, MATH, GPQA Diamond, SWE-bench Verified, Output Speed, and more. Metrics span general intelligence, coding, math, reasoning, speed, and cost categories.