Claude Sonnet 4.6 vs GPT-5.1
Side-by-side benchmark comparison across coding, math, reasoning, speed, and pricing.
GPT-5.1 by OpenAI wins on 14 of 18 benchmarks against Claude Sonnet 4.6 by Anthropic, which leads on 4. 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, GPT-5.1 scores 1464 on Chatbot Arena ELO compared to Claude Sonnet 4.6's 1395, while GPT-5.1 scores 86.0% on MMLU-Pro compared to Claude Sonnet 4.6's 84.0%, while GPT-5.1 scores 91.0% on IFEval compared to Claude Sonnet 4.6's 89.0%.
Coding: In coding, GPT-5.1 scores 93.0% on HumanEval+ compared to Claude Sonnet 4.6's 91.0%, while Claude Sonnet 4.6 scores 79.6% on SWE-bench Verified compared to GPT-5.1's 76.3%, while GPT-5.1 scores 82.0% on LiveCodeBench compared to Claude Sonnet 4.6's 65.0%, while Claude Sonnet 4.6 scores 70.3% on BFCL compared to GPT-5.1's 59.2%, while Claude Sonnet 4.6 scores 63 on AA Coding Index compared to GPT-5.1's 49.4.
Math: In math, GPT-5.1 scores 95.0% on MATH compared to Claude Sonnet 4.6's 88.0%, while GPT-5.1 scores 98.5% on GSM8K compared to Claude Sonnet 4.6's 96.0%.
Reasoning: In reasoning, GPT-5.1 scores 88.1% on GPQA Diamond compared to Claude Sonnet 4.6's 74.1%, while GPT-5.1 scores 50.0% on ARC-AGI compared to Claude Sonnet 4.6's 48.0%.
Context: In context, Claude Sonnet 4.6 scores 1.0M on Context Length compared to GPT-5.1's 400K.
Pricing Comparison
Claude Sonnet 4.6 costs $3.0/1M input tokens and $15.0/1M output tokens, while GPT-5.1 costs $1.3/1M input and $10.0/1M output. GPT-5.1 is the more affordable option for API usage.
Speed Comparison
Claude Sonnet 4.6 generates output at 57 tok/s compared to GPT-5.1's 95 tok/s, and the time to first token is 790 ms for Claude Sonnet 4.6 versus 350 ms for GPT-5.1. GPT-5.1 delivers faster throughput.
Verdict
For developers prioritizing coding, Claude Sonnet 4.6 has the edge. For those who value general intelligence and math and affordability and speed, GPT-5.1 is the stronger choice.
View Individual Model Pages
Claude Sonnet 4.6 vs GPT-5.1 — FAQ
Which is better, Claude Sonnet 4.6 or GPT-5.1?
GPT-5.1 wins on more benchmarks overall (14 vs 4). However, the best choice depends on your specific needs — each model excels in different areas.
How does Claude Sonnet 4.6 compare to GPT-5.1 for coding?
Claude Sonnet 4.6 is better for coding, scoring 79.6% on SWE-bench Verified compared to 76.3%. SWE-bench tests real-world software engineering by resolving actual GitHub issues.
Is Claude Sonnet 4.6 cheaper than GPT-5.1?
Yes, GPT-5.1 is cheaper. Claude Sonnet 4.6 costs $3.0/1M input and $15.0/1M output tokens. GPT-5.1 costs $1.3/1M input and $10.0/1M output tokens.
Which is faster, Claude Sonnet 4.6 or GPT-5.1?
GPT-5.1 is faster, generating output at 95 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-5.1 comparison cover?
This comparison covers 18 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.