Claude Opus 4.6 vs Claude Sonnet 4.5
Complete pricing and performance comparison between Anthropic's Claude Opus 4.6 and Anthropic's Claude Sonnet 4.5.
Quick Verdict
Cheaper
Claude Sonnet 4.5
1.7x cheaper input, 1.7x cheaper output
Larger Context
Claude Opus 4.6
200K vs 200K
Pricing Comparison
| Spec | Claude Opus 4.6 | Claude Sonnet 4.5 | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Provider | Anthropic | Anthropic | |
| Input / 1M tokens | $5 | $3 | Claude Sonnet 4.5 is 40% more expensive |
| Output / 1M tokens | $25 | $15 | Claude Sonnet 4.5 is 40% more expensive |
| Context Window | 200K | 200K | Same |
| Max Output | 32K | 64K |
Performance Benchmarks
| Metric | Claude Opus 4.6 | Claude Sonnet 4.5 | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quality Index | 47 | -- | N/A |
| Output Speed | 56 tok/s | -- | N/A |
| Value (Quality/$) | 9.3 | -- | Higher = better value |
Benchmark data from Artificial Analysis. Quality Index is a composite score across reasoning, coding, and knowledge tasks.
Cost at Scale
Estimated cost at different usage levels (3:1 input-to-output token ratio, typical for chat).
| Usage | Claude Opus 4.6 | Claude Sonnet 4.5 | Savings |
|---|---|---|---|
Single request 1K in / 300 out | $0.013 | $0.0075 | Claude Sonnet 4.5 saves $0.0050 |
10 requests 10K in / 3K out | $0.125 | $0.075 | Claude Sonnet 4.5 saves $0.050 |
100 requests 100K in / 30K out | $1.25 | $0.750 | Claude Sonnet 4.5 saves $0.500 |
1,000 requests 1M in / 300K out | $12.50 | $7.50 | Claude Sonnet 4.5 saves $5.00 |
10,000 requests 10M in / 3M out | $125.00 | $75.00 | Claude Sonnet 4.5 saves $50.00 |
1M requests/mo 1B in / 300M out | $12500.00 | $7500.00 | Claude Sonnet 4.5 saves $5000.00 |
Pros & Cons
Claude Opus 4.6 Strengths
Part of the Anthropic ecosystem
Claude Sonnet 4.5 Strengths
- +Cheaper input tokens
- +Cheaper output tokens
- +Higher max output tokens
When to Use Each Model
Choose Claude Opus 4.6 for
- →Projects already integrated with Anthropic's ecosystem
Choose Claude Sonnet 4.5 for
- →Budget-conscious projects where cost is the primary factor
- →Generating long-form content or detailed code
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is cheaper, Claude Opus 4.6 or Claude Sonnet 4.5?
For input tokens, Claude Sonnet 4.5 is 1.7x cheaper at $3/1M tokens. For output tokens, Claude Sonnet 4.5 is 1.7x cheaper at $15/1M tokens. At typical usage (1M input + 300K output), Claude Opus 4.6 costs $12.50 vs Claude Sonnet 4.5 at $7.50.
What's the context window difference?
Claude Opus 4.6 supports 200K context (200,000 tokens), while Claude Sonnet 4.5 supports 200K (200,000 tokens). Claude Sonnet 4.5 can handle 1x more context in a single request.
Which model has better benchmarks?
When should I choose Claude Opus 4.6 over Claude Sonnet 4.5?
Choose Claude Opus 4.6 when you need: a Anthropic ecosystem model. Choose Claude Sonnet 4.5 when you need: Cheaper input tokens, Cheaper output tokens, Higher max output tokens.
How much would 10,000 API requests cost?
At 1K input + 300 output tokens per request (typical chat): Claude Opus 4.6 = $125.00, Claude Sonnet 4.5 = $75.00. At 10K input + 1K output per request (longer conversations): Claude Opus 4.6 = $750.00, Claude Sonnet 4.5 = $450.00.
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