Claude Sonnet 4.6 vs GPT-4.5
Side-by-side benchmark comparison across coding, math, reasoning, speed, and pricing.
Claude Sonnet 4.6 by Anthropic wins on 13 of 15 benchmarks against GPT-4.5 by OpenAI, which leads on 2. 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 4.6 scores 1395 on Chatbot Arena ELO compared to GPT-4.5's 1310, while Claude Sonnet 4.6 scores 84.0% on MMLU-Pro compared to GPT-4.5's 78.0%, while Claude Sonnet 4.6 scores 89.0% on IFEval compared to GPT-4.5's 86.0%.
Coding: In coding, Claude Sonnet 4.6 scores 91.0% on HumanEval+ compared to GPT-4.5's 88.0%, while Claude Sonnet 4.6 scores 79.6% on SWE-bench Verified compared to GPT-4.5's 38.0%, while Claude Sonnet 4.6 scores 65.0% on LiveCodeBench compared to GPT-4.5's 45.0%.
Math: In math, Claude Sonnet 4.6 scores 88.0% on MATH compared to GPT-4.5's 82.0%, while Claude Sonnet 4.6 scores 96.0% on GSM8K compared to GPT-4.5's 94.0%.
Reasoning: In reasoning, Claude Sonnet 4.6 scores 74.1% on GPQA Diamond compared to GPT-4.5's 71.4%, while Claude Sonnet 4.6 scores 48.0% on ARC-AGI compared to GPT-4.5's 20.0%.
Context: In context, Claude Sonnet 4.6 scores 1.0M on Context Length compared to GPT-4.5's 128K.
Pricing Comparison
Claude Sonnet 4.6 costs $3.0/1M input tokens and $15.0/1M output tokens, while GPT-4.5 costs $75.0/1M input and $150.0/1M output. Claude Sonnet 4.6 is the more affordable option for API usage.
Speed Comparison
Claude Sonnet 4.6 generates output at 57 tok/s compared to GPT-4.5's 60 tok/s, and the time to first token is 790 ms for Claude Sonnet 4.6 versus 600 ms for GPT-4.5. GPT-4.5 delivers faster throughput.
Verdict
For developers prioritizing coding and general intelligence and math and affordability, Claude Sonnet 4.6 has the edge. For those who value speed, GPT-4.5 is the stronger choice.
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Claude Sonnet 4.6 vs GPT-4.5 — FAQ
Which is better, Claude Sonnet 4.6 or GPT-4.5?
Claude Sonnet 4.6 wins on more benchmarks overall (13 vs 2). However, the best choice depends on your specific needs — each model excels in different areas.
How does Claude Sonnet 4.6 compare to GPT-4.5 for coding?
Claude Sonnet 4.6 is better for coding, scoring 79.6% on SWE-bench Verified compared to 38.0%. SWE-bench tests real-world software engineering by resolving actual GitHub issues.
Is Claude Sonnet 4.6 cheaper than GPT-4.5?
Yes, Claude Sonnet 4.6 is cheaper. Claude Sonnet 4.6 costs $3.0/1M input and $15.0/1M output tokens. GPT-4.5 costs $75.0/1M input and $150.0/1M output tokens.
Which is faster, Claude Sonnet 4.6 or GPT-4.5?
GPT-4.5 is faster, generating output at 60 tok/s compared to 57 tok/s. Faster output speed means shorter wait times for API responses.
What benchmarks does the Claude Sonnet 4.6 vs GPT-4.5 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.