Claude Sonnet 4.5 vs GPT-4.1 Mini
Side-by-side benchmark comparison across coding, math, reasoning, speed, and pricing.
Claude Sonnet 4.5 by Anthropic wins on 10 of 16 benchmarks against GPT-4.1 Mini by OpenAI, which leads on 6. 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 GPT-4.1 Mini's 1250, while Claude Sonnet 4.5 scores 83.0% on MMLU-Pro compared to GPT-4.1 Mini's 68.0%.
Coding: In coding, Claude Sonnet 4.5 scores 90.0% on HumanEval+ compared to GPT-4.1 Mini's 80.0%, while Claude Sonnet 4.5 scores 77.2% on SWE-bench Verified compared to GPT-4.1 Mini's 35.0%, while Claude Sonnet 4.5 scores 62.0% on LiveCodeBench compared to GPT-4.1 Mini's 40.0%, while Claude Sonnet 4.5 scores 52.1 on AA Coding Index compared to GPT-4.1 Mini's 20.2.
Math: In math, Claude Sonnet 4.5 scores 87.0% on MATH compared to GPT-4.1 Mini's 72.0%, while Claude Sonnet 4.5 scores 95.5% on GSM8K compared to GPT-4.1 Mini's 90.0%.
Reasoning: In reasoning, Claude Sonnet 4.5 scores 83.4% on GPQA Diamond compared to GPT-4.1 Mini's 42.0%, while Claude Sonnet 4.5 scores 45.0% on ARC-AGI compared to GPT-4.1 Mini's 22.0%.
Context: In context, GPT-4.1 Mini 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 GPT-4.1 Mini costs $0.40/1M input and $1.6/1M output. GPT-4.1 Mini is the more affordable option for API usage.
Speed Comparison
Claude Sonnet 4.5 generates output at 67 tok/s compared to GPT-4.1 Mini's 160 tok/s, and the time to first token is 1170 ms for Claude Sonnet 4.5 versus 130 ms for GPT-4.1 Mini. GPT-4.1 Mini 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, GPT-4.1 Mini is the stronger choice.
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Claude Sonnet 4.5 vs GPT-4.1 Mini — FAQ
Which is better, Claude Sonnet 4.5 or GPT-4.1 Mini?
Claude Sonnet 4.5 wins on more benchmarks overall (10 vs 6). However, the best choice depends on your specific needs — each model excels in different areas.
How does Claude Sonnet 4.5 compare to GPT-4.1 Mini for coding?
Claude Sonnet 4.5 is better for coding, scoring 77.2% on SWE-bench Verified compared to 35.0%. SWE-bench tests real-world software engineering by resolving actual GitHub issues.
Is Claude Sonnet 4.5 cheaper than GPT-4.1 Mini?
Yes, GPT-4.1 Mini is cheaper. Claude Sonnet 4.5 costs $3.0/1M input and $15.0/1M output tokens. GPT-4.1 Mini costs $0.40/1M input and $1.6/1M output tokens.
Which is faster, Claude Sonnet 4.5 or GPT-4.1 Mini?
GPT-4.1 Mini is faster, generating output at 160 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 GPT-4.1 Mini comparison cover?
This comparison covers 16 benchmarks including Chatbot Arena ELO, MMLU-Pro, HumanEval+, MATH, GPQA Diamond, SWE-bench Verified, Output Speed, LiveCodeBench, and more. Metrics span general intelligence, coding, math, reasoning, speed, and cost categories.