Claude Sonnet 4.5 vs Grok 4
Side-by-side benchmark comparison across coding, math, reasoning, speed, and pricing.
Grok 4 by xAI wins on 10 of 15 benchmarks against Claude Sonnet 4.5 by Anthropic, which leads on 2. This head-to-head comparison covers coding, math, reasoning, speed, and pricing metrics from the AI Value Index.
Category-by-Category Breakdown
General Intelligence: In general intelligence, Grok 4 scores 1430 on Chatbot Arena ELO compared to Claude Sonnet 4.5's 1380, while Grok 4 scores 87.0% on MMLU-Pro compared to Claude Sonnet 4.5's 83.0%.
Coding: In coding, both score 90.0% on HumanEval+, while Claude Sonnet 4.5 scores 77.2% on SWE-bench Verified compared to Grok 4's 72.0%, while Grok 4 scores 65.0% on LiveCodeBench compared to Claude Sonnet 4.5's 62.0%, while Grok 4 scores 79.6% on Aider Polyglot compared to Claude Sonnet 4.5's 68.0%.
Math: In math, Grok 4 scores 91.0% on MATH compared to Claude Sonnet 4.5's 87.0%, while Grok 4 scores 97.0% on GSM8K compared to Claude Sonnet 4.5's 95.5%.
Reasoning: In reasoning, Grok 4 scores 87.0% on GPQA Diamond compared to Claude Sonnet 4.5's 83.4%, while Grok 4 scores 50.0% on ARC-AGI compared to Claude Sonnet 4.5's 45.0%.
Context: In context, Grok 4 scores 256K on Context Length compared to Claude Sonnet 4.5's 200K.
Pricing Comparison
Claude Sonnet 4.5 costs $3.0/1M input tokens and $15.0/1M output tokens, while Grok 4 costs $3.0/1M input and $15.0/1M output. Both models are priced identically for input tokens.
Speed Comparison
Claude Sonnet 4.5 generates output at 67 tok/s compared to Grok 4's 55 tok/s, and the time to first token is 1170 ms for Claude Sonnet 4.5 versus 500 ms for Grok 4. Claude Sonnet 4.5 delivers faster throughput.
Verdict
For developers prioritizing coding and speed, Claude Sonnet 4.5 has the edge. For those who value general intelligence and math, Grok 4 is the stronger choice.
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Claude Sonnet 4.5 vs Grok 4 — FAQ
Which is better, Claude Sonnet 4.5 or Grok 4?
Grok 4 wins on more benchmarks overall (10 vs 2). However, the best choice depends on your specific needs — each model excels in different areas.
How does Claude Sonnet 4.5 compare to Grok 4 for coding?
Claude Sonnet 4.5 is better for coding, scoring 77.2% on SWE-bench Verified compared to 72.0%. SWE-bench tests real-world software engineering by resolving actual GitHub issues.
Is Claude Sonnet 4.5 cheaper than Grok 4?
Both models are priced the same at $3.0/1M input tokens. Claude Sonnet 4.5 output costs $15.0/1M and Grok 4 output costs $15.0/1M.
Which is faster, Claude Sonnet 4.5 or Grok 4?
Claude Sonnet 4.5 is faster, generating output at 67 tok/s compared to 55 tok/s. Faster output speed means shorter wait times for API responses.
What benchmarks does the Claude Sonnet 4.5 vs Grok 4 comparison cover?
This comparison covers 15 benchmarks including Chatbot Arena ELO, MMLU-Pro, HumanEval+, MATH, SWE-bench Verified, GPQA Diamond, Output Speed, Time to First Token, and more. Metrics span general intelligence, coding, math, reasoning, speed, and cost categories.